Dear Chemo and Avastin,

You can continue to make me feel like crap as long as you are doing your job while invading my body.

Sincerely,
Meighan

Well I had treatment on Friday and Saturday.  Friday was a very long day as we were at my doctor's office for a good 2 hours signing papers for the clinical trial, getting examined, waiting on people, ect.  After that we went to check in for treatment at 2:30 and waited over an hour to get brought back to my room...apparently we were right at the time of a shift change...hoping this doesn't happen again.  Once we got back there it took awhile for them to get me all hooked up, but we were finally going by about 5:00.  Before I can get chemo I have to have 4 different pre-meds through the IV to help with nausea and reactions, and they take about an hour.  After that I had 30 minutes of chemo.  Then I had an hour and a half of Avastin and after that they gave me another magnesium treatment because once again my magnesium was low.  This is something that I could always battle as the chemo I was on this summer can cause damage to my kidneys which makes it hard for them to sustain my magnesium levels.  So another 4 hour treatment of magnesium and we were out of the hospital by about 11:30.  Luckily, we live close to the hospital and it's a quick drive home because we had to be back at the hospital by 7:15 the next morning. 

The next morning ran much more smoothly and we were only at the hospital for about a total of 3 hours.  I just had my chemo treatment along with the pre-meds on Saturday.  That afternoon we ran to Target and got a nap in.  That night we had a long over-due dinner date at a very good Chinese restaurant.  Our evening ended with a much needed fortune...

I woke up Sunday morning not feeling very well and was very flushed.  Jerrid headed to Walgreen's to get a thermometer and sure enough I had a fever.  The fever continued until 2:30 this morning (Tuesday), so I have been pretty miserable for the past couple of days.  I also dealt with nausea yesterday.  Over the past couple days I didn't leave my bed, did a lot of sleeping, and did a lot of rolling around in discomfort.  Lucky for me though, I probably have the best care giver around and he did anything I asked of him and more.  I know none of this can be easy on him, but he still does it and goes above and beyond.  I'm not sure how many of your watch the tv show Parenthood, but it used to be a show that Jerrid and I would always watch together.  This season the mother got diagnosed with cancer, so Jerrid has opted out of watching it.  The preview for tonight's episode is spot on with what Jerrid is going through and as much as he hates having to see me go through this, I hate having to see him go through this.  Together though, I know, we will make it through this!

Here is a link to the preview for tonight's episode:
http://www.nbc.com/parenthood/video/chemotherapy-begins/n28454/


This morning, I'm feeling better and hope that it continues.  I've got a pretty excited little boy coming to see his mama tomorrow and I need to be raring to go!  I don't think I'll do too much today, so I can make sure I'm rested up for tomorrow.  Jerrid finally got out of the apartment after 2 days and is getting a run in and I'm sure will go work out after that.

Thanks for all your thoughts and prayers!

Love,
Meighan

Lesbi-honest now...this is an acca-mazing day!

Sorry...mom and I just got back Pitch Perfect, so I couldn't help myself with the blog title!  Great comic relief while we hang out here in Houston and wait...

After just over 2 months since my last treatment there is finally a SCHEDULED plan!!!  It has felt like this day might never come!  As I wrote yesterday, tomorrow I go in for a bunch of tests that have to be done before treatment can start.  Then on Friday, I go in to see Dr. Subbiah at 12:30.  I have to see him the first day of every cycle.  After seeing him I will start cycle one, day one.  On Saturday, I will have cycle one, day two and then on November 9th I will have cycle one, day 15.  The first cycle will be over on November 22nd...how fitting that this is Thanksgiving and I know we will be thankful for a treatment that is working!  I will then start cycle two on November 23rd.  I am so excited to start treatment and get back to fighting this nasty thing taking over my body!  Please pray for minimal side effects, a strong body to fight off the side effects, and a healing treatment!

THANK YOU!!!!

Love,
Meighan

Oh and P.S. my better half shows up in a couple of hours...what a great day this is turning out to be!!

Things are starting to look up!

On Monday morning I woke up pretty early with a lot of pain on the right side of my back.  It was pretty painful so I emailed my doctor.  He thought it could be due to the fluid in my abdomen, so he said to let him know how I felt after my procedure.  By the time I got to the hospital for my procedure the pain was getting a little better.  My procedure went well and they got out about 500 cc's of fluid this time.  My abdomen is a lot more comfortable, but of course nothing can go smoothly for me.  In order to get out all the fluid they wanted they rooted around in there, which then caused me to be in a lot of pain afterwards.  So...I went home with pain in the right side of my back and the left side of my abdomen.  When I got home I just laid on my back propped up on a lot of pillows and didn't move the rest of the night.  By this morning, I was feeling better and able to move a lot easier without being in a ton of pain.  So after lunch I decided it was probably time I got some exercise beings I haven't moved much from my bed the past few days.  Of course though it is too hot here to walk outside (or so I thought), so mom and I went to the mall.  :)  

Mom and I are doing a pretty good job of finding our way around.  She is the driver and I am the navigator.  I've realized us kids obviously didn't get our sense of direction from her...sense of direction is definitely a McCarthy trail!  Now that she's finally learning her way around here, of course, she leaves on Thursday.  Luckily, she won't be gone long though and will be back with Brayden next Wednesday.  Jerrid will hopefully get here tomorrow night, just in time to get a good night's rest before our big day of testing on Thursday!  That's right...I finally heard something!  On Thursday, I will go in for lab work, an EKG, a CT scan, and a chest xray.  These tests all need to be done before treatment can start.  So...I'm in hopes that treatment will hopefully start Monday!  Keep those fingers crossed and keep praying!!!

Thanks for all your support,
Meighan

Nothing can go smoothly when it comes to me

So I updated the blog last while I was at the hospital getting my magnesium treatment.  Everything seemed to be going fine...until about 9:00.  Around then I started to get really hot and my face started to get flush.  This continued and the flush-ness extended down to my neck.  Since it wasn't getting any better my aunt Sherry went out to ask a nurse to come take a look.  Apparently, getting magnesium intravenously can cause one to become flush so they weren't too worried about it.  At one point I picked up my phone and I was seeing blurry spots.  My aunt Sherry then showed me a paper with some words on it and I was still seeing the blurry spots.  This was towards the end of my 4 hour treatment, so the nurse called the ER doc to see what he thought.  He thought it could be possible that I was allergic to the sulfa in the fluids they gave me with the magnesium.  They wanted to give me Benedryl through the IV, but I refused after my last 2 awful bouts with Benedryl through the IV.  So instead they had me hang around for about a half hour to make sure the redness started to go away.  By 12:30, it was going down and they let me go home.  I was still very hot and it was hard for me to sleep that night, but when I woke up in the morning only my cheeks were a little flush.  I was still seeing blurry spots, but after I ate breakfast those went away.  I didn't feel 100% by any means, so I just laid around most of the morning.  I kept telling my aunt Sherry that my face felt funny and seemed to be a little puffy, and around noon one side of my face was much more swollen than the other side.  In the meantime, my mom made it to Houston.  Before heading to lunch I emailed Dr. Subbiah telling him about this reaction.  He called me within 2 minutes!  (My love just keeps growing for him.)  He wanted me to come in so he could take a look.  Neither him or his fellow really could come up with what was causing this, so they gave me some benedryl and a steroid.  By the next morning, I finally felt better (the best I've felt since I've been down here.)  The swelling had gone down some, and I wasn't really flush at all anymore.  Dan left yesterday and my mom, aunt Sherry, and I ran some errands and hung out by the pool.  While hanging out on the patio, I received an email from Dr. Subbiah, checking in on me and asking how the swelling was.  This man is great!  I have never had a doctor give me the attention that he does!  Quite frankly, I think my husband might be the only man who gives me more attention than he does...my husband really just can't get enough of me! :)  I am so happy with my decision to switch doctor's, and so reassured every time I have some sort of contact with Dr. Subbiah that he is the doctor for me.

Speaking of my husband...he can't get here soon enough!  He comes in on Wednesday of this week.  He was supposed to stay until November 4th, but now that I will be here longer than expected and Brayden is staying longer (Oct 31st - November 13th), I think he's going to stay a little longer also.  The boys will also be coming down over Thanksgiving.  I think we are getting a schedule worked out so there really aren't any days that I am here alone, as we aren't sure how I will handle this treatment.  It's a very aggressive treatment, so the side effects could be rough.  I've got a tough long road ahead of me, but I can handle it as it will all be worth it in the end.  Thanks to everyone who has offered to come down and help out!  For those of you in the Omaha area...don't forget about my husband.  It's great that I will have someone with me at all times, but I don't want him to get too lonely...especially since I took his dog! :)

Today mom and I are just hanging out.  I didn't sleep well last night, so I'm hoping to nap quite a bit.  Tomorrow, I go in to have my fluid drained again...can't wait for this as I'm pretty uncomfortable at times!  Also, hopefully tomorrow I'll hear more info regarding when I'll be starting treatment.  I plan to stalk a couple people with phone calls until I get some information. 

Thanks for your continued thoughts and prayers!
Meighan

The update of all updates!

Well Dan and I made it to Houston around 4:00 yesterday!  We left Omaha around 8 on Tuesday night and made it to Wichita around 1:00 am.  We slept for about 5 hours and then got back on the road.  As I said multiple times throughout the trip...we're not screwing around!  As Dan said, we're on a road tour only with better goals!  We made great time and didn't run into any problems.  Oh and Mogi was a trooper...she slept the entire way...rough life! 

When we got to Houston my aunt Sherry had gotten us all checked into our apartment, so we got settled in some.  The apartment is very nice and is about the best thing I could ask for as a "home away from home."  We went to dinner that night and tried to navigate our way around the apartment complex and Houston.  Already today we are doing better with the navigating and Dan has done a great job with being Sherry's and my chauffeur.

Sherry and I started our day with lab work at 12:45 and an EKG.  After I got done with these I had three missed calls from an Unknown number.  I checked my voicemail and it was Dr. Janku's office wanting to see me right away as they could get me in earlier.  This was a great surprise as I usually have to wait at least an hour after my scheduled appointment time to see Dr. Janku.  So Sherry and I hurried up to his office.  Once we got there we got the word that Dr. Janku was out sick.  I think my nurse Jackie saw the fear in my eyes and quickly assured me that the doctor I would be seeing is aware of my case and "knows what is going on."  I was somewhat relieved. 

Dr. Ganeson (Dr. Janku's fellow) came in to see us first.  He didn't seem to have a clue what was going on and that we were still waiting for insurance approval.  This is where I may have lost it on him a little.  I stated to him in my teacher voice that I was told if I wasn't approved by now there was going to be something else for me to get started on.  He then started mumbling and left the room very quickly.  I think he then went out and told everyone that there was a crazy lady in that room and they needed to figure something out.  Cue...Dr. Subbiah.  Dr. Subbiah came in and at first was very saddened to see a 29 year old in his office with a re-occurrence from cervical cancer.  He was then appalled to hear that it had been 2 months since the last time I had received treatment.  Finally...a doctor who thinks like I do!  He then stated that he was going to find me something and not leave here today or let me leave without a plan in place.  I wanted to jump up and hug him at this point!  He then left and got all his colleagues working on my case.  He came back pretty quickly with a plan: 

• 2 IV drugs: Avastin and Bendamustine
• Avastin is designed to block the growth of blood vessels that supply the nutrients needed for tumor growth, which will hopefully prevent or slow down the growth of cancer cells.
• Bendamustine is designed to damage DNA (the genetic material) or cancer cells.  It also interferes with the creation of new DNA, which will hopefully keep cancer cells from repairing themselves or forming new cancer cells. 
•  This trial runs on a 28 day cycle and I will receive the drugs on days 1, 2, and 15.
• I will have a scan after 2 cycles to determine if they are working.
• If they are working I will continue on the drugs.
• If they are not working, I will start on something else.
• I will have to stay down here for at least 2 cycles (so about 2 months)
• If after 2 cycles I end up staying on these drugs, hopefully I'll only have to be down here for days 1 and 2 and can get the day 15 drug back at home.

Dr. Subbiah was very positive about this treatment and kept calling it the "home-run" treatment.  As with any treatment, it has risks but as he stated:  You're only 29 years old, you've got a lot of life to live, we need to be aggressive, and hit a home-run.  I couldn't have agreed with him more!  I was falling more and more in love with this doctor the more he said.  He then went on to tell us that he wasn't going to force me into anything, but stressed again how he thinks we need to be aggressive and I'm the perfect patient to do an aggressive treatment.  Besides having cancer I am young, strong, and healthy!  He really seemed to take a vested interest in me and my individual situation.  Before he left he gave me his card and told me to contact him at any time with any questions or concerns.  He is the first doctor to give me his card...continuing to fall in love with him!

After he left someone else he works with came in to introduce herself.  She then went on to tell me how great Dr. Subbiah is and how he started working on my case right away at 8:00 this morning when he found out he would be seeing me today for Dr. Janku.  She then told us how he specializes in cancer patients age 19-35 as we are the generation who is getting "lost" in all of the cancer treatment.  She went on to say how she has worked with a lot of doctor's and she knows that Dr. Subbiah is going to do great things and make great strides in cancer treatment because his heart is truly in it.  Hearing all of this was very reassuring.  This is when I decided that I needed to switch doctor's and Dr. Subbiah needed to be my doctor.  Sorry Dr. Janku, no offense, but I'm the boss now and Dr. Subbiah is my man!  Before leaving a trial nurse came to talk to us about getting enrolled in the trial and all the hoops I need to jump through now.  So off we went...

Can you guess what the biggest hoop is? :)  Yep...insurance!  Luckily, Jerrid and I are both teachers and don't make a lot of money (don't worry Jill...I won't go on a rant now about it) so I should be eligible to get the Avastin covered and the other drug is already covered.  We met with a lady from the pharmacy who files drugs to insurance companies.  I had to fill out a couple papers, get her our tax return (which I luckily had in my email), and now she just has to submit them.  I should be conditionally approved right away and therefore, able to start this trial next week!!!!!

Until then, right now I'm getting some magnesium through an IV because my magnesium was really low and that has to be up before I can start.  I'm also going to get some more fluid drained soon...woo hoo...more relief!!!  As my aunt Sherry put it today, you're walking like you just had a c-section.  Yep...pretty much...it's so uncomfortable, it's hard to stand and walk upright! 


I feel unbelievably positive about everything we heard today and where we are headed.  People really seemed to be working for me today and not just some "typical cervical cancer" patient.  They all have the same sense of urgency as I do regarding wanting to get started on a treatment right away, and wanting to be aggressive with the prescribed treatment.

Thank you too ALL of you for your thoughts, prayers, messages, texts, emails, and phone calls!  I'm sorry if I haven't replied, but honestly I don't know if it's physically possible for me to reply to all that I get.  Such a good problem to have, I know!  My group of supporters is HUGE and just keeps growing!  I couldn't do this without all of your support!  THANK YOU!

Love,
Meighan

Let's do this!

Well not much to update, but thought I'd post a blog before I take off.  Dan and I have decided to leave this evening to break up the drive some and get into Houston earlier on Wednesday.  I have 3 appointments on Thursday starting at 12:45...lab work, EKG, and Dr. Janku.  I'm very anxious to talk to Dr. Janku, hear what the plan is, and get started on some treatment. 

I've been putting off packing as obviously I'm not totally pumped about going to Houston for an extended period (but I am pumped at the same time as I know Houston is where I need to be) and how is one supposed to pack for 30+ days?!  Last night, I just threw a bunch of clothes in a suit case.  Today I'm trying to get some odds and ends taken care of and making sure I have all of my "must haves" packed.

Lastly, my address down in Houston will be: 1333 Old Spanish Trail, Apt #3174, Houston, TX 77054

Thank you for all of your continued support and prayers!  Third times a charm...let's do this!!

Meighan

If it's not one thing...it's another!

Well it has been somewhat of a rough week, but it's ending on a good note.

Sunday afternoon, evening, and through the night I was having the same abdominal pains and nausea that I had about a week earlier that landed me in the ER.  So...Monday morning I called Dr. Morris's office and talked to Jean (my oncology nurse.)  She had me come in at 10 to be evaluated.  By then the pain had subsided quite a bit, but I was still nauseous.  She thought a lot of it had to do with my diet (lots of fresh fruits, veggies, and vegan food) and there being too much fiber in it.  These foods are hard to digest and are especially hard on my compressed digestive system, stomach, and bowels.  So...she suggested I stick to softer foods and things that are easy to digest.  She also thought I was dehydrated so she sent me down for a few hours of fluids.  By the time I left Estabrook at 3 I felt better, but not great by any means.  I had very little energy.

On Tuesday morning, I headed in for my blood transfusion.  This got started about 9:00 and we were there until about 2:00.  By that evening, my energy level was getting a lot better but my belly was getting very uncomfortable.  Since May, my abdomen has grown...mostly due to one of the tumors growing and then pressing all my organs in my abdomen to one side.  The doctor's have told me not be discouraged by this though because I have a very small frame, so it's much more noticeable on me than it would be on an average person.  In all actuality, on an average sized person you wouldn't even notice it.  Well within the last month my belly has gotten even bigger and I knew this wasn't because of my tumor growing due to the CT scan's I have had in the past month and there hasn't been a change in my tumor.  Therefore, I knew there had to be some fluid building up.  Well...Tuesday night I was absolutely miserable for a good three hours.  On Wednesday morning I called Jean and asked her what the chances were that I could get the fluid in my abdomen drained.  She said Dr. Morris would definitely sign off on it, but an Interventional Radiologist would have to approve it after checking how much fluid I have in my abdomen.  So I headed back to the hospital on Wednesday afternoon...I really just couldn't get enough of that place this week!  I first had an ultrasound done to check how much fluid was in my abdomen.  The Ultrasound tech thought by looking at me there was going to be a lot of fluid in there, but she said the ultrasound didn't show as much as she would have thought.  Side note:  I seriously looked as if I was 6 months pregnant.  Wednesday morning, my friend Tif was over, who is 6 months pregnant, and my belly was the size of hers.  Ok...so after the ultrasound I waited around for the doctor to read it and come talk to me.  When he came to talk to me he said he didn't think there was much in there (probably about 300 cc's)  and that he didn't think draining it would make much of a difference.  I politely disagreed with him stating that my belly has grown a lot in the past month and that I'm getting more and more uncomfortable.  He said, he would drain it if that is what I wanted, but he wanted me to know up front that it probably wouldn't make a difference.  I said, I understood what he was saying, but I still wanted to give it a try.  Well not only did we get 300 cc's drained out...we got over 1300 cc's drained!!!!  On someone my size, this is a significant amount of fluid and made a HUGE difference.  I am so much more comfortable and my belly has gone down some...now I only look about 3 months pregnant! :) 

SO...long story short...after 3 days in and out of the hospital I finally feel 100% and back to myself!! 

So what does one do when she finally feels back to herself?  She goes to Bonefish for some Bang, Bang Shrimp!!!  I still have yet to hear anything about insurance, so instead of getting stressed about something that is beyond my control, I'm taking matters into my own hands and controlling what I can.  While out to eat at Bonefish with my parents we decided we are done waiting on insurance and doctor's and headed down to Texas next Wednesday.  I will go knock on Dr. Janku's door if I have to and say, "I'm here and I'm not leaving...so let's get this treatment started!"  So today, we got our apartment all lined up and most of the travel plans.  My cousin Dan will be driving down with me and as he put it, "It will be like a rock tour, but with better goals."  For those of you that don't know Dan, he has a band McCarthy Trenching and also plays with many other bands.  So he's gone on many road trips/tours and prides himself on his interstate driving...I'm positive I'll get down there safe and sound.  We are planning to drive the entire way on Wednesday, as I have 3 appointments at MD Anderson on Thursday starting at 12:45.  Dan will probably stay a couple days and then fly back.  My Aunt Sherry is going to fly down and meet us in Houston on Wednesday and stay with me until Sunday, and my mom will probably fly down on Friday or Saturday and stay with me until Jerrid comes on the 24th.  So we're getting things figured out and so thankful for everyone's support and help through this entire process!

I'll continue to keep you posted!
Meighan

Real problems

Last night I went to see Pitch Perfect (Rebel Wilson is HILARIOUS) with Cait and some friends and when I got home, Jerrid was crabby.  After asking him why he was crabby, his response was something negative (and not appropriate to post on here) regarding HIS Huskers.  Seeing him like this over HIS Huskers it's no wonder he gets the way he gets when HIS wife is going through all that I am.  Then, before going to bed last night, I logged onto Facebook, and many posts were Husker fans lives evidently coming to an end because of the outcome of the game.  So...because of this and my crabby husband...I have decided that Husker fans need to get some real problems!

Speaking of real problems...here's an update on my "real problems":

I had a quick trip to Houston this past week for a very short visit with Dr. Janku regarding my treatment plan.  He spoke to us about 2 different drugs that are both FDA approved.  These drugs though are not FDA approved to be used together to treat cervical cancer; therefore, this will be considered a clinical trial.  They are both in the pill form.  I will take them both for the first five days and then alternate days after that.  I will have to be down in Houston for the first four weeks in order to see my doctor weekly and be close if a problem would occur.  Although, there aren't many side effects besides nausea, mouth sores, and high blood pressure.  After the first four weeks, I will go home but will have to come back to Houston monthly after that.  I will also get scans every 8 weeks.  The goal of the combination of these two drugs is to shrink the tumors and cut off the blood supply to the tumors to prevent them from growing...sounds like perfect goals to me!  So all of that sounds great, right?  Yes it does, but of course it wouldn't be right if we didn't play the waiting game for awhile.  So at the moment, we are waiting to make sure my insurance will approve one of the drugs.  If they don't...back down to Houston ASAP for plan B.  If they do...back down to Houston to start this clinical trial on October 18th. 

So while I wait I will be spending some time at school getting my long term sub set up.  Although, I don't think that will take much as they have hired a teacher who retired last year and has had all my students within the last three years.  It's a HUGE stress relief to not have to worry about school and the students right now and instead focus on getting better and ALL that entails.  I will also be getting a blood transfusion on Tuesday as my hemoglobin is still low.  Hopefully this will bump up my hemoglobin and give me more energy.  Lastly, I will be working on travel plans, housing plans, and getting things in order here for my boys while I'm gone. 

One more thing...we may be looking for some friends and family to either drive down to Houston with me and/or spend some time down in Houston with me until my mom or Jerrid can get down there.  I plan to drive down on the 17th and my mom probably won't be able to get down there til the 22nd, so if any of you are available during the 17th through the 22nd...please let me know.

Thanks for all your continued support and prayers!
Meighan

Update...finally!

Sorry that it has taken me so long to update since my time at MD Anderson in Houston.  Since I've been back, I have been super busy with a tremendous and successful benefit in my honor, Flynn's baptism, trying to rest and get my energy back, and making a trip to the ER.  Yes, that is right...last night (or early this morning rather) we had to make a trip to the ER.  About midnight I woke up with severe abdominal pain...at times it was so bad I thought I was in labor (but I knew better than this.)  After about an hour of this and it not getting any better, Jerrid called Dr. Morris.  This is also when the vomiting started.  Dr. Morris called back and he told Jerrid to bring me in to the ER.  After I was done vomiting the pain finally subsided.  While at the ER they did an X-ray to check for a bowel obstruction, and everything looked good.  SO...they really don't know what was causing me severe pain and vomiting.  Since we left the ER, I haven't been nauseous, have been sleeping and resting a lot, but am not quite back to myself, as I still feel kinda cruddy and tired.  Although I haven't really felt like myself since Saturday night, as I've been very exhausted and trying to catch up on sleep.  So being up from midnight til 5:30 this morning, didn't help with catching up on sleep.  Anyways I'm convinced that I probably caught a flu bug...probably in the airport or airplane.  This doesn't make me too excited to hop back on 2 airplanes tomorrow to get to Houston again...

SO...now about the last trip to Houston, although I think all of you have seen updates on Facebook, or heard about it in person.  Therefore, I'll make a long story short...

Thursday at MD Anderson was a long day with a lot of waiting, but totally worth every minute.  I saw Dr. Westin (Gynecological Oncologist) and her Nurse Practitioner first.  They were both great ladies, who made my mom and I feel very comfortable, and her Nurse Practitioner had definitely done her homework on me and my situation.  I think she knew it better than Jerrid probably does (he may or may not choose to block some things out.)  After their exam, my mom, my sister-in-laws Jina and Jessica, and I met with Dr. Westin about what she was thinking.  She told us about so many options!  This was such a relief to hear!  Her #1 option was to send us over to Dr. Janku at the Targeted Therapy Center.  There they focus on clinical trials and trials specific (or targeted) to individual patients and their individual cancers.  She said if he doesn't have anything for me, she definitely would, but she wants to start with the "Hail Mary" here and really attack this!  She made a personal call to Dr. Janku and somehow got him to see me that day.  Remember how the first time I called MD Anderson and it was going to be a month before I could get it.  I know he didn't have time in his schedule to see me, but he did it anyway.  After Dr. Janku and his fellow did their homework on my situation he came in and told us he has about three different options he probably has for me.  He wanted to do some additional testing (blood work and CT scan) to gain a little more information about my specific cancer versus just treating me as if I have cervical cancer like everyone else who has cervical cancer.  He said the drugs he is wanting to try show promise and this too was great to hear!  Everything we heard down in Texas gave us more and more HOPE!  It's sounding like I'll be a part of a clinical trial at MD Anderson, so I will more than likely be taking a clinical trial drug along with an FDA approved drug.  Since I will be a part of an MD Anderson trial, I will have to do all the treatment down there.  Depending on how I handle the treatment, I could possibly travel back and forth, but at the beginning I have to plan to be down there for about 4 weeks.  While down there my mom and I looked at a furnished apartment that would be a great place to spend 4 weeks away from home, if that is what I have to do.  SO...I will find out on Thursday of this week what Dr. Janku's plans are for my treatment and we will quickly start planning the logistics as chances are I will be starting treatment very soon.  I'm anxious to get down there and get this figured out, and even though I'm not sure what treatment is going to bring (side effects and logistics that may not be ideal), I am looking forward to getting started on treatment and getting that much closer to beating this cancer!  My friend Holly is going to go down with me this time, and I'm thankful she is able to so my mom can stay and sub for me.  I know work should be the last thing I worry about right now, but it's not.  I hate being gone, and feeling as if I'm letting the kids and staff down at school.  With my mom there in my place, I feel a lot better about being gone. 

I know I said this was going to short, but you should all know by now I'm not good about doing short blogs.  Anyways, I want to end with a HUGE thanks to everyone who came out on Saturday to support my family and me at a benefit in my honor.  It was amazing to see all those who came and the generous donations given!  A very big thank-you to my Aunt Kris, Rhonda Hope, and Denise Luna for coordinating the entire thing, and to all that volunteered their time to help out on Saturday.  Also, thanks to those that donated items for the basket raffle...the baskets were awesome!  This benefit just solidified what I've always known about the A-H-S-T Community.  Everyone comes together in times of need while making a huge difference in people's lives!  Lastly, a big thanks to all of the McCarthy's who traveled near and far to show their support and help out with the benefit!  My family and I are so blessed to have such amazing friends and family in our lives, and are beyond thankful for all of your support!

THANK YOU!
Meighan