Patient Page for

Jeanne McGill O'Haver

I have changed my page to angels in honor of precious friend Ginny, who joined our Lord in Heaven in March of 2007.

Welcome to the Patient Web Page. It is here to keep people updated as to what's going on with us at any given time, particularly as it relates to my cancer.

Even though I found Caring Bridge and set up this site AFTER the very worst of all our ordeals, I did my best to collect and copy the [very few] journal entries I had made. They were kept here and there in different places; finally got them all together and set out to fill in the blanks so that the entries here make some kind of sense. It does start when I was first diagnosed, and we did our best to fill in the blanks and add to it periodically to try to keep it somewhat up to date.

We still deal with this every day because the surgeries have changed me so much in so many ways. It's my prayer that in some small way, my story, and how God has done miraculous things in my life, can help others. God is so good!

NEWS: After six years of basically being "cancer-free," my fall 2007 bonescan showed that a little spot on my rib had begun to grow a little. But we are relieved to hear from the oncologist that it's nothing to worry about; we'll change one med, and I'll change what I'm doing at home a LOT (please read the October entries).

Please go back to the beginning if you want to read the ENTIRE story... .

NOTE: For info on the BEAM RAY, check the links below!!

Journal

Friday, August 8, 2008 6:28 PM CDT

Hi Everyone. Well, to be completely up to date, you need to read (or reread) my last Caring Bridge entry, and THEN read this one.

As I said in February, after six years of no cancer, I became fairly lax in my Beam Ray treatments and diet, plus I was taken off of the bone strengthener in 2005 due to severe side effects. For these reasons, what had been a little bitty spot on a rib, inactive since 2001, became a growing tumor (we realized this in October 2007). My oncologist, Dr. Miller, changed my medication and we all hoped that would make a difference. I started making some changes in my diet and Beam Ray treatments, too. By February 2008, the tumor wasn't growing, but wasn't diminishing, either.

So Dr. Miller changed my meds again. Several months later, I began to experience pain on my left side. It made it difficult to breathe sometimes; it was like what I imagine a broken rib would feel like. So the doctor ordered another bone scan and a CT scan, which I had on July 29 ('08). While we were still there at the hospital, the tech let us look at the bone scan (I've had copies of my scans since '01, so we know what they usually look like). Our hearts sunk down into our stomachs when we saw that tumor glowing huge and bright; it looked like the Star of Bethlehem or something. We went home to await the results.

Usually, when it's good news, or not all that bad, they call and tell me what's going on over the phone. So when they have an assistant call and say that I need to see the doctor, it's a fairly scary thing. That's what happened. My doc and her nurse are in clinic only on Wednesdays and Thursdays, so when they received the results on Thursday afternoon, the soonest appointment they had for me was on the following Wednesday, six days later. So we spent six days hoping, praying, and trying not to come unglued. Our fear was that I would have a repeat of what occurred in 2001; I don't think I could go through all that again. (That is written about in the Journal portion of my Caring Bridge site if you don't know and are interested: www.caringbridge.org/in/jeanne). We told only a few people about the news ahead of the appointment rather than possibly unnecessarily scaring everyone.

We went to the appointment on Wednesday, and it was basically good news!! Here's the BAD NEWS: the cancerous tumor on the 7th rib has grown, but the pain in my side is tranference pain, so at least there is no additional cancer in my side somewhere. Also, there is a new small cancerous tumor on the T6 in my spine. I cannot be on the drug that strengthened my bones and kept the cancer from growing there because I had horrible side effects (Zometa), so we have to fight this without that additional help.

But I have doubled/tripled my Beam Ray treatments, and I have now REALLY cracked down on my diet. Cancer patients need to keep a close eye on our pH levels; cancer grows in an acidic environment, so the goal is to be as alkaline as possible. This week, my alkaline tested high, and once as GOOD AS IT CAN BE--all the way to the top of the alkaline chart, so THAT's good. Dr. Miller has changed my med again, plus told us about a new med. It does what Zometa does, but in a totally different way, so I should not have the side effects I had with Zometa.

This new drug has been in clinical trials for a while now, mostly with women with osteoporosis. That study concluded, and with great results; some women even regrew bone. This drug is in FDA approval mode; there is another study being done with two groups of women, one group who took Zometa and one group that did not. Dr. Miller said the FDA is required to give a response in six months--and the response CAN be that they need more studies--but she doesn't think that's going to happen because their studies have been so complete and so good. They COULD approve the drug only for women with osteoporosis, but she feels strongly that she can get me on it when it comes out, one way or another. So the prayer is that the new drug I'm on now, along with the Beam Ray and my strict diet, will be more than enough to see me through, at the very least until this new drug is released.

So that's the news. I ask for prayer, and thank you in advance. We are feeling thankful, and that it could have been a WHOLE lot worse; we were considering checking out Cancer Centers of America, etc., rather than go back in for surgery, radiation, etc., etc. So although there is some bad news here, there is a LOT to be thankful for!!!

God's blessings on you and yours~

Love, Jeanne

Hospital Information:

IU Cancer Center, Indiana Cancer Pavilion
535 Barnhill Drive (IUPUI Campus)
Indianapolis, Indiana 46202
317 274 5000

Links:

E-mail Author: jeanne@crossoverroad.com

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Note: The foregoing information was authored by the patient, parent or guardian, or other parties who are solely responsible for the content. Such announcements or their content are not necessarily endorsed by CaringBridge, Inc. or any sponsoring agent. This information does not confirm that anyone is or was actually a patient at any facility.