An update and a couple of prayer requests

I've been meaning to update the blog for the last week or so, but I am just finally getting around to it. Last week, I met with my doctor to review the results of a CT scan and talk about how we would proceed going forward. The CT showed that the small tumors in my lungs shrank another millimeter or two since the last scan in March. This is good news showing that the treatment is still effective and that there doesn't seem to be any new areas of active cancer. The tumors near my lower spine are stable, and may be dead following the two rounds of radiation treatment that they have received.

While I had been considering taking a break from treatment starting in July, we decided to try out the oral version of the 5-FU, which I've been on since January. One advantage to this treatment is that it doesn't require that I bring a pump home with me for two days. On the other hand, I do have to take the pills twice a day for two weeks, followed by one week without taking the pills. Please pray that I will have fewer side effects with this form of treatment. I'm worried about starting the school year off while still in treatment, but if this is easier on me, it would offer a way for me to continue to hold off the cancer while starting the new school year. I will begin this treatment on Monday, June 27th, five months to the day that I began treatment. 

Tomorrow, I will be defending my dissertation. This is essentially the last major step in the ten-year process of earning a PhD in educational psychology. It took me ten years partly because I spent the first six years taking whatever classes sounded interesting, rather than paying attention to what I needed to graduate. However, the cancer has also played a part in why it took so long. It is a testament to God's strength in my weakness that I was able to finish the last two chapters of the dissertation while on chemo. 

It gives me hope for tomorrow, because I've been feeling very fatigued lately. I'm not sure what is causing the fatigue, but it is likely a symptom of the chemo. I haven't had chemo for two weeks now while I wait to begin the oral chemo, but I am still finding it hard to get up in the morning, even after 9+ hours of sleep. My defense is at 10:30 am, so please pray that I'll be up and feeling rested tomorrow morning. My committee has been very flexible, but I would like to be at my best for the defense. 

Thanks for all your encouraging words and prayers for me. I really do appreciate it and know that God has used it to encourage me and to keep me going.