Well it has been an incredibly long time since I have posted an update for anyone on here. Things have been going great! I feel good, not always wonderful, but good. I can do most things I want to, but I still can not, and probably never will be able to go into the barn. My lungs are probably my worst issue medically currently. I have had to change around some of the medicine I take. I take a specialty chemo drug, and a speciality lung drug, the lung drug is fairly new, and as far as anyone knew I am the only person taking my combination of medical drugs. This means I don't know what all the side effects and drug interactions actually are. I did choose to do this anyway because not having functioning lungs just won't work for me. I have over the last few years been able to increase my lung capacity and function. This is wonderful. I have 25% of my lungs permanently damaged/not functioning from my lung disease which we still do not know what has caused this, some kind of auto immune disease, but we don't know which one. I am okay with that because it means I don't have any other symptoms. When I was first sick I had 34% lung function/capicity. at last check I had 62%. This is WONDERFUL. They didn't think I would ever get past 50%. I have not needed oxygen supplementation, unless it is super humid and I am doing a lot for most of the last year. Do I get winded and tires, absolutely. Do I keep pressing forward as much as I can, absolutely! Do I have to rest for awhile, or even a day or two when I do big things, sure I do. The point is, I can do those big things. Hot, humid and sun are still hard, but we find ways to make it work. We have even found ways for Brooke and I to continue to be the ones to work the lambs and run the sheep herd without me going in the barn, it is a bit more work, but worth it to see Brooke take pride in the job we do. She has really stepped up and takes great pride in selecting the ewe lambs we save for breeding and our whole sheep herd. She has also done a great job with cows too. It is usually just me driving her in the ranger, or sitting outside the barn for moral support and advice. Sorry, proud mom moment, but back to my health. Because of allllllll the things my body went though my heart had become decondtioned. I was always running a tyachacardic heart rate, which made me tired all of the time. We had lots of things done to check, and found out my heart was good. With hard work I have gotten my heart rate much closer to a normal one. 

My cancer is still not showing up which is WONDERFUL! We hope it never shows up again, but what some may not realize is ovarian cancer, especially stage 4 is known to come back to play. I have made it past the first hurdle, which is surviving for 2 years with no reoccurrence. my next mark is making it 5 years with no reoccurrence, I have just over 2 years to go. When I hit that mark the chance of reoccurrence drops significantly. I can't wait to get to that point. 

The BRACA 1 gene mutation I have increases my risk of breast cancer to 70-85%. This sounds scary, so I met with a surgeon to see about preventative mastectomy and found out some wonderful news. Yes my chance is increased that much, but I have done some things to bring the chance down. For one, I have no female parts making hormones to help increase the chance, so that lowers it. Also I have done chemo, and my chemo pill for 2.5 years (yes it has been that long) and that is continuing to help keep cancer cells from forming, so that takes my chance down. My chances of dying from breast cancer are low. This is because I know about the issues I have so will be monitored every 6 months. Meaning that if I do get it I will most likely find it at stage one or two, which means I should be able to treat with surgery, chemo, or radiation. We are of course hopeful that this will never happen, but will actively watch for it. With all of this, combined with what I have been told many many times, "That I am a very complicated and complex case." It is not a good option for me to do preventative surgery for at least a few more years. The Surgon requested that with all of my unique attributes and always going above and beyond in my uniqueness medically, that I keep all of my 4-6 specialists at Mayo so that they can all continue to work together with my treatment. I told him when I found out I had cancer Dr. Block told me I was very healthy, I just had cancer. I then said, look at me now. I lost the healthy and have many things I am dealing with. He informed me that I have done a great job, that I am "very healthy, just managing a very complicated set of issues, but that I am managing it very well." It isn't always easy, it isn't always fun(some of the meds I need make me feel terrible at times) but ya know what, the time I continue to be given is worth every second!! 

Please if you read this far, remember, most people are battling something, we never know what it is, treat everyone like you want to be treated on one of your worst days. Help put a smile on someones face, doing so usually will put a smile on your own face also. Live your life, work hard, but enjoy your friends and family, none of us know when it will be the end, but we all know we won't get out alive, so why not make it the best we can. Is that perfect, heck no, just try to enjoy. 

I want to thank everyone that has ever prayed for, had good thoughts or anything else for me. You all help make this a journey worth doing. Also remember if people choose not do do treatments for cancer or any other deadly disease, respect their choice. I did not think this was the choice I was going to make. It is not easy. not even a little. For me it was the one I needed to make at the time. It also doesn't mean I would always make the same choice if it comes back. I just don't like to hear people say that someone is giving up. They probably aren't at all, they are just making what is the right choice for them at the time. respect them and love them for the hard choice they have to make.

Okay, if you made it to the end, thanks for reading all of my many ramblings. I hope you all have a wonderful spring!!

Sheila