"...And Now In The Center Ring..."

I found out that there was a great article yesterday in the Sunday NY Times regarding a 33 year old woman who'd tested positive for BRCA1 (the breast cancer gene) but who has not been diagnosed with breast cancer. She had to make an agonizing choice whether to have a preventative double mastectomy. It is an amazing article and I encourage you to read it. There are some really good links as well. Follow the link...
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/09/16/health/16gene.html?hp

Today was the day mom finally had her oncology appointment. She was VERY weak today and it took incredible effort on her part just to get to the car. She'd had such a good weekend. Friday she had a great appetite and looked better. Saturday, her cousin Robert dropped in for a visit. She was so excited when he called Friday to set it up. They had such a lovely visit and were able to catch up on the years since they'd last seen each other. I saw a spark in her eyes that I hadn't seen in quite some time.

The oncologist said that at this point she is too weak for chemo. I completely agree; she just has no reserve. He discussed the results of her tests. The cancer cells in the fluid pulled off from her lung tested estrogen receptor positive and progesterone receptor positive. He recommended an aromatase inhibitor called Femara. This helps to block any estrogen and progesterone that her body is producing which is "feeding" the tumor. Once those hormones are blocked it will help to shrink the tumors. It is basically a good start. The oncologist wants to see how she does on the Femara for a few weeks before considering chemo. He also feels that the pleural effusion has returned. So tomorrow morning we are off to get another x-ray. If our suspicions are confirmed, she will have her lung drained again. This should provide some more relief for her.

We are investigating a homeopathic that can be used in conjunction with the "traditional" therapies. It is called Enercel and it is very promising to improve both quality and quantity of life. Check out their website at http://www.enercel.org. There have been several studies done and it is even listed as a treatment on the American Cancer Society website at http://www.cancer.org/docroot/ETO/content/ETO_5_3x_Enercel.asp?sitearea=ETO.

Despite her utter exhaustion she still maintains her sense of humor. When I asked her what she wanted to do when we got home, she said without dropping a beat, "I wanna dust." I nearly drove off the road I was laughing so hard. I guess I'm just going to have to break out the Pledge and the dust rag this weekend...