30 Jan - Waiting

Sarah got the MRI this Monday as scheduled and we'll go in on Thursday to get the results. Trying not to think about it too much, and we've got plenty of distractions helping us in that regard. The boys are both sick - we've kept Ben home from school for a week now - and they are both going in to the dentist tomorrow. Ben has a tooth growing in behind one of his baby teeth, so it never pushed the baby tooth out. Not sure what you do about that... and I know Ben's not going to like it if the baby tooth needs to be pulled! He freaked out today when the doc gave him a strep test (ie shoved a Qtip down his throat). Sarah's cheerful reminder that "at least it wasn't a shot" fell on deaf ears. :)

25 Jan - MRI date set

I went on a quick one-day trip to Boston today while Sarah got her treatment (she was able to get another Navelbine chemo treatment!) She also scheduled her MRI scan with her onc since she's received six treatments which should be enough to assess tumor response to the Navelbine. She'll get the scan on Monday and we'll get the results on Thursday. So, next week is going to be tough as we wait for these important results... If the liver lesions have not grown, then we'll continue with the current Herceptin+Navelbine treatements, but if they have grown then we need to try something else right away.
I don't really have a gut feel on how this will go. Sarah and I are both cautiously hopeful - hoping for good news, but very aware that bad news is a real possibility. We've made too many trips to her onc's office which ended in bad news already. We need a good one to turn the tide here! It's gonna be hard to wait.

23 Jan Update

Dad & Sam watching the Bears - Saints game. Sarah was not smiling... and gave up watching the game at some point in the 3rd quarter! (At least Peyton & the Colts won, so I'll have someone to root for at the Super Bowl :P - Sarah)
It's been a while since the last update - I had some multi-day biz trips that I just finished up last weekend. Sarah is doing well - amazingly she has been able to get her Navelbine treatment each week so far! This is very good as long as it is having an effect on the liver lesions - we still won't know that until the next MRI in mid Feb. Her FISH test came back positive, which means that the Herceptin treatment should be an effective treatment (together with chemo). She does still have a mild cold and both the kids are now sick as well. Ben had a bit of a fever tonight & we could barely believe it when he asked to go to bed early "because he was tired!"

14 Jan

Here's Uncle Thomas with Sam... havin' fun at the park!
Well, this week was a busy one. I was away on business until Wed night, then Sarah had treatment on Thursday. Actually, we were surprised (and glad) that her white blood cells were high enough to get a fourth Navelbine chemo treatment. Unfortunately, she's now come down with some bug but it doesn't seem too bad - scratchy throat but no fever.
Ben and I had a great time today at a new local water park. The event was organized by the Indian Guides group that we're part of.

5 Jan

Sarah's blood cell counts were high enough to get her third Navelbine chemo this Thursday, but her white cells are trending down, so we think she'll have to skip next week. Her onc discussed Sarah's treatment with the doctor we consulted at Rush University hospital and both agreed she should get a FISH test to verify her cancer's Her2/Neu receptor status - it's a pathology test that can be run on the tumor tissue sample taken during her mastectomy. The results of this test will help determine what the next steps are if Navelbine isn't effective.
Sam and Ben are fine, but have had a bit of trouble getting back in to the routine of school. Still hard to get them out of bed in the mornings! Of course they have lots of fun once the get to school, but they really liked our sleeping later schedule over the holidays.

2 Jan - Doctor's Visit

Sarah and I went to see the oncologist at Rush University Medical Center today and it was an encouraging visit. Although the lesions in Sarah's liver are a very serious development, it sounds like clinical trials have shown that Herceptin+Chemo is often much more effective than Herceptin alone. Also, there are several other treatment options that could help Sarah if this treatment isn't working. So, there is hope - now the critical thing is quickly assessing whether this Herceptin+Navelbine treatment is effective. Sarah's red blood cell count is back up, so that should hopefully mean that she can get another Navelbine chemo treatment this Thursday.
We're also thankful for the many emails we've received in response to our Christmas letter - it is very nice to feel the support and concern of family and friends at a time like this!