Stephanie Miller

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Hello all!  I decided that it was time to reopen this lovely site as updates are of plenty and my fingers can  no simply keep up with all of the love that needs to  be sent out and I want to make sure that everyone is "in the know"!  In April of 2019 I was informed that my cancer had returned.  It had metasticized to my liver and bones.  Everything looked positive as they caught it early (Thanks to the good Lord's help!) and my liver was minimally affected.  In January of 2020, when we should have known just what kind of year was in store for us from the beginning!) I was told that the medication that I was using was not working any longer and they would have to change treatment.  The new medication was brand new to the market so very little was known about it but thankfully insurance covered it, just so happened to be approved in Jan. of 2020.  Things remained positive, the new meds had given me type 2 diabetes and some pretty sensitive skin, but all in all I was feeling really good!  On Sept 22nd I was having frequent high fevers and was admitted to the hospital.  It was then that they also confirmed that my liver was in pretty rough shape and the medication was no longer working.  After almost a week in the hospital, I had a plan to see oncology for follow up.  They had also found a bit of tachacardia and a blood clot.  Which just means that I will forever be on blood thinners which is very common with cancer patients.  We were able to get in that very next Monday (thank the Lord again!) and we left with a wonderful plan to start taxol, the original IV medication I was on at the start of all of this, and I would also get drainage done as my stomach was extended and was extremely uncomfortable due to the access fluid that my liver was processing.  My first drainage went well and they took about 5 lbs off of me which felt amazing!  Chemo went really well but they weren't able to give me the full dose due to my liver function. My hair, of course, has already started falling out which is o.k., because it's hair and honestly there are some super cute wigs out there right now! haha!  Well as it turns out my liver was definitely not processing things correctly as I was higher than a kite come Wednesday and was on my way to get my fluid taken off again but was instead admitted due to pain and fluid retention., as well as the fact that I couldn't talk without closing one eye and was pretty sure I was hallucinating....some of you know EXACTLY how I look in that condition....my mom was concerned.  :)  It was decided that I definitely needed a med change and they did a brain MRI which showed that there are cancer mets in my skull.  The good news is that it is NOT in my brain right now.  There was a part of the area that was irritated but nothing in the brain which is excellent news.  They are very concerned about my liver and how its processing things so I will be getting a plureux catheter that allows me to drain the fluid daily myself which will be WONDERFUL!  I will continue with chemo on Friday with the hopes that with improved liver function I can get rid of the catheter and switch to oral meds at some point.  A moving target but a goal none the less!  Thank you for reading my story and I will try to post updates as soon as I am able!!  Love to you all and please know just how much you love and support means to me.  I've bragged about my support system and the absolutely incredible circle of people we have around us and our family.  My children thank you and Matt and I most definitely thank you!!!  


For we walk by faith, not by sight -2 Corinthians 5:7