Help Crystal Fight Ovarian Cancer » CT Scan http://helpcrystal.org Join the fight to cure her from ovarian cancer! Tue, 29 Nov 2011 20:40:46 +0000 en hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v= I had a scan yesterday that didn’t go as I had hoped http://helpcrystal.org/2011/02/11/i-had-a-scan-yesterday-that-didnt-go-as-i-had-hoped/ http://helpcrystal.org/2011/02/11/i-had-a-scan-yesterday-that-didnt-go-as-i-had-hoped/#comments Sat, 12 Feb 2011 02:50:38 +0000 Crystal Fernandez-Seid http://helpcrystal.org/?p=1037 And so it is…

Well after 15 months chemo free and no no growth I had a scan yesterday that didn’t go as I had hoped. The tumors on my vital organs such as liver and lungs haven’t really changed, thank GOD, but the ones in my lower pelvis have shown some advancement. Dr Dan is awesome and has continued to express how impressed and interested he is with my decision to stop chemo and go “natural.” When I came in yesterday he said “so what are you doing? Because you are doing so much better than expected!” I just looked back at your charts and it has been 15 months since we gave you chemo and you have done phenomenally!”
However I have some growth in my pelvis, the concern for the growth is that it could cause a bowel obstruction or problems for my kidneys but that isn’t the case quite yet. Soooooo the next step is for me to either decide to stay on observation and get more regular check ups again or make the move to maybe consider a small dose of chemo. As much as I don’t believe chemo is a great option I find my self slightly fear driven to give it a try. I haven’t decided yet partly because I don’t like to make a decision based on fear. I also have to admit that I knew in my guts that it might go this way. I am very in tune with my body and realized a few weeks ago that I was gaining weight, exhausted all the time, gassy stomach and just felt that something wasn’t quite right. However I wanted to believe it was because I was stressed and playing a lot of hockey. Speaking of hockey, I LOVE it but with a CA 125 count of 200(the highest in a long time) I understand now why I feel like I have to work so hard and then feel so tired afterwards. I love that I feel alive when I play and I also have to think so hard about where to put my feet that I don’t think as much about being “sick”.
I am looking into some other treatment options and have a friend looking at some options as well. I may have to travel to receive treatment but I am willing to find a way to do what it takes.
My friend Marika got into a clinical trial in Boston today! She will begin treatment on the 25th. This is great news as she has been trying to get in since 2009 and hasn’t been able to meet the criteria in the past. Thanks for all the prayers and support for the both of us.

]]> http://helpcrystal.org/2011/02/11/i-had-a-scan-yesterday-that-didnt-go-as-i-had-hoped/feed/ 2 Big day tomorrow http://helpcrystal.org/2011/02/09/big-day-tomorrow/ http://helpcrystal.org/2011/02/09/big-day-tomorrow/#comments Thu, 10 Feb 2011 04:54:49 +0000 Crystal Fernandez-Seid http://helpcrystal.org/?p=1035 Big day tomorrow. I feel a little anxiety but a little confident. I have been good about my program but there is always that little fear in the back of my mind. There also seems to be cancer shows and conversation everywhere we turn.  Mekaty turned to me the other day on the way to school and said “mom, are you going to die?” She was worried because a little girl in her class had just lost her grandmother to cancer. One of the most common things I get asked is how I answer that question. The best answer I have is, None of us get to choose if we die but I am doing everything I can to help ensure that I don’t.  I don’t know what else to say. I reassure her that no I am not going to die and that Dr’s don’t get to decide when people die, GOD does. Other than some major stress and being really sick I have felt pretty well and am now playing on 3  hockey teams.  Its so much fun, a great outlet and a great place to meet amazing people.  Tomorrow will be a telling day.

]]> http://helpcrystal.org/2011/02/09/big-day-tomorrow/feed/ 0 It’s been a bit of a emotional roller coast the last few weeks. http://helpcrystal.org/2010/11/12/its-been-a-bit-of-a-emotional-roller-coast-the-last-few-weeks/ http://helpcrystal.org/2010/11/12/its-been-a-bit-of-a-emotional-roller-coast-the-last-few-weeks/#comments Sat, 13 Nov 2010 05:11:04 +0000 Crystal Fernandez-Seid http://helpcrystal.org/?p=1020 Lots to say since my last entry.  It’s been a bit of a emotional roller coast the last few weeks.  I left town on November 4th, exactly 1 year to the day of my second surgery where I was told to tell my girls goodbye and prepare them to expect me to pass with in 4-5 months.  I had a blood draw that morning before the flight and my numbers were back up to 179 but nothing to be too concerned about. I will have labs and a CT in 3 months to see where things stand.  That will be a full 6 months since my last scan and should give us some good indicators of where things are.  It’s kind of crazy that I left 1 year to the day to be with my brother after he had to come to be with me 1 year earlier.  I am so grateful that I am well enough to be a stable functioning family member.  It was an emotional trip and a great time all in one.  We got everything sold or donated and then got him on a flight.  It was a LONG drive back but it was worth it. Then the day after we got home I had to turn right around and take Rilynn back to Boise to the eye therapist.  It was lots of driving and all happened to land on my dads birthday.  He would have been 52 this year.

This week has been super busy! Hockey, figure skating, planning for the bakery and cleaning and unpacking.  Today was a great day.  I met with Mark to discuss the plans for the bakery/cafe and it went really well. I am so excited to get it going and he wants it done ASAP and I am all for that.  I hope I can get the details all together quickly and get the build out done in a manor we can swing. Darick is so busy that I hope he can make some time to get the construction done so that I can get in there but I will be doing the made to order stuff as soon as this coming week and the bakery with in the next couple weeks for sure.  I am exciting about being able to help change peoples lives through food and my story.

]]> http://helpcrystal.org/2010/11/12/its-been-a-bit-of-a-emotional-roller-coast-the-last-few-weeks/feed/ 0 Wow has my life gotten busy!!! http://helpcrystal.org/2010/09/16/wow-has-my-life-gotten-busy/ http://helpcrystal.org/2010/09/16/wow-has-my-life-gotten-busy/#comments Thu, 16 Sep 2010 23:40:34 +0000 Crystal Fernandez-Seid http://helpcrystal.org/?p=990 Wow has my life gotten busy!!! I have 2 girls on completely different school schedules causing me to run back and forth several times today. In between those times I am baking, baking, baking and cleaning, cleaning, cleaning. I am trying to get this baking business up and going without having my family life suffer. It is going so well though. I have had some great feedback and seem to have some major interest in what I’m doing. I am looking at 2 locations right now and hope to have an idea very very soon of where I will be ending up. i am headed to my brothers next month to check out a couple of similar businesses and get away for a few days.

I am finding myself a little frustrated right now. I am tired of being “the same” however the same is better than worse. I just want to be done with all this stuff. Mark is drawing my blood tomorrow to check some things including my CA-125. Then maybe we can make a plan before the next CT.

]]> http://helpcrystal.org/2010/09/16/wow-has-my-life-gotten-busy/feed/ 0 My scan came back with no growth! http://helpcrystal.org/2010/08/26/my-scan-came-back-with-no-growth/ http://helpcrystal.org/2010/08/26/my-scan-came-back-with-no-growth/#comments Thu, 26 Aug 2010 17:54:42 +0000 Crystal Fernandez-Seid http://helpcrystal.org/?p=986 Well I not only made it through the CT but had pretty good news. My scan came back with no growth so that’s awesome! The more we look at it we’re not sure that I don’t have a 2cm reduction which would be absolutely amazing as I work towards a reversal surgery and remission. I was very nervous about the test but thrilled with the results. My oncologist told me that he couldn’t argue for chemo with results like that and wanted to know a little more about what I was doing. I am thrilled with my decision to change to Dr Dan. He said to come again in 6 weeks and repeat the scan in 3 months.

Also I had some good family news this week as well.

After some consideration I decided to approach Dr Mark about a “clean” food Cafe’/Gluten free bakery. Because if my diet restrictions I can’t go out to eat or have as many options for food when I’m out and about. I’d like to make foods that are gluten free and “clean”(meaning no canola/vegetable oil, refined sugars or flour ect) He seemed excited about it and I think we may move that direction. He told me that he would love to make “the market”(his store) a lunch place where you could get great food which is exactly what I was thinking. If I did it out of the market I would have access to fresh organic ingredients and a fully functioning kitchen. I’m excited to see what comes of it!

]]> http://helpcrystal.org/2010/08/26/my-scan-came-back-with-no-growth/feed/ 1 It’s been a year since my diagnosis and first surgery. http://helpcrystal.org/2010/08/19/its-been-a-year-since-my-diagnosis-and-first-surgery/ http://helpcrystal.org/2010/08/19/its-been-a-year-since-my-diagnosis-and-first-surgery/#comments Fri, 20 Aug 2010 03:47:51 +0000 Crystal Fernandez-Seid http://helpcrystal.org/?p=984 Well I’m finally slowed down enough to write an entry. It’s been a year since my diagnosis and first surgery. I find it kind of ironic that almost a year to the day of my diagnosis and thinking my life was ending I watched my beautiful niece being born and her life just beginning. Also when I got home I threw a surprise party for my best friend with her husband. It made me so grateful to be healthy enough to enjoy these moments and look forward to many more. I am so busy since I got home and am doing a modified fast before my CT next week. I’m a little nervous about my scan since I didn’t do as well on my diet while on vacation as I should have but feel pretty good over all. Praying for great results. I was recently given a kitchen gadget called a norwalk juice press by a lovely lady who happened upon my yard sale. They are incredible little things. They do juice, nut butter, salads ect and am so blessed to have one. Yesterday the girls and I juiced about 16 qrts of juice and froze several for them for school. It was a lot of fun, today maybe some sunshine and relaxation…after bills and laundry.

]]> http://helpcrystal.org/2010/08/19/its-been-a-year-since-my-diagnosis-and-first-surgery/feed/ 1 I am sad right now http://helpcrystal.org/2010/05/27/i-am-sad-right-now/ http://helpcrystal.org/2010/05/27/i-am-sad-right-now/#comments Fri, 28 May 2010 01:20:25 +0000 Crystal Fernandez-Seid http://helpcrystal.org/?p=809 I met with Mark yesterday and we went over my scan and he said there is no growth. He doesn’t understand why they are so upset, it’s not like new tumors are exploding all over my body. He sees no need to go bak on chemo. He says once it’s been a year we are going to get a lot more aggressive with my treatment with some extensive fasts ect. I believe in what we are doing and I am active where on chemo I wasn’t and that means a lot to me.

I am sad right now. I just read a caring bridge site for a little girl that I met in the waiting room for CT’s. She is 7 yrs old and she has been battling for a few years now. First of all it was so sad to see this brave little girl the same age as one of my daughters fighting for her life when I know how hard it is on me as a grown person. But when I started reading her journal and saw that her doctors are worried about her weight loss and have advised them to “fatten her up” so she is eating ice cream and high calorie stuff. I wish people knew how badly sugar and milk ect are for growing tumors! Why aren’t Dr’s telling people??? I have gotten so passionate about this stuff but i don’t want to spew it all over people that I don’t know. I wish I could tell everyone how important not eating like crap matters. Every time I walk into the “chemo suite” to get my blood drawn and see the multiple jars of candy and the ladies with cookies walking around it makes me want to scream. The lady with the cookies is just trying to make people cheerful and I get that but when you have cancer a smile and a kind word are a lot more beneficial than cookies and treats.

]]> http://helpcrystal.org/2010/05/27/i-am-sad-right-now/feed/ 3 I’m well into over three days of fasting http://helpcrystal.org/2010/05/22/im-well-into-over-three-days-of-fasting/ http://helpcrystal.org/2010/05/22/im-well-into-over-three-days-of-fasting/#comments Sun, 23 May 2010 01:33:24 +0000 Crystal Fernandez-Seid http://helpcrystal.org/?p=803 I’m well into over three days of fasting. Today was a little easier but I still want to eat so badly. It makes you very aware of your body and different things going on around you. I’ve spent the last 3 and a half days having water only except for a half of a Kombucha to help with a headache. It seems like the days go by so slowly. I keep watching the clock just hoping that it will be bed time and off to the next day. Mark says I have to do a longer one after the CT and that makes me a little nervous because this has been hard enough but I know I can do it. I’m trying to keep thinking that it will be helpful to me long term but I’m ready to not be light headed when I get up and move around. I also would love to have energy to go for a run or play some hockey. This weakness reminds me of being on chemo.

Today I learned that some of my family feels like I have been disconnected recently. I didn’t feel that way but I have been doing a lot of self evaluation stuff and trying to get by day by day doing it all on my own. However Darick is back now and should be here most of the time now and that will make it a little easier. This blog is my outlet so that I don’t have to talk about it all the time and a way for me to let people know what I am thinking without having to call everyone and go through it over and over. I’m sorry if I have been distant or people feel like I am different. I didn’t intend to hurt anyones feelings. I have been told that I am different now and I am glad to say that I really am but I believe in a good way. I appreciate life a little more and have not put as much effort into everyone else and have settled in to figure out where my happiness lies and spending time with my kids. Now that Darick is back I am hoping to see all of you a lot more and have some free time. Summer is coming and that will make my schedule a lot more flexible.

I love you all even if I haven’t seen you as much as I would like :)

]]> http://helpcrystal.org/2010/05/22/im-well-into-over-three-days-of-fasting/feed/ 1 It’s been a whirl wind of days http://helpcrystal.org/2010/02/25/its-been-a-whirl-wind-of-days/ http://helpcrystal.org/2010/02/25/its-been-a-whirl-wind-of-days/#comments Fri, 26 Feb 2010 05:04:49 +0000 Crystal Fernandez-Seid http://helpcrystal.org/?p=734 It’s been a whirl wind of days. Monday I had a CT and met with my oncologist. He said that my Cat scan looked the same as it did in October which in it’s own way is good. That means at least its not growing!
Then Tuesday I saw my surgeon hoping desperately for him to say that everything was ready to reverse my ostomy. He palpated my abdomen and said “Crystal this is soft, like unbelievably soft.” He seemed quite surprised. After an internal exam he let me get dressed and then came in to talk to me. He said that he thought that my CT actually looked better but that I still had a 4cm mass at the top of the rectal wall so he wanted to wait two more months to see if we could get them to shrink some more. He said “You can do anything for 2 months, be patient.” I told him that I have been patient. He told me 10 weeks and its been 7 months. I think that’s pretty patient. I would be lying if I said that I wasn’t pretty disappointed but I am doing my best to live with it and be content to wait. In working with Mark I have realized how hard I am on myself and other people and I know that this will only soften me towards other peoples “defects.” I feel like I am going the right direction and believe my day is coming.
There is a fundraiser this weekend for me at crossfit asylum. It is being put on my one of my nurses. She is a real sweet heart and I am SO grateful for all the support I have continued to receive through out this journey. I receive so much support emotionally and financially. Every time I go to buy ostomy supplies at $400 a month I feel overwhelmed with gratefulness for the help I have had. This journey is far from over but I know with all of you I can do it.

]]> http://helpcrystal.org/2010/02/25/its-been-a-whirl-wind-of-days/feed/ 3 I saw Mark today and my kidney functions looked good http://helpcrystal.org/2010/02/17/i-saw-mark-today-and-my-kidney-functions-looked-good/ http://helpcrystal.org/2010/02/17/i-saw-mark-today-and-my-kidney-functions-looked-good/#comments Thu, 18 Feb 2010 05:00:58 +0000 Crystal Fernandez-Seid http://helpcrystal.org/?p=729 Today was a lot of fun. Gary and I got bored and decided to play with lighting and makeup. It was empowering to get in front of the camera and feel some what like a normal woman again. For the first time I felt like I looked like a girl. I did some crazy makeup and that made it more than just posing. My favorite picture makes me think of strength and determination, 2 things I need to get through the tough days.

I saw Mark today and my kidney functions looked good. So far so good. I have a CT on Monday so we will see what happens from here.

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