So this is a little overdue – partially due to my own forgetfulness. Gwen has met with her Raleigh and Boston doctors and it was determined that it was time to radiate her bone spots. Things were a little bit larger than previously thought, AND a new spot was found on her sacrum. It is ok if you have no idea what this is. I think only a small portion of the population does. So here is a visual for you:
stock photo
Upon closer inspection, a hairline fracture was discovered on the sacrum. The hope is the scar tissue that will remain after radiation will fill in the fracture.
She is actually getting radiation on the sacrum, left ilium (hip bone), and right femur. The spots have progressed to the point that a fracture is a concern. The doctors have told her to limit activity in terms of jumping and told her not to fall. I mean, I am not sure about you guys, but I am pretty confident we are all out here trying not to fall… This is the first time she has been put on any kind of physical restrictions, so that has been a little humbling.
Here is a pre-radiation appointment shot of the femur radiation spot:
Apparently, it isn’t as big as it looks
She had radiation this week and will continue next week. She is doing okay. Meanwhile, we are now fully vaccinated, so that is good and we are excited!!!
I cannot even remember our last update! It has been quite a year for everyone for sure. Like everyone else, we have been hunkered down with Quarantine 2020 and there hadn’t been much need for an update. We were able to spend some time in NY this summer up at the lake – the COVID cases in that area were slim to none, and we pretty much kept to ourselves at the beach. Gwen, Justin, and Callie did a little bit of travelling with their camper on their way north and ultimately rented a campsite for a month near the lake so we could stay physically distant at night and on rainy days. Thankfully, we had wonderful weather this summer!
Lachlen and Callie enjoying the old-school swing set at the campground
Gwen has continued with her routine scans, doctor appointments, and trips to Boston; although she is now driving to Boston instead of flying. One of the scans that Gwen gets is a bone scan. From the very start of this journey, we knew that there were spots on her bones, and Gwen gets a shot every so often to help strengthen her bones to combat the cancer that is hanging out there. Over the past several months, doctors noted that one of the spots on her femur appeared to be growing. Due to the importance of this bone in carrying weight, it was determined that radiating it would be the best course of treatment. About a month ago, Gwen went through 10 daily radiation treatments on this spot. She tolerated the radiation well – only complaining about some pain after sitting for long periods of time which we are doing a lot right now with remote teaching but that is a whole other blog post.
Those lovely black blobs on her bone and in her hip are the cancer
That pretty much brings us up to this past week when she had her next round of scans. Unfortunately, another spot was found on her shoulder. She and Justin are in Boston right now and have met with doctors there about the next course of action. They will meet with Dr. G. here in Raleigh next week to finalize a plan, but as of today, it is looking like IV chemo in addition to the medication she is currently on will be the treatment. This is not what any of us wanted to hear.
For our long-time followers, you may remember that Gwen started on chemo right away, but she never finished that treatment because it was discovered that she had a genetic mutation. Since she never completed this, chemo is still an option for her, but it has always been the goal to seek other medicinal options as much as possible. Gwen REALLY doesn’t want to do this, as you can imagine, as she has been very blessed to have had such a positive response to the other treatment options.
Thank you for keeping her in your prayers as she navigates this new chapter in her fight against this awful disease.
gwenfightscancer 