Blah!

Well, I wish I had something funny to say or comment on, but I'm mentally zapped and figured I should at least update my blog with what's going on.  I had a CT scan last week and the 3 lesions that we're down to on my liver have all increased in size.  Nothing to be alarmed about, but at the same time Dr. H is thinking this cocktail may not be my secret weapon.  In another week or two I'll be starting a new cocktail which will be a trial drug.  It's called MM-111 (I know, I don't even have something witty or sarcastic to say about the name) and I'll be taking it with an oral drug I've taken before, Tykerb.  In the meantime, my hip has been bothering me so we're discussing possible radiation options to help with the pain.  The CT showed activity in the hip area, but no new activity since the last scan.  Whew!  Meaning my bone mets are stable.  Possible radiation... another cancer first for me.  I'll keep ya posted...

Texas Mamma Jamma Ride

Not that long ago I announced that Casey's Cancer Kickin' Krewe was the top fundraising team for last year's Austin Komen Race for the Cure.  I'll be walking again in this year's Race for the Cure, but I wanted to share the love and redirect some of my fundraising efforts to the Texas Mamma Jamma Ride.  I'm unable to participate in this year's ride, but I wanted to spread the word and encourage my closest internet friends to participate.  And if you're unable to ride or volunteer, I encourage you to consider making a donation.  

What:  Texas Mamma Jamma Ride

When:  October 27, 2012

Where:  Reunion Ranch

About:  The Texas Mamma Jamma Ride is a well-supported, one-day bike ride which raises money for local agencies that serve thousands of Central Texans with breast cancer 365 days a year. Participants have a choice of bike routes that run anywhere from 13 to 100 miles. It is a ride, NOT a race. It is an event for men, women, and families, and all levels of biking experience.

DONATE:  Please visit My Personal Fundraising Page

Be a part of the most successful breast cancer ride in the country and help us raise funds and 

awareness to fight breast cancer in Central Texas.

1 in 8 Women Will Be Diagnosed With Breast Cancer
If you know 8 women, chances are that one of them has been or will be affected by breast cancer.  There were 207,000 new cases of breast cancer reported by women in 2011, and nearly 40,000 women died from breast cancer last year.  The disease also affects men although it is much less common.  When anyone in the family suffers from breast cancer, the whole family feels the effects both emotionally and financially.

Your Participation Means More Survivors
You can make sure that early detection services, which are key to surviving breast cancer,  are available to all Central Texans regardless of their ability to pay. You can help provide funds for treatment so that people don’t have to choose between feeding their kids and getting well.  You can make sure that the newly diagnosed have the support, help, and guidance they need to survive.  You can make sure that everyone has the knowledge they need to reduce their risk to prevent recurrence of the disease. YOU can make a difference in the lives of thousands of people right here in Central Texas and help give them a fighting chance.

Getting Involved is Easy and Feels Good
There are many ways to help and no matter which one you choose you’ll feel good and have a great time knowing you are part of this community of caring.  

• Volunteer:  All you need is a willingness to help and the time to give.  We have hundreds of positions available both leading up to and on Ride day.
• Rider:  All you need is a bike and a willingness to take on a physical and fund-raising challenge. Free weekly training rides and skill sessions will prepare you for this amazing experience.  Each rider is asked to raise a minimum of $500. 
• Team Captain: All you need is a willingness to recruit friends, family and colleagues to sign up for the team as an actual or a virtual rider and help them get started fundraising to make a difference.
• Donor: Your gift insures that loved ones, friends and others have access to the support they need by helping agencies and organizations that change the odds for those with breast cancer every single day. 

You Can Do More Than You ThinkThink about how many people you know... friends, family, colleagues, faith community, fraternal organizations, sport groups, social clubs, people you do business with personally or professionally.  Now think about how many people have been affected or had a loved one affected by breast cancer. Nearly everyone knows someone.  When a loved one is diagnosed, friends and family want to help but often don’t know how or feel powerless to make a difference.  When you ask people you know to support you in the Mamma Jamma Ride, you are giving them an opportunity to take charge and fight back against a disease that impacts so many and to give back to our community in a fun supportive way.

What’s Raised Here Stays Here
This collaborative event supports 10 local nonprofit organizations providing a wide variety of supportive services to people in Central Texas.  This Ride is about challenging yourself, having fun and making a difference in our local community.

• Breast Cancer Resource Center
• Seton Family of Hospitals
• Komen for the Cure, Austin Affiliate
• Wonders and Worries
• The Care Communities
• Cancer Connection
• Wings
• Capital of Texas Team Survivor
• Community Action
• Sustainable Food Center

What do the Following Have in Common: Telly Savalas, an Eagle, Curley from the 3 Stooges & Me

After 1 year and 10 months, my hair finally called it quits.  When I started this newer cocktail ("the other secret weapon") I was told that one of the drugs, Taxotere, could very well be the drug that takes my hair.  After 2 weeks of my first infusion my hair definitely started thinning.  I thought, eh, no biggie!  My hair thinned quite a bit last year, but never completely fell out.  Thankfully my hair has always been so thick.  Well, when I hit the 3rd week after my first infusion, I took a shower and lost pretty much half of my hair.  I can't even begin to describe how horrible of an experience this was.  It was disgusting, gross and flat out disturbing.  I decided then that I couldn't bare the thought of attempting to wash my hair again.  So what did I do... I pulled a Britney Spears and shaved my head!  I went to a salon here in Austin called Top This Salon who specializes in Shave Parties for chemo patients.  I mean if I'm going to lose my hair I might as well have a few laughs and the support from a few family members and friends.  I wish I could have put a little more planning into my Shave Party, but I was leaving the next day on vacation.  I spent a week in British Columbia, Canada with a few of my besties and had the time of my life!  I'm not going to lie, it's been weird getting used to my bald head.  I would catch a glimpse of myself in the mirror and think, "oh my god, I'm bald!"  But it is what it is!  If I have to lose my hair to kick some cancer ass, then so be it!  Yesterday I had my 2nd infusion and I'll continue to have my infusions every 3 weeks.  Right now we're looking to have my next PET scan in about 6 weeks or so.  Until then and when I get a chance, I'll try to post some of my vacation pictures.  In the meantime, here are a few sneak peak pics of me and my bald head (and maybe a couple w/ my mohawk)... 

Casey's Cancer Kickin' Krewe - We're #1

Hi, my name is Casey and I'm the BIGGEST procrastinator EVER!!  I know, I know, I'm sorry!  I've always been a procrastinator and probably always will be!  Now that we've got that established, I have some great news...

 

Last November Casey's Cancer Kickin' Krewe not only had a blast participating in the Komen walk, but we were the top fundraising team!  BOOM!!  That's what I'm talking about! 

 Not only have I been wanting to officially announce that on my blog, but I have some pretty amazing thank you cards that if you haven't gotten one already, should be getting one soon (shout out to Courtney Mitchell Photography).  Anyway, I can't thank everyone enough who participated and who donated!  Another big thanks goes out to the Krewe's team captain... thanks Elizabeth!! 

 

So in April, Elizabeth and I attended a luncheon (hosted by Komen) that not only recognized us as the top fundraising team, but also announced the local organizations in the Austin area who will receive funds raised.  Let me tell you, being able to meet representatives from these organizations and also hear stories from woman who have benefited from these organizations and the funds raised... WOW!  It truly was inspiring to see how much our fundraising efforts helped members in our community!  WAY TO GO KREWE!

 

I'll be walking again in the this year's race and will also be participating in one way or another in the Texas Mamma Jamma Ride.  I'll be posting more details about this soon, but "The Texas Mamma Jamma Ride is a recreational bike ride to raise much needed funds for our central Texas neighbors coping with breast cancer. This festive event saves and improves lives by supporting 10 local nonprofit organizations providing diagnosis, counseling, medication, and support for thousands of our neighbors coping with breast cancer. Since our inaugural year in 2009, the Mamma Jamma Ride has raised an astounding $1,000,000!."

 

Stayed tuned for more details, but until then I'd like to share Komen's April 2012 announcement of the local healthcare organizations community grants...

KOMEN AUSTIN AWARDS LOCAL HEALTHCARE ORGANIZATIONS COMMUNITY GRANTS

April 12, 2012

The Austin Affiliate of Susan G. Komen for the Cure announced it will grant over $1.4 million this year, providing more than one $1 million in funds to local organizations in the Austin area and more than $400,000 to national research efforts.

Local non-profit healthcare organizations will implement breast cancer prevention, treatment and education programs for the uninsured and underinsured men and women in Travis, Williamson, Caldwell, Hays and Bastrop counties.

"This year 1,068 individuals in our five counties are expected to be diagnosed with breast cancer," said Christy Casey-Moore, executive director of the Komen Austin Affiliate. "We must continue to do everything in our power to make sure our community has access to care and resources related to breast health and breast cancer, especially those that live in the margins with limited means "

All applicants that are legally operating providers are thoroughly reviewed by an anonymous grant review panel and selected based on the service gaps identified in our Community Profile, a research study published every two years. Local grants are distributed by the organization’s ability to implement projects that specifically address evidence-based strategies and programs to reduce breast cancer morbidity and mortality for those disproportionately affected by the disease in the Austin Affiliate's 5-county service area.

The 2012-2013 Austin Affiliate local grantees include:

• Alliance for African American Health in Central Texas
• CommuniCare Health Centers
• Community Action Inc. of Hays, Caldwell, and Blanco Counties
• Helping the Aging, Needy and Disabled
• National Center for Farmworker Health
• Planned Parenthood of the Texas Capital Region
• Samaritan Health Ministries
• The Breast Cancer Resource Centers of Texas
• The University of Texas at Austin School of Nursing
• Women Involved in Nurturing, Giving, Sharing

About the Austin Affiliate of Susan G. Komen for the Cure®
We live here. We race here. We save lives here.

One out of eight women here in the Austin area will have to fight breast cancer in her lifetime. That’s why, since 1999, the Austin Affiliate of Susan G. Komen for the Cure has been hard at work here in the Austin area raising money to provide breast cancer screening, education and medical services as well as financial and emotional support. In fact, up to 75 percent of the money we raise each year is put to work right here in Bastrop, Caldwell, Hays, Travis and Williamson counties to improve the lives of everyone affected by this deadly disease. The remaining funds go to national research to find a cure for breast cancer once and for all. For more information about the organization, please visit www.komenaustin.org.

The "Other" Secret Weapon

Okay, I'm scheduled to get my new chemo cocktail tomorrow.  From there I'll be getting it every 21 days.  I'll still have to make trips to Tx Oncology for office visits (follow up apts) and lab work, but thankfully I won't be in the infusion room on a weekly basis.  Hopefully this secret weapon is "the one!"  

And please stay tuned for fundraising news and upcoming fundraising opportunities!  ;)

Chemo Cocktail #... What # Are We On Again??

The plan today was to start a new chemo cocktail... keeping with Tykerb, Herceptin, Zometa & Femara (a combo that I've been on the last 7 months), however we've taken Navelbine out of the cocktail and replaced it with Cisplatin.  Now, I've said this a million times, I LOVE having options, but I'm not going to lie... this new chemo cocktail was not one of our top 3 options.  Do you know how frustrating that is?!  The top 3 drugs that Dr. H recommended for me were quickly taken off the table due to various reasons... an unexplained spike in my lab work disqualified me from a trial, my insurance was unable to approve a drug b/c it had not been FDA approved, etc.  So over the last week I have convinced myself that maybe this new chemo cocktail is "the one" for me.  Everyone responds and reacts differently to each drug... maybe Cisplatin is "my drug."  Regardless if it's Dr. H's first pick or last, it could be "THE drug" that kicks this cancer's ass!  On top of my "convincing" myself of this being the one, I've also been preparing for what this new drug has in store for me.  How will I deal with the side effects?  Will I finally lose my hair?  I tell ya, after this last week, I'm emotionally and mentally drained.  And after all that, I walked into the infusion room today ready to start kickin' cancer's ass with my new secret weapon... Cisplatin!

(insert record scratching)

I'm sitting in the infusion room getting my Zometa when my Nurse Prac strolls in.  Before they even brought out my "secret weapon" Cisplatin, I'm being informed that the FDA approved one of our top 3 drug options AND my insurance covers it AND that's what Dr. H is wanting me to start.  Buuuuuuuut, what about the secret weapon I've been preparing myself for?  What does this mean?  Well, surely we're not limited to just one secret weapon, right?!  Ya, I didn't think so either!  So Cisplatin is being put on the back burner for some other time and now I need to get ready for another secret weapon.  Seriously, all this convincing and preparing myself for these new drugs is exhausting!!

So my new chemo cocktail will consist of Pertuzumab, Herceptin & Taxotere (in continuation w/ my Zometa & Femara).  I received my Zometa infusion today and now I'm waiting to hear when I'll start my other infusions (we're basically waiting for the pharmacy to order and receive the new drugs).  Until then I'm sure I'll be repeating exactly the same thing I did leading up to today... convincing myself this is "my drug," "THE drug" that kicks this cancer's ass and of course preparing for what this new drug has in store for me.  Oooooh, the viscous circle that is my life!

Here's to Chemo Cocktail #... Oh hell, I've lost track!  But this one could be "the one!"

Back to the Drawing Board... Again

Ugh!  We were SO close!  The ablation didn't get everything we were hoping it would.  Which really isn't a big deal... we knew there was a big possibility that they weren't able to get everything.  It appears that they annihilated the smaller lesion... yes, meaning it's no longer there.  Woohoo!  However they were only able to get a portion of the larger lesion.  So this is where the problem is... there are a couple of new lesions.  Granted they are pretty small lesions, but the fact is, the lesions are no longer "contained" like they were.  Which of course means that my chemo cocktail must have lost it's momentum (insert Debbie Downer music).  So back to the drawing board!  

Now I've said this in the past, but what's great about my cancer and my diagnosis, is that I have lots of options!  There are some amazing new drugs out there and Dr. H has 3 in particular in mind that she'd like me to consider.  There are of course the usual hoops and hurdles we need to jump through and over... for example, one of the drugs needs a certain Drs approval for me to start taking.  The reason for this is because it's no longer in a trial phase, but it's still not FDA approved.  And then one of the drugs needs approval from my insurance company.  So basically this week Dr. H has some wheeling and dealing to do.  I'll meet with her next week to discuss what she found out and which drug will be my best option.  

I'll keep you posted when I find out what my next chemo adventure will be.  The only question I have now is... how big is this drawing board?!?