Hey babe, it's Kyra!

Hey babes💕

I have a few things going on that I wanted to update everyone about✨

Where we left off with my treatment plan was that I was only doing immunotherapy infusions every 21 days. I had my first infusion a few weeks ago and everything went great. But when I went in for my second infusion earlier this month, we saw some not-so-great numbers on my labs.

My liver enzymes were really high

Now, my liver enzymes have been super high in the past, but they’ve actually been pretty well controlled throughout my cancer treatment. Elevated liver enzymes can mean a lot of things, but the main concern is that I likely have a lot of inflammation in my liver. We don’t know exactly what’s causing it, but one of the more likely possibilities is the immunotherapy.

Because I have PSC (my autoimmune liver disease), immunotherapy can actually trigger flare-ups. I thought it was strange because I’ve been receiving this immunotherapy since October alongside my chemo and haven’t had any issues. But both my oncologist and hepatologist explained that reactions like this can happen at any time. My hepatologist said he’s had patients be completely fine on a medication for years and then suddenly develop a flare-up.

The tricky part is that we don’t actually know if the immunotherapy is causing the elevated enzymes or if something else is going on.

My oncologist put me on a week of prednisone to try to bring the levels down, and I had labs drawn today to see where things stand.

My hepatologist also ordered an MRI, which I have scheduled for next Friday, to make sure there isn’t anything else going on.

So the next steps are pretty straightforward. If my labs improve and my MRI looks good, then we’re all good! I’ll likely go back on immunotherapy and continue as planned. But if the labs don’t improve or the MRI shows something concerning, then the next step will be a liver biopsy.

I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t a little nervous about all of this.

It’s funny because I was updating my sister on the phone the other day, and she basically said she had kind of forgotten I had cancer! 😂 Like… I’m still actively in treatment. And honestly, sometimes I forget too because life feels so normal these days. Things have become so minimal compared to where I was a few months ago. But conversations about elevated labs, MRIs, and possible biopsies definitely snap me right back into reality.

That being said, I’m trying really hard not to focus on the bad outcomes or get stuck in the “what ifs.” Instead, I’m trying to focus on living my life.

And honestly, I have so many things keeping me busy and giving me something to look forward to! Jo turns 30 in just a few weeks, my best friends and I are heading to Europe at the end of July, I’ve started a new job that I absolutely LOVE, and I’ve been training and fundraising to run the NYC Marathon with the Cholangiocarcinoma Foundation!

There are so many things I’d rather put my energy into than stressing about things I can’t control.

But with that being said, please keep sending the prayers, positive energy, crossed fingers, good vibes, or whatever it is you’ve been doing for me all this time! It clearly seems to be working💖🤞🏽

I’ll keep you updated, and we’ll talk soon!

xoxo,

Kyra 💋