December 29th update

Our son Mike and my sister Carol visited for Christmas. Nancy had a good Christmas. Her energy levels are still the main issue. We have an appointment with the radiation Doctors on Jan 7th (routine follow-up). Nancy's next infusion is now Jan 18th. Happy New Year!!!

December 18th update

We are back in Spokane. The return flight was very hard on Nancy. She got way overtired from the long flight, and spent Monday and Tuesday recovering. There were also some left arm issues. On a positive note, she had a Doctor appointment on Thursday and all counts look good. She also received her routine Zomeda infusion. She is taking it easy this weekend. We are thankful for all your friendship and support. Merry Christmas!!!

December 9th Update

Nancy is in Florida spending time with her sister. She does have to wear a sleeve on her left arm to fly........and has daily routines for her left arm. This is her first trip since surgery.... Florida has similar temperatures to Spokane (chuckle). All the best, BC

November 24th update

Nancy continues her physical therapy/treatments for lymphadema. Her next Doctor appointment is not until December 14th. Her spirits are good. From our entire family, thanks to all of you for great support. At Thanksgiving, we are thankful for you!

Nov 10th Update

Nancy saw Dr Anthony on Monday. His review of the scans matched what we heard last week.... however Nancy's left arm and the wall of her chest were both slightly swollen. The left arm especially will be something we have to watch and manage due to the lymph nodes having been removed. So, Nancy starts some physical therapy next Tuesday. The PT is located next to the Doctor's office, so it is very handy.
Nancy may have to wear a sleeve on her left arm at times.
Nancy also had her Zometa infustion Monday, so there is no Thursday appointment needed. Her spirits are good, and most days she now takes a walk in our neighborhood. Thank you all, BC

November 5th Update

Nancy had scans and ultrasounds yesterday. The Doctor came by and reviewed while she was there. The preliminary data (get the final report on Monday) is that the infection was just that, an infection that is now gone. The other pain is caused by scar tissue...which you just live with. So it is great news.... Nancy is feeling well and looking forward to the weekend.

October 26th Update

Nancy had a good week last week. She had more energy and felt better than in months. Sunday, her left arm had pain and she had little energy. Yesterday we saw the Doctor. Best guess is there is an infection in her left arm from the surgery....so she is on strong antibiotics and will have scans and ultrasounds next Thursday. She is in good spirits this morning.

Will report again after we see test results. Thanks for all the great support!

October 15th Update

Out friend Mike who set up this blog calls this a journey. He is correct. We had two meetings yesterday as well as Nancy's infusion/treatment. The news is good. The most recent BONE/PET scans shwo no new cancer areas; the Doctor said it is stabilized. The blood tests show the cancer markers are down. The burns from radiation are healing. So it appears the treatments of the last 14 months have been effective. The cancer is not gone but, for now, looks to be under control.

Nancy will continue the Femara (daily pill for estrogen inhibitor) and Zometa (monthly for bone builder upper). Both have side effects of some joint paint...Nancy has some new supplemental meds to try to make her more comfortable.

Thank you all for wonderful support.

October 10th update

Nancy is now completed with Radiation, and our next appointment there is after the first of the year! She had a PET/BONE scan Thursday. We will get the results at a Dr Anthony meeting this Thursday. Nancy is also scheduled for Zometa.

She is still really tired, but healing has started on the burns. We are hoping she will gain some energy this week. Her hair is growing back....she looks good. We expect that Nancy will get some time of rest, just taking Femara daily, Zometa every 4 weeks, and scans every 2-3 months. We will let you know the results on Thursday.

As always, thank you for wonderful support.

September 30th Update

Two more sessions of radiation to go....and then Nancy gets a break from treatments other than monthly infusions and periodic scans. Nancy is extremely tired, and the burns are very uncomfortable. Only two more days! Nancy should start to feel better in around two weeks.

We were in Seattle for the Koman Walk ceremony, our son Mike walked 60 miles, his team raised over $17,000, and the Walk raised over $6 Million. It was very emotional to see the closing ceremony....our friends the Stewarts joined us there.
Monday, Nancy met with the surgeon, Dr Towbin and Oncologist Dr Lonnergan. Both doctors continue to monitor Nancy's status. We will continue to have two groups on our case. Basically, all agree that a rest/monitoring time is needed.

Next week, Nancy has a PET scan, and a complete review meeting with Dr Anthony here in Spokane on October 14th. We will also continue to meet with the radiation folks the end of October.

Thanks to all who support Nancy, and thanks from us to all who supported Mike's efforts. You are all appreciated.

September 22nd Update

Nancy is down to 7 more radiation treatments. She has two main side effects, being tired and the burns (like a bad sunburn) that comes from daily treatments. Support for Nancy continues to be amazing. We are intending to go see the cancer walk closing ceremony in Seattle Sunday and see the Evergreen Doctors on Monday. Thank you for all the help and support for Nancy.

September 8th update

Tomorrow Nancy will be half way through her radiation treatments. She will have had 15 of the 30 scheduled treatments. Her main side effect remains to be tiredness. She had a wonderful visit with her Mom, Dad, Todd, Ally, Mike, and Keeton. The next Doctor appointment is on the 16th here in Spokane. Thank you all for all the cards, calls, and great support. That support has made a huge difference in this journey!

August 31st update

Nancy has completed over 1/4 of her radiation treatments....so far, it has gone well. We are just seeing signs of her tiring a little more. Her Mom and Dad, Todd, Ally, Keeton, and Mike are all here to celebrate Todd's 31st birthday. Nancy has another full Doctor meeting with Dr Anthony on Sept 16th, and meetings with the Seattle Doctors Towbin and Lonnergan on Sept 27th. That is the Monday after Mike completes the 60 mile cancer walk in Seattle. Thank you all for super support, BC

August 20th update

Nancy had two Doctor appts yesterday. We met with Dr Anthony's group and had a Zometa treatment. All Nancy's numbers were stable. We then went to Nancy's first radiation treatment. That took about two hours. It was not painful, but mentally very challenging. Today is session two, which should be closer to 20 minutes (appt at 3:00). Weekends are "off" for radiation. Monday and Tuesday appts are at 3:00, and then future appts are at 11:30am. Again, this goes for 6 weeks.

Nancy's Mom and Dad arrive Monday afternoon for a visit.

Thanks to all for your support....BC

August 16th Update

Nancy had her "fitting" for radiation yesterday. The staff was super. Her first treatment will be Thursday, she goes in at 1:00 and will have treatment around 2:30 or 3:00. they need to get it all dialed in....then Friday it is supposed to be like 20 minutes. We do not have Friday's time yet.

August 15th update

Today Nancy was sent flowers by her son Mike, who is 26 today. He said he thought she was there when he was born!!!! Go figure....

Friday Nancy got a call to have MRI's on her back. There were 3. These were done before radiation starts..... Nancy has had more pain..... so they wanted to do the additional MRI's. We see Dr Anthony on Thursday.... and start radiation the same day. Lots happening, we will keep you updated. Thanks for the wonderful support.

August 5th Update

Yesterday was interesting! It was Nancy and my 37th wedding anniversary. It was also one year exactly since Dr. Tobin told Nancy "you have cancer". Yup, both on the same day! Made for an interesting day of conversations. Thank you all for one year of unbelievable support....the next hill we need to climb is radiation.

August 3rd Update

Today Nancy had a review with Dr Lonergan (by phone). He and Dr. Anthony have been working together, they may add one more medication on a monthly basis. All the radiation plans have been reviewed and approved. Radiation has been delayed one week, so Nancy goes in for the "fitting" on August 16th, and first treatment will be August 19th. Nancy has been a little tired but feeling well.

Her next appointment is for Labs only Friday, the 13th.

As always, thanks again for all the support!

July 29th Update

Today we spent three hours with the radiation oncologist. Nancy will begin the process on August 9th with the fitting, they make a way to radiate the exact space every time...and on August 12th, Nancy will begin 6 weeks of daily radiation. Actually, it's only Monday-Friday. They are going to radiate the wall of her chest, where the lump was attached, and the lymph nodes area under her left arm, where we know the cancer had some level of spreading. There is no near term plans to radiate the spine or back area. Nancy will continue the Femara and Zometa treatments during this time.

They say to plan on seven weeks to get six done....there is a holiday, etc...so Nancy should be done the end of September. The first two weeks after radiation can also have some challenges...so we need to plan to take it easy then. The side effects are usually being tired and some skin irritation.

This was our first real meeting on radiation, so I apologize for not knowing more about it. All plans will be reviewed by Dr Anthony, Dr Lonnergan, and Dr Towbin next week.

Thank you all for great support!

July 25th update

Our appointment with the Radiation Oncologist is Thursday, July 29th at 1:00 pm. We will update with new info after that meeting. Thank you!

July 22nd Update

NO MORE CHEMO.....(AT LEAST FOR NOW).... Great news! Nancy had just Zometa (the bone builder up med) today, and will continue to have Zometa every 28 days. Also, she will return to daily pills of Femara.
We do not have a status on radiation, we need to first meet with Dr Laing, a radiation oncologist here in Spokane. That meeting is not set up yet. Not sure how long it will take to get an appointment....will update the blog as soon as we know.
After the Zometa today, they gave Nancy her anti-headache drug, which means she will be sleeping most of the afternoon.
Nancy's sister Lori is here, Mike will get here late tonight....Nancy should have a nice weekend! Thank you all for your special support.

July 16th Update

Both Scans are now done. The results will be known next Thursday. Nancy woke up this morning feeling good! Her sister Lori will be visiting starting next Monday.
The next update will be results from our meeting with Dr Anthony. We appreciate all the support.

July 13th Update

Nancy now has an additional Scan this week, a bone scan tomorrow at 9:30am. Dr. Anthony and Dr Lonergan had a conference call today and agreed a second scan was needed. It has been over 3 months since they have measured her progress, and two looks are better than one. So two days, two scans. Also, the review meeting with Dr Anthony will be Thursday, July 22nd. Nancy has a scheduled Zometa infusion that day...and we will find out that day if chemo is needed for a fourth cycle. If it is, we will also have chemo that day. If she does not need chemo, then we get some level of recess or break before radiation starts. Thanks for all the support, BC

July 11th update

Maybe our chemo treatments are over. Nancy completed the third cycle on Thursday. She felt good Friday, tired towards the middle of Saturday, and today had no energy at all. She has some aches today.. but no headache. We have the PET scan Thursday...and the following week we will have our first real progress report in some time. We have been truly blessed by all your support. Thank you!!

July 5th Update

Nancy had her infusion last Thursday. Last week she had new back pain.... which is to be expected. As before, after the infusion, she is tired but no headaches. Next Thursday is hopefully her last chemo session.


Todd and I drove a U-Haul to Austin Texas. Three days and 2200 miles. Todd starts his new job this morning. Ally flies down tomorrow morning. Hope you all are having a great 4th weekend. Special thanks to Mike, Cindy, and Patsy for helping last week.

June 28th Update

Nancy started Cycle Three of Chemo on the 24th. She also had the Zometa...so it was a 6 hour session. She was very tired on Saturday and Sunday.....but no pain and she spent time on the deck. So she has this Thursday and next Thursday to complete Cycle Three. A PET scan is scheduled for July 15th. The PET scan will determine if Nancy has a Cycle Four of chemo or not. It yes, it starts on the 23rd. If no, she will get a rest of a few weeks, then radiation starts.

The cards, calls, and prayers are amazing. Thanks for all the help and support on this journey.

June 21st Update

Nancy had two visits to Holy Family Emergency Room last Thursday and Friday. She has had a reaction/delayed reaction on one of the meds (or two meds are reacting to each other). The first visit was 3 hours, the second was 6. Nancy had severe chest pains on the second visit. This was not from her heart. All blood numbers were good... the Docs said this can happen and they do not know which drugs were the cause. Nancy is tired but doing better. This week she will take it easy.....as Round Three of chemo starts Thursday. Thank you all for your wonderful support!

A note from Nancy

Hi, it's Mike again!
I'm sitting on the back deck with Mom and Dad in Spokane, drinking coffee and taking in the beautiful sun. Mom wanted to communicate that she's not been on e-mail or facebook lately, so if you've reached out to her, please don't be offended by her lack of response.

Thanks for your continued support, prayers and understanding.
-Mike

Seattle Fundraisers for 3-Day Walk

Hi Everyone! It's Mike...

Since Mom was diagnosed last August, I joined a team and am currently training and fundraising for the upcoming 60-mile Susan G. Komen 3-Day Walk for the Cure in Seattle this September. Komen is a leader in the fight against breast cancer and has raised more than $1.5 billion for research, education and health services. The 60-mile walk is its flagship fundraiser with each participant contributing at least $2,300 in funds.

Our first team fundraiser is this week and I wanted to drop you a quick note to share a few details in case you can make it:

Today and tomorrow, Sazerac Restaurant in Hotel Monaco (4th and Spring in Seattle)will donate 20 percent of your total bill to our team. All you have to do is mention our team name, “Breast Friends” during breakfast, lunch or dinner and Sazerac will support our team’s commitment to raising more than $13,000! So far we are about one-third of the way to our goal and have much more to raise!

Also, by mentioning our name to your server, you’ll receive a coupon for 20 percent off an upcoming visit to Sazerac.

If this week doesn’t work for you, we have another event next week at Kylie’s Chicago Pizza in Fremont on Wednesday, June 23. From 5:00-10:00 pm, Kylie’s will donate 50 percent of dinner sales to “Breast Friends.”

Thank you all for the many ways you support our family and I hope if you’re looking for somewhere to enjoy a meal or drinks with friends or family in the next few days that your plans include Sazerac. They’ve been a fantastic partner and are very supportive of local causes.

You can find more information about our team online on our Facebook page:
http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=114062375305304&index=1#!/group.php?gid=105456446151513&ajaxpipe=1&__a=4

Or, if you feel led to donate, please do so by visiting our team page on the Susan G. Komen site:
http://www.the3day.org/site/TR/2010/SeattleEvent2010?pg=team&fr_id=1471&team_id=119800.

And please tell your friends and family – as you know, word of mouth is the best way to share news about a great cause or event!

God Bless,
Mike

June 14th update

Nancy completed the second cycle of chemo last Friday. Again, she continues to be very tired on the second and third day after treatments. Yesterday Keeton was "dedicated" at Todd and Ally's church. We hosted a get together for the little guy and a send-off for Todd and Ally. The weather was perfect.

Next week is the off week for chemo. After the third cycle, she will have PET scans to see if we need a fourth cycle prior to radiation. Thank you all for the continued wonderful support.

June 6th Update

Friday we had Round Two of the Second Series of chemo. We were at the doctor's for over 4 hours. Everything went as planned. Saturday went very well. Again, they gave her some new meds to help some of the energy loss. Today Nancy was very tired and took it easy. Keeton came over for a couple hours this afternoon....(always good for morale).

Todd, Ally and Keeton are moving to Austin Texas the end of June. Todd has resigned from Bank of America. He will be working in the medical field for a company owned by Ally's parents. Todd has always been interested in the medical field ever since he worked at Evergreen Hospital one summer years ago. They are very excited about this new opportunity. We are sad to see them leave Spokane...they will be missed.

May 28th update

Yesterday Nancy had a long visit to Dr Anthony. She had her normal appointment with the Doctor, the chemo treatment, and her monthly Zometa treatment. It was over 5 hours... and yet it went well. All Nancy's numbers are in line....which is good after the week off. She slept well and had no headache. We are expecting some tiredness tomorrow.

There has not been a blog update for some time. Nancy has had a tough time with hair loss. Our son Todd shaved her head last weekend. She has two wigs....and looks absolutely wonderful. Speaking of last weekend, we travelled to Seattle and the Brennan's took us to Ten Grands, a concert featuring 10 Steinways on one stage....it was very cool.

We are also warned that the effects of chemo can be cumulative.... so it may get a little harder. We totally appreciate all the support....I wish there was a better way to say how good that support has been and how much it has meant. Happy Memorial Day weekend!

May 16th update

Nancy had her third chemo treatment on Friday. It took around 4 hours. They give her pain meds right at the end to prevent headaches.....and again, no headache! She slept good Friday night, and spent Saturday with Keeton. Got tired at the end of Saturday....and Sunday was very tired all day (no pain, just super tired). We expect her to regain some energy tomorrow. This week there is no treatment (3 weeks on, one off). Our next visit is the 27th, which will include Zometa and maybe scans. Your support has been incredible, thanks to all.

May 7th Update

Nancy had her second chemo treatment yesterday. Dr Anthony made two changes to her "anti meds" and added a pain shot at the end of the treatment for headaches. The appointment and treatment took over 4 hours. Nancy slept great last night.... no headaches, she feels good today. Hopefully that continues for all of Mother's Day weekend. Your support is wonderful!

May 4th Update

Yesterday was a very hard day for Nancy. She woke up Monday am about 3:00 and felt a migraine coming on. By mid morning, she was very uncomfortable. We went in to Dr Anthony's and they gave her IV's for hydration and 3 or 4 shots for the pain. We were there for over 5 hours. Nancy was tired but comfortable when we left. She slept good last night, and does not have a headache this morning. This could have been caused by her no longer taking Femara, it could be the Taxol she is now taking. It could also be one of the "anti" drugs they give (like anti-nausea).... but they will figure it out. Nancy received great care yesterday by Shanna and the nurse team.

May 2nd update

Nancy had a good weekend. The only real side effect was a migrane headache on Sunday morning. She did get some rest, and got some time with her Grandson Keeton, as well as Mike, Todd, and Ally. We will continue to monitor closely.... but are expecting a good week. Nancy's next treatment is Thursday at 1:00. Thank you for your wonderful support, BC

April 30th Update

Nancy has had her first chemo treatment. We had a very complete marathon appointment.....and she is home sleeping comfortably. We started at 11:30, did normal labs now thru the port...which was wonderful.....the port worked great. We then met with our trainer on chemo. They went thru lotsa information..what to expect...and gave us a large notebook with tons on information. Nancy really appreciated how organized they were. We then met with Dr Anthony and reviewed the treatments. Nancy will have chemo 3 weeks on, one week off for a total of 12-16 weeks. After that, there will be a couple of weeks delay and then will start radiation. So this set of treatments will probably go thru September. We have real confidence in our team of Doctors, both in Kirkland and here in Spokane.

Then Nancy got her infusion of chemo. They are giving her Taxol and some anti-meds, anti nausea, etc.... She slept thru most of the actual chemo treatment. We were there over 5 hours, a long but very good day.

So the next phase has started. You, as a support group, have been amazing. Thank you.... We will have another update Sunday or Monday.....

April 22nd update

We had a good trip to Kirkland. All pre-operation meetings went well. Nancy had the port put in Wed, surgery was about one half an hour. She then used the port for a Zometa infusion. On the drive home, she mostly slept. Today she is tired but doing well. We have no appointments until next Friday, when weekly chemo starts. Thank you for all the calls and support.

April 20th update

We met with the doctors in Kirkland. Nancy will have 8-12 weeks of chemo starting next week. There will be a review after that to determine next treatments. She has the port installed tomorrow, checkin at 7:15 and surgery at 9:00. She has a Zometa infustion at 2:00, then we drive back to Spokane. Her spirits are good. Next update probably on Thursday. Thank you.

April 18th Update

OK, the doctors met and we have a plan. This week Nancy will get her port, and have the Zomeda infusion. On April 30th at 11:30, Nancy will start chemo here in Spokane. The chemo will be over less time, maybe 6 weeks to 2 months. Not sure what is after that, but we meet with both Oncologists next week, Dr Lonergan in Kirkland on Tuesday, and Dr Anthony here in Spokane on Thursday.

Nancy's chemo is weekly, and is scheduled for either Thursday afternoons or Friday afternoons. Bill met with the nurses at Dr. Anthony's office yesterday and learned weekly treatments are much more friendly to the patient for side effects. The goal is for Bill to be with Nancy for every treatment and home for the first couple of days after (which would be the weekend).

We will update next week after Nancy's minor surgery and the Doctor meetings. Thank you for all your support!

April 13th update

Yesterday we had our appointment with Dr Anthony. Unfortunately, he had not been able to meet with Dr Lonnergan in Kirkland, so we could not complete our plan for going forward. There appears to be two different ways to approach this; one starting with chemo, one starting with radiation. That discussion between the doctors will take place today or tomorrow.

Nancy will have a port put in next week in Kirkland. This needs to be done as she can no longer use her left arm for IV's, blood draws, etc.

Last night Nancy took her longest walk since surgery. Her Mom and sister Sharon are both visiting this week.

We are humbled by the support for Nancy.....the cards, calls, well wishes, prayers, dinners...it has been amazing. Thank you all!

March 30th update

Nancy has a new appointment with Dr Anthony in Spokane on April 12th at 2:00. We will review the chemo treatment plan, as well as review what we may expect. There are also drug for symptoms like nausea, etc that will be reviewed.

Nancy had a so-so weekend, she has been very tired and somewhat achy. We are told this is part of post surgery healing. Thank you all for all the cards, calls, and support.

March 24th update

Nancy is home in Spokane. We had our last meeting with the surgeon on Tuesday and then drove home. Within 15 minutes after getting home, Ally brought Keeton over to see Grama. It was a great homecoming. There are no appointments until April 20th. Nancy's Mom and sister Sharon will be visiting.... and Nancy gets a whole month to heal. Thanks to all for your support!

March 20th Update

Well, Nancy returned to the "scene of the crime, back to Whidbey Island". In late July this is where we started to discover Nancy's health issues. This morning, she walked on the beach, this afternoon, she and Sue had errands, which is a lot like shopping. A very relaxing weekend with our friends the Brices. Next appointment is Tuesday. Our best to all of Nancy's support group!!

March 18th Update

Nancy is healing well......she actually played a little piano today.

We met with her Oncologist today. He laid out the following plan. For the next month, Nancy rests and heals. On April 20th, we will be in Kirkland for pre-ops. On the 21st, Nancy will have surgery to insert a port. This will be used for chemo therapy treatment beginning the last week of April. The chemo is called Taxol, and is a weekly treatment. All treatments will be done in Spokane. There is no need for radiation. At the end of August, Nancy will resume with the Femara, the daily pills she is taking now.

Nancy will be home next Tuesday night. Again, thank you for all your support, BC

March 17th update

Well, no pathology report today. Maybe tomorrow...... Nancy had a good day. Took a couple of rests, and had her toenails done this afternoon with her friend Merrie. Tomorrow is an infusion and meeting with the Oncologist.....Happy St Patrick's Day, from William Patrick Curry (chuckle).

March 16th update

Nancy met with the surgeon today. The post operation review looked good. We do have one more review with the surgeon next Tuesday. The lab report was not complete for our appointment. We should see that tomorrow afternoon, and have scheduled an appointment with the Oncologist for Thursday am at 10:15. Nancy will also have an infusion after that. We may know more about possible radiation or any medicine changes at that time. Nancy has been a trooper, she is napping now..... thanks again for all your thoughts and prayers!

March 15th update

Nancy has rested today. Her left arm has had some pain. Our friends the Brennan's visited today. Again, all of your support has been amazing. Tomorrow we have our review with the Surgeon, and should learn a lot. Thank you!!

March 13th update

Nancy is doing really well. She has slept both nights really well. Our friend Cindy Lupton and Merrie Tomlin have provided nurse care. She had dinner last night here at the Tomlins provided by and with Tom and Nancy Stewart. This afternoon she is going to have her hair washed (no showers until after Tuesday). She is just doing great. Thanks for the cards, calls, and support. Our next appt is Tuesday at 1:00. Blessings to all!

Keeton is here (Todd and Ally too) as well as Mike has been here almost every minute. Keeton is great therapy for Nancy!!!

March 11th update

Nancy had little sleep last night, then a good nap this morning. She is back at the Tomlin's, resting comfortably. Our friend Cindy Lupton is by her side. We met with the surgeon this morning at 6:15. He stated again that the surgery went as planned. Our next meeting is Tuesday at 1:00 here in Kirkland. We will learn at that time about possible radiation or other treatment changes, if any, are needed. Evergreen Hospital treated us great. Thanks to all for the huge support. Sorry this was late in getting done today......lots going on :-)

Nancy update March 10th

Nancy is in room 8064 here at Evergreen. She is comfortable, our friend Cindy Lupton is here along with Mike and me. She is having ice chips and some gatorade......and expects to have a light dinner soon. She is in good spirits. Thanks for all your prayers and support. BC

Surgery successful

Nancy's surgery went as planned.....she will be in her room around 5:30. The surgeon says she will be released tomorrow. We are thankful for this successful surgery. Now we wait for the lab reports on the cancer, which should be next Tuesday. Evergreen staff has been amazing.
Thanks for all the support, BC

Surgery delayed until 2pm.

New Surgery Time

Nancy has a new schedule for tomorrow. She will check in at 10:15am and surgery is set for twelve noon. We are now moved in at our friends the Tomlin's. Todd and Ally are bringing Keeton over to see Grama on the weekend.

March 8th update

Nancy is in Kirkland tonight. We did not get the final schedule time for surgery today, we will get a call tomorrow. The blog will be updated with that information. Thank you all for the unbelievable support.

March 5th Update

Nancy will spend the weekend before her surgery taking care of Keeton, her grandson. She gets two full days with the little guy. The support has just been incredible. We are traveling to Kirkland Monday afternoon. Nancy is tentatively set for Wednesday 7:30am check-in, and around 9:00 for surgery. Mike and I will do our best to call as many folks as we can......and my hope is to use this blog for updates. There may be one, two, or three updates each day for the first few days. Again, your support has been incredible. Thank you, BC

February 26th update

Our Oncologist in Kirkland called today.....and all the MRI scans on Nancy's lower back were now reviewed....and great news, the area showed stability and some level of progress. This means the Femara appears to be doing exactly what it should. He also cancelled Nancy's next infusion on March 8th. This infusion will be done soon after Nancy's surgery on March 10th. We will be heading to Kirkland probably on March 8th...and after surgery will be with our friends the Tomlins. Nancy is expected to be in Kirkland for around two weeks. Thanks to all for your support, it has been amazing!!

February 22nd update

Nancy had a very good meeting with the surgeon in Kirkland today. She now is scheduled for surgery on March 10th at Evergreen Hospital. The blog will be updated with more details later. Thank you all for your thoughts and prayers.

February 20th update

Sometimes we need to be careful what we ask for..... Nancy wanted to stay in Maui one more day. Alaska Airlines provided that with 10 plus hours at the airport, finally cancelling the flight, two more hours on a bus, back on the bus before seven Friday am, and then home. Yes we did get one more day, however......

We did miss our appointment in Kirkland Friday. Nancy will see the surgeon Monday (22nd) at 12:30. Mike will be with her. Hopefully a plan and dates for surgery can happen. Will update the blog next Tuesday.

February 17th update

We are stopping in Seattle on our way home for a doctor's appt Friday at 8:15am with the surgeon. We will most probably set the schedule for surgery at that meeting. We have been advised that Nancy will remain on Femara for now. There is still some evaluation going on regarding her lower back. We will be back in Spokane Friday afternoon. Thank you!

February12th update

Nancy is having a restful vacation. We found out today that all the files from Nancy's tests are now at the Oncologists. There is a meeting Tuesday to review. We should then be able to make a plan. So for now, no news. Happy Valentine's Day.....

February 8th update

Today both Oncologists had a phone conference. The MRI files have still not surfaced. They agree that Nancy should go on vacation.... so we leave tomorrow for Hawaii. While there, we should know the update and will schedule surgery. Thanks again for all the thoughts, prayers, and support. Mahalo and Aloha!

February 5th Update

Nancy had an infusion today and it went smoothly.

We will not have news until Monday on Nancy's status. The last scans did not get to Dr Lonergan today....so we wait until Monday. And we will post as soon as we know. Have a good weekend and thanks for all the support, BC

February 4th update

All testing has been completed. Nancy had her MRI yesterday. We do not have news on her lower back. We should know by tomorrow. Your support has been amazing, thank you, BC

January 29th Update

The last two days in Kirkland have been very hard on Nancy. In our first meeting, we learned the bone scan and the PET scan have conflicting results. The area in question is Nancy's lower back. So the next move is another MRI for the same area. That is scheduled for today here in Spokane at 5:45. We will know the results next Wednesday. At that time we will know if there is new or more cancer in her lower back. It is possible there is more than one strain of cancer....and one that the Femara drug is not effective. If this is the case, Nancy's treatment will be changed to chemotherapy.

The second day (and issue) is the surgery required for Nancy's lump. There is now another MRI scheduled here in Spokane next Wed, Feb 3rd to have a breast MRI. If the lump is still well defined and the surgeon can remove it knowing the area around the lump is clean or free of cancer, then Nancy would have a lumpectomy. However, they believe the Femara has sigificantly reduced the lump and it may not be possible to know where to operate. If that is the case, they must remove the breast to ensure all cancer areas are removed. We will know those results no later than Feb 8th.

For Nancy's health, the best scenario is for 1) the lower back to show no new or additional cancer (which means the Femara is doing great in treating her cancer) and 2) that the lump is not still well defined due to all the Femara shrinking it, which means that Nancy would have a mastectomy.

Finally, it appears they will not remove all the lymph nodes under Nancy's left arm. They will leave some and the result is that she should have much less of a chance of having issues with her left arm.

We drove home yesterday. Please pray for Nancy to have rest and peace. Also, if there are questions on the above, you can email me at bcurry@huntron.com. Thanks for all the support.

January 24th Update

Nancy drove to Kirkland today with the Brice's. She has a 9:00am Tuesday PET scan. They will expedite the results and she meets with the Oncologist Wed at 9:00am. Tomorrow we will know if we can schedule an appointment with the surgeon on this trip.

Dr Guthrie did complete her review and it is her opinion that all of the lymph nodes under Nancy's left arm should be removed.

Thank you all for your thoughts, prayers, and support.

January 17th update

Tuesday we completed Nancy's tests. Late Tuesday we were told the initial finding on the bone scan was increased activity in her lower back. We got all the final reports Sat morning. The bone scan is still inconclusive, but all other tests were positive. Nancy will get another PET scan the week of Jan 25th in Kirkland. That should reveal the final questions on her lower back. The good news is that she will continue the Femara medications.

Thursday we met with the Spokane surgeon Dr. Carol Guthrie. We had a long meeting on Nancy's upcoming surgery. The breast surgery would be a lumpectomy. The real question is do they remove all the lymph nodes under Nancy's left arm....or just some of them. There may be another test to determine this. Timing on this surgery was suggested be in the next couple of months. We will have this same discussion with the Kirkland team on March 11th.

January 12th update

Well, it is Tuesday and we are still in Seattle. We expected to have a review of the surgical procedure that Nancy will need. The doctors instead decided to do some additional testing. Nancy had her normal treatments yesteday as well as a bone scan. We hope to have those results today later. She will have MRI's this morning and a meeting with a specialist this afternoon. We should be on the plane back to Spokane tonight. Discussions on the surgery needed are deferred until the March 11 meeting bask at Kirkland.

January 6th update

Nancy met with Dr. Guthrie, a Spokane surgeon, this morning. There was a complete review and exam. Dr Guthrie will now prepare a plan for Nancy's surgical care. Additionally, she will meet next Tuesday am with a group of doctors, oncologists, etc... and present to this group her plan for Nancy. This group ends up agreeing on a plan. Nancy and I meet next Thursday, the 14th at 4:00pm again with Dr Guthrie to see her recommendations. Sunday it is off to Kirkland and our meetings with Dr Tobin. Happy New Year, BC