Now I remember why I had a hard time blogging before. Life just gets in the way! I suppose that is a good thing, it means I’m busy doing and being. So let me update you on some of the doings.

There hasn’t been much change in life lately, it has actually been remarkably calm, which is a reprieve from the last six months, which were a whirlwind! Let me explain.

In February my husband (Patrick) and I took ownership of our very own house. Something I thought could and would never happen to me after getting sick, but there I was with keys in hand to my own little slice of heaven!

Almost immediately afterwards I began the search for a reliable and reasonable contractor to do the work we wanted to our home. Those who know me, know I’m a Type A, so I wanted everything done on a very detailed schedule and so far that wasn’t going my way. No shows, delayed appointments and “I’m too busy, maybe I can do it in August”, was how things were going.

Around the same time, a dear friend and fellow lung cancer survivor was going into her 3^rd surgery and asked me to take care of her beloved doggies, how could I resist! All the while my own disease status was changing. For a few months, some very small spots began making an appearance on my CT results, and for those few months, we waited, watched and discussed what treatment might come next. We were going to be patient and cautious (very unlike me).

As time ticked on we found a contractor and our renos got going and we started packing. Then unexpectedly on April 9^th we brought home Finn our 2^nd rescue dog. I have always been a softy for animals and when we heard about him a few days prior we knew he had to be part of our family. Of course we had talked about getting another dog once we had settled into the house, maybe in the fall or next year, but there we were and couldn’t be happier.

After spending an extra month in our apartment we finally were able to move, which was an ordeal in and unto itself!! I won’t go into detail but it gave me nosebleeds and spontaneous bouts of hysterical weeping. Thanks to my family, friends, and moving angels for getting us into our house.

In mid May I met with Dr. R. my oncologist we looked at my latest scans, and it was decided that it was time to move. While I was busy moving he was busy doctoring and looked into a number of 2^nd generation ALK inhibitors, some that have Health Canada approval but are not yet funded, and others that are in trial. There was a 3^rd generation inhibitor too, that was the one we were looking at. Of course, that meant leaving the comfort of Lakeridge and going to swim with the big fishes at Princess Margaret. It meant I’d be entering into another trial. It also meant I would be leaving my care team of 5yrs.

The trial we wanted would be opening in June, and I would be patient #1. We scheduled all my preliminary scans and biopsy after my trip to ASCO (I know I still haven’t posted part 2) where I would actually learn about the drug I’d be taking. After getting back I was subjected to a barrage of appointments. CT, MRI, biopsy, ECG…but I started the drug.

It has been an interesting change. With the previous TKI (Tyrosine Kinase Inhibitor- AKA protein inhibitor) Crizotinib I had to eat a full on meal before taking it and couldn’t lie down for an hour or I’d be riding the porcelain bus. With Lorlatinib, I take it on an empty stomach once a day. Another major difference is I can now enter a bright room and not have an acid trip. My edema didn’t get better, I actually think its worse and I’ve noticed I seem to be more forgetful, but that could be due to the insomnia. Regardless of the challenges, I’m glad to be on the trial.

My first set of scans were completed last week and I am (not) patiently waiting to see the results. Anecdotally, it seems to be working, the persistent cough I had is mostly gone and the x-ray that was done 3wks ago showed or rather didn’t show a spot they had seen on my baseline. So I am hopeful and optimistic, but I am dying to see the real evidence. So I guess until then, I’ll have to keep calm and keep myself busy being and doing.

Until next time.