December 7th to March 5th 2023 - New Year, New Challenges

 

At this stage of my life, I am excited about every extra six months I get. My oncologist, who is reluctant to offer a prognosis, is willing to say when she is confident I'll be around another six months. Such was the prognosis in December. I happily said that gives me a new year, an additional birthday and even a third anniversary of my cancer journey.

We immediately started making plans to visit my sister in Mt. Dora, FL in mid-February. We love visiting Karen because, in addition to her kids' company, we can leisurely decide what to do when. Even our dog, Adie, loves staying with her.

This year we decided to take the canal boat tour in Lake Dora. I can't recommend this enough. The flora and fauna were amazing. We were joined by cousins Barb and Jim Pharo, pictured below. We rode our bikes on the Wilderness Nature Trail where we encountered numerous bird species and alligators. We traveled to Clearwater to visit Julie and had a great lunch at an oceanside restaurant followed by a visit to a local state park. The weather was great for the 10 days we were there.

The Health Update

My most recent CT scan still described my cancer as "stable." The drug regimen I am on is working for now. The same CT scan, however, identified that my previously identified "moderate aortic stenosis" had progressed to "serious." I visited my onco-cardiologist who scheduled me for an echocardiogram so he could compare results to last year's echo. Not only did it also identify "serious" aortic stenosis, but I experienced atrial fibrillation (AFib) throughout the procedure.

If you are unaware, aortic stenosis, I've included an image and a link to an explanation:

What is aortic stenosis?

Atrial fibrillation is an irregular and at times very rapid rhythm (arrhythmia) that can lead to blood clots in the heart. This increases the risk of stroke, heart failure and other heart-related complications.

Next Steps

My doctor is referring me to a stuctural heart valve clinic and an Afib clinic. Their job will be to determine whether or not valve replacement is the best choice for me. There are many options to be considered.

So spring is in the air, I'm feeling pretty good and I plan to carry on -- at least in six-month increments. I hope this finds you well.

Kathy