May 8th

Hello All!
Gosh, the months have flown by and I haven't given an update! Well, let's see.. where do I begin? Instead of trying to back track, I'll just give you the latest. I have had 3 mths of Doxil (once every 3 wks), and had 9.2 liters of fluid removed in the last 8 weeks, at 2 different intervals. I'm holding up surprisingly well. No bad side effects from the Doxil, and my recent scans showed things to be stable. (I'll take that!!) So, at this point, we are continuing with the Doxil and Zometa for at least 4 more treatments, and crossing our fingers that the fluid will stay away so we won't have to repeat the pericentesis too often. Apparently there could be problems with having it done too often. I have been so relieved each time I have had it removed, besides looking and feeling like I am 7 mths pregnant, and having so much acid reflux, it was unbearable! Had a treatment today and all went well except for the big wait time to get back to the treatment room. I'm starting to feel like I am always waiting at the wrong bus station! Can I change my direction here??? oh no..you are on the bus, you gotta keep going!!!

I'm settling in at home more, trying to enjoy it after working for 25+ years. The Spring has been beautiful and I have been able to enjoy planting some flowers on my deck, curl up on the days of rain with my sweet dog, Tanner, and finally sit down with a cup of coffee and read the newspaper! I was so out of sorts for months, but I guess I finally realized I could try to make the day what I wanted it to be! I have beat myself up for days I've had to go back to bed, but I know I have needed the rest too.

I hope everyone is doing well! I want to thank everyone for their cards, prayers, friends and family who have graciously had me over for lunch and/or brought dinners for me and my family. It has meant so much to have the support of my family and friends. I love you all! I promise I will try to do better at updating this blog.

{Hugs~Leslie}

February 15

Thought I would give you the latest update: went back to the dr. this week to go over my scans, and did not get the greatest news. There has been slight progression in the tumor nodes, so we're changing the ammunition again! My dr. is also referring me to a surgeon at Wake Forest Baptist to discuss a possible "debulking" operation, something that is quite complicated and the recovery time I hear is very long. Anyway, that is still in the discussion stage since we will have to see what that doc says. Since I still have quite a bit of fluid from taking the trial drug, my dr. also suggested I could get that removed. Again, based on the last mishap with the needle biopsy, you can imagine I'd be nervous about another needle! Other than that, I was extremely dissappointed (as you can imagine) that I didn't have better results from the last 8 week treatment. I still have so much to be thankful for, my organs are still clear, but there are a few possible weak bone spots in my left hip area and lower lumbar area. They don't seem to be overly concerned about those areas since I'm getting the bone building drug Zometa. My schedule will be once every 3 weeks, starting this past Friday with Doxil, and so far, so good, I have felt ok. Looking forward to heading out to visit my sister in Nags Head on Thursday to celebrate my nephew's 2nd birthday. At least with this schedule, I can at least put it out of my mind for a few weeks in-between!

Wish I had better exciting news to share with you all but there isn't much to tell! I'm trying not to get down in the dumps over all this, but some days it is hard to run from the bad thoughts. Thanks to you all for your continued love and prayers, they mean so much!

I hope you all are well!
Take care, {Hugs}
Leslie

Christmas 2008--My boys, Evan and Adam, and my sweet nephew Aidan

HAPPY NEW YEAR!
So sorry to be out of touch for so long! So much has gone on in the last few months. As of the last entry I made, I lost my job on 11-5, continued thru November on the clinical trial, ending up with some complications when I had the final biopsy. It has been a long road back, but I am finally feeling better. The mishap with the biopsy was not something anyone expected to happen, and was a rare thing, but I would have been more satisfied if I had hit the lottery. Since quitting the clinical trial, I am back with my oncologist, and back on weekly Abraxane treatments, and monthly Zometa since Dec. I'm starting to feel like I don't quite know where to go from here. I guess I should start on that "to do" list, for all the things I haven't had time to do when I was working.

Christmas was rather low key this year, as I hear it was for many. It wasn't a disappointment either. Everyone in my family understood each other's situation and we were able to enjoy our times together, without all the gift giving. I think it took alot of pressure off of everyone, because we still had good times together, and isn't that what it's all about? Maybe this will set a new tradition for us all keeping the real reason we celebrate in check.

Here's wishing everyone a HAPPY, HEALTHY NEW YEAR! I promise to be better on updating and will post more pictures! Thanks to everyone for all their prayers, love and support this past year!
Love to all~
Leslie

October 17 UPDATE

Hello All~
Just wanted to give you all the latest update. I have been busy the last several weeks getting scans, labs and a biopsy. I have decided to participate in a clinical trial, and I was glad to find out I qualified for it! I got my dr's blessing for it, with an assurance that I could stop it at any time and can go back on what we know has been working. My last scan after 6 weeks of Abraxane showed great improvement! When I thought about doing a clinical trial, I did not realize that you basically had to do this research on your own. The docs aren't out there trying to save "Leslie Miller". They are just doing what they are allowed to do, until better drugs become available. So hopefully I can be part of that process. I have thought this through, because my feeling is that I would like to be able to help myself as well as someone else. So when I called about this particular trial, all the doors seemed to open for me to do this. I feel like I have nothing to lose, and it may help those of us fighting this beast! I started taking the drug today, which is for chronic myleiod leukemia. Apparently, there are some similarities with breast cancer. The drug is not new, so I'm at ease with trying it. It does not seem much different from trying something new, as the dr. has before! The study is through Duke, but I will see the study dr. in Kernersville. I went to Forsyth Medical Ctr. yesterday for the biopsy. Thankfully, these have not been great distances to travel to and from.

Keep me in your prayers as I go along this new path. I'll be anxious to see what the results will be in 4 weeks. Thanks to you all for all the prayers sent up on my behalf this far. I know the Lord has truly been looking after me throughout this ordeal. My strength has come from Him to endure it all!

August 25

Hello!
Just wanted to touch base to let you all know how things were going. I've had 2 weeks of Abraxane and feeling ok. I've had ups and downs with the side effects. If it weren't for that I'd probably feel pretty good. I've just been taking it one day at a time, and trying not to worry about the rest of the days until they get here!

Working on a scrapbooking fundraiser for FRIENDS FOR AN EARLIER BREAST CANCER TEST to be held Sept. 27 10am – 6pm at Pleasant Garden Community Center. We'll have lunch, several workshops and fun with our friends, all for $25. All the proceeds will benefit FRIENDS. If interested email me or fccscrappin@yahoo.com. It will be loads of fun!




















Hope all is well with everyone!
Leslie

Thought I'd show you one of my purses I knitted and felted recently. I have several in the making to post soon. Have been making use of idle time I have here and there knitting and scrapbooking.

Went to see the dr. yesterday; my scans only showed slight improvement but I am having side effects from the daily meds I've been on, which I had considered minor, but I suppose they could get worse the longer you're on them. So the dr. is changing it up abit for now to a weekly treatment of Navelbine and Abraxane beginning Aug. 15. He also informed me that I'm looking at treatment for this indefinitely. That has been tough to swallow considering I thought I would eventually get to the end of this sometime. So my goal now is to.."put my big girl panties on and deal with it"!! (LOL!) Keep me in your prayers that all goes well with this new stuff!
Thanks to all for your love and support!
{Hugs}
Leslie

The flowers appear on the earth;
the time of the singing of birds is come.
Song of Solomon 2:12

Hope all is well with everyone~
All went well with my colonoscopy, it was just as everyone claimed, the prep beforehand was the worst part! All was good, with a few minor exceptions~~thankfully! I don't think the dr. was so sure going in (no pun intended!!) considering my history. Glad that one's over!

Was able to visit my sister and family at Nags Head for July 4th. We had a great time although it seemed like a short time. Ellen and Shawn's new restaurant (Food Dudes Kitchen) did a record weekend! Even for a small place, it is alot of work! Keith and I enjoyed the fireworks they had at Nags Head Pier. Good times!

Have a CT and bone scan coming up on Tuesday. Please keep me in your prayers! I'm praying the meds I have been on have shown improvement with my lymph nodes. They held my Avastin treatment again this past week due to the fissure found on the colonoscopy. I think they are just trying to be cautious; apparently there can be problems with the Avastin. The PA reduced my dosage of Xeloda due to dry cracking feet. I thought I was just in desperate need of a pedicure! Oh well, so I've had to go to bed with A&D ointment and socks on to remedy it! So much for getting a pedicure~they don't even recommend it--darn it!

Take care! {Hugs to all!}
Leslie