Year 2 check up results

So I have arrived back from Houston and finally had some time to update about my results! I still have yet to hear about my bone marrow biopsy I had on Wednesday (8/21/13) but I guess no news is good news :) 

On Tuesday (8/20/13) I saw my doctor and there were a couple of things that have changed since my last visit in 2012. My bone density scans came back and it looks like I lost some bone density in my spine (not quite osteoporosis, they call it osteopenia meaning my bone density is less than normal). That means that my vitamin D intake has not been enough as well as my calcium intake. So I have gone to the grocery and picked up a couple vitamins that will help me keep my bones strong since my body can't naturally do it anymore (thanks to menopause). I have been getting sun but I always put a lot of sunscreen on which reduces the amount of vitamin D my body can absorb. Talk about a catch-22 right? I need vitamin D to keep my bones strong but I get dirty looks from the doctors when they see I have a tan. I put the sunscreen on and sit under trees! What more do you want from me?! I live in Hawaii! It is very hard to avoid the sun! >.< So I guess this is the end of the year without pills (not quite a year but it has felt like it!) and now I will start setting reminders for myself :(. I am also setting reminders to take my hormone pills, cream and patch (that I change out every 2 weeks). Thank Steve Jobs for the iPhone! Without it...I fear what would entail given my lack of memory when it comes to taking pills. 

So, the hormones I am taking are to help get my body back into balance. They shouldn't give me any migraines like birth control does because with birth control the hormones are more than what the body produces to try and control ovulation. With replacement hormones they are just trying to replace what would normally be there if I wasn't in menopause. I'm excited to start them tomorrow and cross my fingers and hope for a decrease in hot flashes!

***BEWARE (father, this is mostly pointed towards you): Reader discretion advised. Female parts will be talked about and I apologize for any discomfort I may cause. You have been warned and may proceed with caution.

My other major issue I've been dealing with since going through menopause has been 

vaginal dryness. Chemotherapy has caused my eyes to dry up as well as my mouth (granted I can almost eat toast now without a gulp of milk with every bite) and it may be causing this dryness as well. Menopause definitely causes vaginal dryness and it has been giving me very painful bathroom breaks. With this being my biggest issue it was very important that I try to start the hormone replacement therapy in the hopes that my body goes back to normal and no more dryness. However, Dr. Ciurea thinks that since my eyes are still dry, my bone density has decreased and I have severe vaginal dryness that it may all be caused by GVHD (for those of you who have forgotten GVHD or Graft Versus Host Disease is when my cells and my brothers cells are not getting along and causing a ruckus). He wanted me to start tacrolimus again (the immunosuppressant I was on after my stem cell transplant) and the prophylactics (like Bactrim to help support my immune system when it is lowered) but after talking to my Gynecologist he decided to let me try out the hormones first for two weeks and if my symptoms don't get better then (after emailing them my results and talking to them) I would start the tacro regimen. The tacro is supposed to lower my immune system to see if the symptoms alleviate and then slowly come off of it in the hopes that my cells and travis' cells get along better (it's kind of like putting them into time out). It would be much easier if the hormones take care of the problem (less pills to take :D) but we will have to see in two weeks what the outcome will be! I just hope that my symptoms go away and I don't have to wince every time I go to the bathroom. My eyes are still way too dry to consider contacts or even lasix so it's a good thing I'm used to wearing glasses :) It amazes me that two years after my last chemotherapy treatment that my body is still working to get itself back to normal. I hope that something works! 

****No more mentioning of lady parts.....it is safe to read again :)

I talked to a fertility doctor in the gynecologic oncology center in MD Anderson about what I should expect when I start looking at getting pregnant. She is new to MD Anderson and it amazed me that a lot of her job right now is informing not only patients but also doctors of the treatment options when it comes to patients getting chemotherapy and radiation. When I was going through my egg harvesting my doctors didn't know much at all about the process, how long it took and where to do it. I am pleased that they finally got a fertility doctor in the hospital and they are actually running a clinical trial for those that are about to go through a stem cell transplant and want to try and preserve ovarian function. I wish I could have been a part of it (it's just two shots of a hormone before and after the SCT) if only to give them more data for their study. Now, if we could get the insurance companies on board with funding egg harvesting and  other fertility treatments to cancer patients then we wouldn't have such a big problem! After talking to the fertility doctor I have a better idea about what I should do when I move back to texas and the steps I need to take to make babies happen :) I know before I said that the doctor normally puts two eggs or embryos in at once in the hopes that at least one takes to pregnancy but in my case if I actually got pregnant with twins it would put me in a higher risk pregnancy (I'm already going to be a high risk pregnancy so I don't need to make it even more riskier). So I'll have three separate chances :) I hope I don't have GVHD because that would delay any forward motions of having babies so please cross your fingers for me that it's all just mean ole menopause! 

I had such a wonderful trip and I miss my partner in crime Kell Bells! (I've got a fever! and the prescription I have is for more Kell Bell!) Get it? SNL? Christopher Walken? No? Maybe someone will get that reference. :(

I am ready for school to start and very excited for my final semester!!! whoo!! I am taking 13 credits, so my first full-time semester since I've been back! I feel ready and capable :) It'll be a busy 4 months but I'm excited for it! 

Oh and with all this going on my doctor wants me back in Houston in January so don't worry Houstonians, I'll be back in 5 months! This time with Cassidy in tow :D Can't wait to be back! 

Well farewell for now but I will be back to update y'all on how the hormones are working for me! wish me luck!

Aloha!