17 June 

After 3 attempts the lab finally got a functional IV in one of my veins. Of course it's on the most painful location. Got my CT/ PET scan done, now it's just drum roll until I get my results on Monday. Please let me be "Cancer-free"!!!

21 June

My final appointment with Dr. Phippen went good. Good news, he feels I'm in remission. My CA-125 was at its lowest (16.9) and my scan came back good with the exception of an unknown spot in my lower left quadrant of my abdomen. I'll be getting a CT scan on Wednesday to see if they can rule it out as residual tumor. 

Eithee way, to hear remission for now is a step in the right direction. 😊 So happy the surgery and chemo did its job. 

The hardest part of today was seeing Dr. P for the last time. After all I've been through I owe my life to him. When a person saves you, it's hard to say goodbye. The crappy part of seeing military doctors. I'm sure he left me in good hands though with Dr. Hope. 

23 June CT scan

Well, the results are still inconclusive. Could be residual tumor or not. Either way, it doesn't change my next treatment plan of starting the PARP inhibitor. More to come on that 1 July. My first appointment with Dr. Hope

7 July

I had my first appointment with Dr. Hope and Nurse Lisa last week to discuss my next treatment. I'm going to start Lynparza after my trip back to Maryland to see my mom. I'll start around the second week of August. The biggest side effect I was told about was fatigue, which I expected. 
I spoke to a couple ladies from my support group and one had a bad reaction to it and the other was fine. So we will see. Everyone is different. I'm really hoping I can tolerate it. 
More to come at the end of the July. For now I am going to enjoy my energy 😊

6 Aug

Saw Dr. Hope today, so I start my meds on Tuesday. I got my bloodwork done today. I have mixed emotions. I'm anxious, scared, nervous, excited...I'm not sure what to feel. I'm just hoping I respond well so I can enjoy life for a few more years. 

10 Aug

Here we go! Tonight I start my maintenance meds. I'm at max dosage, 300mg 2 times a day. If I am able to tolerate I'll stay on it this way 🤞🏼

8 Sept

Finishing up my first month of being on the PARP. Side effects haven't been too bad. I had a bit of nausea in the mornings for a couple weeks but that had subsided. I also had some aching in my joints but Tylenol helped with that. 

My CA125 continues to stay pretty low at 13 last lab results. My WBC and RBC were a little low. My platelets were a little low as well but nothing to be concerned about. I just had labs yesterday so we will see by Friday hopefully if anything has changed.

The worse side effect so far has been fatigue. I am so tired. I tried a B12 shot but that did nothing. Work is long hours so my doctor requested I do a day of telework. I'm hoping that helps. 

4 December

Things are going good so far with the Lynparza. 

Good news! I'm not anemic anymore. My white blood cells are finally normal and my CA 125 continues to be stable. Last blood test it was at 15.8. This medicine is doing its job so far. 
The only complaint I have is it's a pain to get refilled every month. As much as I try to plan my trip, it never seems to go smooth. So I just know to plan a 1/2 day at the oncology pharmacy just to get it. 
Otherwise, I'm thankful for how things are going so far. 🙏🏻

25 Jan 2022

Latest and Greatest

I got some bloodwork back from my primary doctor and come to find out my bad cholesterol LDL levels were high, but so were my good HDL levels. This is one of the side effects of Lynparza. So I'm sitting at 236. Anything over 200 is high. 
I was told not to be too concerned. Now that I'm back on a healthy eating plan and workout plan, I'm hoping that will take care of it. 

4 August 2022

Its been almost a year I've been on Lynparza. So far no major side effects. I had a little scare a couple weeks ago with my blood levels but it was a lab thing. Using 2 different labs isn't a good idea. When I got my labs done at BAMC a week later after the scare everything was fine. As a precaution though, my oncologist did lower my dosage from 600mg a day to 450mg. I feel like I have more energy. As long as it keeps the cancer away, that's all that matters. 

All Done!!! 8 August 2023

Can you believe it? My 2 years on this medicine has come to an end. Now it's fingers crossed it did its job. I'm still waiting to get the energy back everyone says I will. I can't wait for that to happen. 
Glad I'm done!