I Hate Xeloda

I haven't posted in a long time. I have a lot of reasons and I truly have intended too, but, you know, the road to hell is paved with good intentions. Well, I'm back now and I may be making a few changes to this blog in the next few weeks and I should be ready to unveil my new website by the end of the year!

Health update: I've felt great the past few days, but I have been on chemotherapy since July. This time I've been taking Xeloda with Avastin. Xeloda has been very trying. It makes me sick to my stomach, takes away my appetite, and gives me horrible headaches. I had a PET/CT scan on Wednesday and I will get my results on Monday. I'll find out then whether it's been working or not. In the last two scans, the only evidence of cancer was in a few swollen lymph nodes.

School and advocacy work have been keeping me busy. I was named to the C3 Grassroots Action Committee which I am very excited about. I'll be going to C3's Call On Congress at the end of March (and then on to a vacation in Savannah, GA).

Finals are next week so I have some studying to do.

Oooo, Two Days In A Row!

I love the Daily Show with Jon Stewart. This morning I was on a message board that linked to a YouTube clip done for Stand Up To Cancer and I really want to share a couple of videos that I watched.






I hope that you enjoy these videos as much as I did!

Stand Up to Cancer

It's been a busy summer. I've been traveling a lot and have neglecting updating this site. I'm going to catch up soon, but until then I'd like to point you all to a post I wrote for C3: Colorectal Cancer Coalition.

In Her Own Words: I Stood Up to Cancer

Meanwhile, I have a ton of stuff to get done this week and I'll be in Seattle next week. Fall classes start the following week. No break for me!

And Now The Moment You've All Been Waiting For

An Update!!!!!

Well, the school year is basically over. I still have a take-home final to do and a paper to put the finishing touches on. I'll have them both done by Friday. Woohoo!!! I've been so busy that I'm looking forward to my break. I am planning quite a bit of travel this summer. I'm visiting a friend in NYC at the beginning of July. My cousin is getting married towards the end of July so I'll be in the Midwest from then until the beginning of September. Another friend is getting married in September so I'll be in Seattle for a week right before classes start again. I'm not spending much time at home, but it should still be relaxing.

So how am I doing medically? I'm still on my a break from chemo. I had a scan in April which was stable except for one very small tumor (6mm) in my lung. I was given a couple of options. Chemotherapy and a lung resection were both seen as an over-reaction to such a small tumor. Instead, I could wait and see what it would do or I could see if I was a candidate for radio frequency ablation (RFA). Well waiting is not my strong suit, so I wanted to get RFA. It turns out that I am a candidate and my procedure is scheduled for tomorrow morning. My next scan will be in July.

I'm a little nervous about the procedure. It's outpatient, but I just expect that they'll keep me in the hospital overnight. I've looked up information about the procedure so I know what they're going to do, but I can't get the visual out of my mind of a little torch that comes out to burn the tumor. I also imagine the radiologist is wearing a welding mask and now, thanks to my friend Mandy, I head "What a feeling" playing in the background. I'll know this is all true if I wake up tomorrow in a chair dressed like a stripper with a cord hanging over my head that I'll have this strong desire to pull. I'll let you know what happens.

C3's Congressional Butt-In

Hello to all of you,

I would like to encourage you to participate in the Congressional Butt-In tomorrow 3/19 sponsored by C3 Colorectal Cancer Coalition. It is a simple process. Call the toll free number below, enter you zip code and tell your senators and representative that you want them to "'Cover Your Butt." For information on the pending legislation, you can go to Cover Your Butt.

All of us at C3 appreciate your support. Please forward this information to anyone you think would be willing to participate.

Thank you!

Christine

REMINDER!

Please forward this information to your friends and family and urge them to make the call TOMORROW.

WHO: You

WHAT: Call Congress and demand that they cover your butt!

WHEN: Wednesday, March 19th, 2008

WHERE: By telephone

HOW: Call 866-615-3375 to get connected to Congress

Three bills sit in the 110th Congress that, if passed, will provide coverage of nearly every butt in America that should be screened for colorectal cancer: those belonging to the poor and underserved, the elderly and those with private insurance. Learn about those bills here. Tomorrow, Wednesday, March 19th, anytime from 9 AM to 5:30 PM EDT, call 866-615-3375.

You only have to make one call. You will be prompted to enter your zip code and be directly connected to the offices of your Members of Congress (your two senators and representative). When you reach the offices, simply say, “I urge my senator/representative to support colorectal cancer legislation and COVER MY BUTT!”

The more phone calls the offices receive, the better chance these bills have of getting passed so urge your friends and family to join you in the Congressional Butt-In tomorrow, Wednesday, March 19th!

The C3 Congressional Butt-In is made possible thanks to a grant from Genentech BioOncology.

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C3's mission is to win the fight against colorectal cancer through research, empowerment & access.

C3: Colorectal Cancer Coalition
1225 King Street, 2nd Floor
Alexandria, VA 22314
703-548-1225