Round 2, Take 2

If you know Juliana, you know she is highly sensitive, attune to everyone’s feelings and energy; she would love nothing more than to carry everyone’s emotional weights for them. She also defaults to caring for others long before considering caring for herself. These two qualities are part of what makes her so special and why everyone is so immediately drawn to her. So understanding how sensitive she is, it is not surprising to know she is physically sensitive as well. Historically, and again now, her physical reactions to medical interventions tend to be on the more extreme side, where she consistently experiences some of the less common side effects of treatments. Her body is pissed and letting her know.

One of the two original chemo treatments prescribed by her doctor is known to cause allergic reactions. To clarify, it is not the chemo drug itself that causes the reaction, but rather the reaction is to the vehicle or binding agent/protein that is used to administer the drug. Although her body tolerated this chemo during the first infusion, the second infusion triggered an allergic response within a minute of starting the treatment; it was categorized as an anaphylactic response. Her reaction was on the more severe side, causing enough concern by the medical staff to move her to urgent care to ensure they were able to provide her with more adequate care than was possible in the infusion department. Thankfully, they were able to get her reaction under control and released her later that afternoon.   

Flowers from friends' gardens delivered weekly

Due to this snafu, she had an extra week off of treatment. The silver lining is that she had a few extra days of feeling good with good energy and mental clarity. The weather continues to slowly, slowly turn to fall; sunshine and perfect temperatures continue. Loved ones continue to show up with food, conversation, love and care.

Her physician has since switched her treatment, using the same chemo, but delivered via a different protein that is known to cause less of an allergic reaction. Round two, take two (same chemo different vehicle) was successfully administered last week. She has one more round scheduled in a few weeks, then scans.

In the meantime, she has made contact with a doctor at Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center in Seattle who specializes in the rare, specific cancer that she has: ovarian mucinous adenocarcinoma. One of the many benefits of connecting with this doctor is the possibility of joining a clinical trial that he’s involved in through the Hutch after her third round of scheduled chemo in order to specifically target some of the genetic mutations of the cancer cells that aren’t necessarily hit as hard during the normal chemotherapy route.  It will not be a super easy road, logistically, to forge down that path for treatment, but she sees an opportunity and will do what she can to keep that opportunity available for herself.

For now, we take it day by day, helping her manage the side effects of treatment that are often more exaggerated due to her sensitivities. Please continue to send her love, messages, yummy treats and all the strength and energy you can spare. She (and we) feels it all and is so incredibly grateful for her large community of loved ones.