Dear Friends and Family,
The phone call I had been waiting on from KC came around 4:20 today! Janie the wonderful Nurse Coordinator for Dr. Pluard shared with me that the lab results from the FISH test were in and they were once again..... equivocal! I know what some of you may be thinking.
"What is this word she keeps using" or "What is going on!?" or "What happens next????"Dictionary.com defines equivocal as
adjective
- allowing the possibility of several different meanings, as a word or phrase, especially with intent todeceive or misguide; susceptible of double interpretation; deliberately ambiguous:an equivocal answer.
Basically, Dr. Pluard evaluated the ratios and made the determination that they were not high enough to score a positive for the HER2+ receptor. So this takes us back to last week when were given a two option treatment plan that was only determined by the lab results. Remember? If the results came back positive, then I would have to go through courses of of IV CHEMO treatments. BUT if the lab results did NOT show a positive or falling into the positive range to warrant a HER2+ diagnosis, then the type of cancer I have can be treated with Shot injections and medication. All of this to suppress the ovaries and stop the production of the estrogen and progesterone. The present cancer will be starved out because it does not have the hormone to feed off of and therefore cancer dies.
Of course to hear this news is a RELIEF and a PRAISE to our LORD for answering my (
our) prayers so Specifically! To
NOT have to journey through courses of chemotherapy is a welcome relief! I am so glad that I had a second opinion look into my care, make the decision to biopsy tissue again, and then send it out to additional labs to fully determine what the
VERY BEST course of treatment is for me!
😍 Hooray! Today has been just and All-Around
WONDERFUL DAY! I also met with the Genetic Counselor at Highlands Oncology Group today and received the results of the Blood DNA sample that had been sent out to be tested at Ambry Genetics ! It was
GREAT News! As I sat listening to the genetic counselor discuss my lab results, I felt like I was in a Biology class! So to put it simply... here is what we know from this significant test: Basically neither my mom or dad are carriers for this cancer gene nor me. No one in my family history on both sides of the family has had any history of cancer and now, currently my immediate family
DOES NOT have to worry about being tested. Apparently this is just a random
happenstance. I am a just a random statistic and by some fluke of nature got this.
There was nothing, no evidence in my DNA to support a cause. We are relieved that my parents can rest assured that it is NOT their fault for passing something down the blood line, my siblings do not have to worry about carrier genes, and most importantly we don't have worry about our daughter, Ellie, being at risk to develop this cancer. I am not even at risk to develop more in the future. I am so thankful to the Lord for answering
THIS prayer too!
All I can say is that today has left a mark! A day I will not forget on the calendar!
There's not a more perfect way of ending this journal entry than to quote a text from a friend,
"I feel like the news from today rings true of Isaiah 41:10. What the perfect encouragement to begin the treatment stage. This starts a new chapter. We have been praying for healing since the beginning and now we get to press on with prayers through this specific treatment plan."
~LeAnne
Isaiah 41:10
