Blog Posts - Diane Craver

No Cancer!

8/18/2019

My oncologist on Wednesday told me and hubby that NO cancer showed up on my PET scan.

He also said that my spleen had shrunk and is just a little enlarged now. I am blessed to be in remission and thankful to all the prayers said for me. I wasn't able to have chemo on Wednesday due to my low white blood count. I feel like I'm on a roller coaster at times. Up one minute and back down again. I wanted to get the 6th cycle of treatments out of the way. I'm surprised because I had an on-site injector of medication after July's chemo treatment, so my white blood count would stay high enough for this month. It was 420 and needs to be 1000 (which is still low) or higher to be able to have chemo. Next appointments are August 28 and 29 for chemo treatments. I'm glad Dr. Herms made it for 2 weeks instead of this next week already. He wants my body to have time to recover from the low blood count.

This delay in treatment gives me more time to decide what to do about the maintenance program. I have Non-Hodgkin's Lymphoma and the marginal zone type which has relapses. If I do a 2 year maintenance plan, I'll go every other month and get the drug rituximab by IV. If I do this, I might have 7 years before I get marginal zone type of NHL again. If I don't do it, I might have 4 years before it returns.

Anniversary and Shipshewana Author/Reader Event!

8/8/2019

I can't believe it has been a week since Tom and I attended the Amish event in the charming town of Shipshewana. I was afraid I wouldn't be able to because some days I had absolutely no energy. I am so thankful I was able to attend. Chatting with friends and meeting new ones was a wonderful experience. It was fun meeting some of my readers. I'll share pictures that my husband took for me. Also Tom was with me for part of the book signing I did on our forty-fourth wedding anniversary. That evening we attended an Amish dinner at Yoder's farm. Saturday we went on a carriage ride, then went swimming at our hotel's pool, and attended Mass. We picked up a pizza on the way back to Shipshewana (went to church in White Pigeon, Michigan) and attended the play, A Simple Sanctuary, at Blue Gate Theatre. We enjoyed the play that was based on a novel by Beverly and David Lewis and the actors were awesome!

On Tuesday, I will go to Jewish Hospital to have a P.E.T. scan. Then on Wednesday, I'll see Dr. Herms to hear the results. I have chemo on Wednesday and Thursday.

Cancer Update!

7/22/2019

My daughter Emily took me to chemo on Wed. I was glad I could finally have the treatment. My IV stand is on other side of my purse. I had to get the IV in my right arm. She couldn't get a vein in left arm. Chemo is hard on the veins. It was the fourth week by the time I could have chemo. It's been stressful. The insurance had to approve the shots and so I had to play the waiting game until that happened. I was told that the insurance company likes to wait to see if the patient's white blood count will increase on its own which mine never did. I finally had my white blood count up on Sunday when I was at Jewish Hospital. My treatment center is closed on Saturday and Sunday so I had to go to their treatment center at Jewish Hospital on the weekend. I had the shot on Sat. and on Sunday I didn't need it because my count was up to 1700. After my chemo on Friday, the nurse put an on-site injector on my arm. It was set for 27 hours and at 4:00 pm on Saturday, it beeped, then injected medication for 50 minutes. It will help keep my white blood count up so I can have chemo treatment in August. I was relieved when I could remove the patch and the whole thing. It kept flashing a green light every several seconds for the whole time. Emily said it looked like dental floss. LOL

Fleeting Hope Review!

7/19/2019

Here's a new review for FLEETING HOPE and it is in my Dreams of Plain Daughters Series:

5 stars - A Delightful Read!
"Another glimpse of Amish family life. Endearing characters and well developed. This book is hard to put down! I thoroughly enjoyed it."

What every author loves to hear! Buy here at Amazon!

Not Again!

7/12/2019

First, I'll share a great occurrence that happened this week. My agent Lesley and I had a nice chat yesterday. She told me about her upcoming scheduled meetings with editors and publishers. She's going to the RWA conference this month and will pitch my new work-in-progress, HER MOTHER'S DECEPTION!

The bad news is I didn't have chemo AGAIN this week! I went to my appointment on Wednesday and my white blood count was only 260, so I had an injection shot of zavxio to increase my blood count. On Thursday I had another shot and my white blood count was 510. Then today my white blood count had dropped to 300. They don't know why my white blood count would drop like this after receiving the shots. I have to go tomorrow and Sunday for shots, so that I can hopefully have chemo next week. I haven't had chemo since the end of May. I didn't have pain today from the shot but yesterday I had severe pain in my left leg and left hip.

Treatment Delayed Again!

7/2/2019

When I was at OHC last week and I had low platelets and a low white blood count, I couldn't have my treatment. At this time, the nurse practitioner Aimee (didn't see my usual NP, Lisa) said I would have it today, but I didn't. Aimee told me last week that even if blood count would be low that I'd have an injection and still have it. My white blood count was even lower today and platelets still low but higher than last week. Now I was told by Aimee that the insurance has to approve the injection and they wouldn't approve it yet but could have it next week. If still low, I'll have a patch to wear on arm and will have flu like symptoms for 24 hours from the injection. Insurance Co. likes to give it more time for white blood count to improve before they approve the injection. Then today Aimee told me that after I have the 6 months or 6 cycles of chemo treatment, that I have TWO more years of maintenance and go every other month. This is because my type of cancer does recur so I'll be in a maintenance program. I HAVE NEVER BEEN TOLD THIS BEFORE BY MY DOCTOR OR MY NP.

I called the office to see if I could talk to Dr. Herms or Lisa but haven't been able to talk to either one. I can't believe this can be true. It seems like this is something I would have been told at the beginning or sometime by my doctor. Aimee said they have been doing this 2 year program for some time. I really do not want to have meds for two more years. I'm discouraged.

A New Setback

6/26/2019

When I went for my chemo treatment today, I couldn't have it. My white blood count was 500 and needs to be 1000 and my platelets were also low. With both low, the nurse practitioner told me I couldn't have the chemo. I'm scheduled for next Tuesday and Wednesday for chemo. If both numbers are low, I'll have injections. In a way, I wasn't surprised because I felt weak and lightheaded yesterday and today. I might run a fever and get an infection. If that happens, I'll be put on antibiotics.

The thing is it messes up my schedule. Before I would've had my chemo the week before my Author/Reader event on August 1-4. Now I am scheduled to have it the same week. I can't have it during the week when Tom and I will travel to Shipshewana. I'll see what happens next week and have to make a decision. I need to order my books soon. On August 2, we can sell our books. It is stressing me out and probably not a good time for me to try to go, but I have already paid for an Amish dinner, a buggy ride, and a play. All of these things will be wonderful if I feel well enough to go.

I have an agent - woo hoo!

6/24/2019

I now have an agent! Lesley Sabga asked me if she could represent me and she is with The Seymour Agency! When she first contacted me about setting up a time to speak with her, I was worried that she'd ask me all sorts of questions. I was nervous but I shouldn't have been. When we connected by phone, she told me how much she loved my voice and wanted to represent me. She mentioned how she had read my books and liked that I had written in different genres. I know it will be a great working relationship because Lesley has a bubbly and outgoing personality. I have heard many awesome things about her from other authors and readers. The Seymour Agency has an outstanding reputation and has represented many best-selling authors for years. I am truly blessed that I received a contract from Lesley. Now I need to finish writing my manuscript, HER MOTHER'S DECEPTION and get it off to Lesley.

I have chemo treatments this week and I dread them. I hope my arm won't hurt as much as last time and it goes well. I do seem to have a chemo brain and that bothers me greatly. I will be thankful when my chemo ends.

Recent Chemo Treatment

6/2/2019

I had my CT scan yesterday. The lab technician had a little difficulty finding a vein for my blood test. I apparently have small veins. Then the technician doing the scan had trouble getting a vein for the IV that I had to have for scan. It seemed like it took a long time for her to get the IV inserted. I don't have a port like some do for the chemo treatments. When I go for my chemo, they insert an IV. I am starting to think it would be easier to have a port. I will learn my results from the CT scan from my oncologist on Wed. when I go for my chemo treatment.

CT Scan

5/25/2019

I had my CT scan yesterday. The lab technician had a little difficulty finding a vein for my blood test. I apparently have small veins. Then the technician doing the scan had trouble getting a vein for the IV that I had to have for scan. It seemed like it took a long time for her to get the IV inserted. I don't have a port like some do for the chemo treatments. When I go for my chemo, they insert an IV. I am starting to think it would be easier to have a port. I will learn my results from the CT scan from my oncologist on Wed. when I go for my chemo treatment.