Jo Anne Morner

Welcome to our CaringBridge site. We've created it to keep friends and family updated. We appreciate your support and words of hope and encouragement during this time when it matters most.

It has been ages since I have been at the computer doing an update.  As a wise friend has said numerous times in the ast fe months, normal is not always the same.  I am beginning the new normal now.

As many of you know I was diagnosed with Breast Cancer in January 2009.  I opted to have bilateral mastectomies at the time.  One was done for cancer and the other one was so I didn't have to go through it again.  (I actually had 2 different tumors in my right breast and one of them would more often than not would metastasize to the other side.). I had chemo therapy which was suppose to be 2 different drugs.  I became allergic the the second med and was taken off my chemo.I started a medicine by mouth that I have been on for 7 years.  I also had 28 radiation treatments,By the end of August 2009, my treatments were done an I was beginning my life again.

I have been going to my onclogist every 3-4 months sine 2009.  I have been getting a CA 27/29 test and it has been running in the teens.  Normal is up to 38.  In April it jumped to 22.  My oncologist Saint to get another one when I got my port flushed.  (I have kept my port since it has not caused me any problems.  I get it flushed every 6 weeks.). I did that just before we left for a wonderful vacation I Great Britian. It had gone up to 32 and so she had ordered a CAT Scan and a Bone Scan which was done the day after we got home.  The Bone Scan showed some suspicious areas in my neck, pelvis, and ribs.  I followed with a PET Scan.  I had another appointment with my oncologist and she ordered a Bone Biopsy to definitively get a diagnosis of metastasis to my bones from my breast cancer 7.5 years go.  With the definitive diagnosis from the bone biopsy, my oral medicine will be changed and I will bet 2 shots in my butt 3 times th first month and then once a month thereafter.

I believe that this new normal will be doable.  Fortunately for me, the major negative symptom that I have ha in the past is fatigue.  That and possible white blood cell reduction are what I am to expect.  Fortunately, naps amid I are no strangers...

Since Caring Bridge allows met to vent and it allows those of you that choose to keep up, I will continue from here on out on Caring Bridge.  Don't expect a brilliant piece of writing.  I never have and never will be a writer.  It will get me an avenue to explore and educate those that choose to follow.