July 6, 2025
Hi Friends,
I have some encouraging news to share. I saw the endocrinologist at Stanford this week, and she said I don’t have to start steroids right now—and hopefully never will. After two more rounds of lab work, my morning cortisol levels have gone from dangerously low to low-but-improving, and finally to low-but-within-normal-range. My doctor wants those levels higher, so she’s ordered two more weekly blood draws over the next couple of weeks. If they don’t return fully to normal, she may order something called a cosyntropin stimulation test—though no one at my hospital seems to know how to place that order.
🐾 Life With Shiloh
We’re in our second week with Shiloh, and our home is already filled with love and laughter again. There was a big hole in our hearts, and he’s doing an amazing job of making it smaller every day.
It’s truly incredible how quickly you can fall in love with someone you’ve only just met. Shiloh has bonded with us so quickly. He’s sweet, loving, quirky, and clever—and has quite the penchant for climbing onto chairs. Just last night, Charles stepped away from his dinner, and next thing you know, Shiloh decided to help himself!
Cancer Treatment Update
I also spoke this week with both my oncologist at Stanford and my doctor at TrueNorth. They agreed it would be okay to take a break from my Keytruda treatments to let my body settle down.
We’ve cancelled the treatment scheduled for July 29. Instead, I’ll be having a follow-up CT scan on August 1. The next day, I’m heading to TrueNorth for a couple of weeks. I’ll meet with my oncologist again on August 7 to revisit whether I should continue Keytruda.
Unless my doctor can switch me to a weight-based dosing schedule, I’m leaning toward stopping. The dose I’m currently getting is double what I need for my weight. Although the drug used to be given by weight, switching back requires jumping through a lot of red tape to see if it’s covered in the hospital’s formulary.
Despite how unpleasant these side effects have been, multiple doctors keep reminding me that these reactions mean the drug is working. Immunotherapy is different from chemotherapy—it revs up your immune system to fight cancer instead of destroying cells directly. That’s actually encouraging to hear over and over again.
If I do decide to stop immunotherapy, there’s an oral medication called Tabrecta (a targeted therapy) I could try. Surgery and radiation are also still options, though given my anxiety levels, those don’t seem like feasible choices at the moment.
Heading to New York
On Wednesday, I’m off to New York to the beautiful Finger Lakes region, where I’ll be doing cooking demos at the Keuka College Wellness Weekend. It’s truly a fabulous event in an idyllic setting.
There’s still time to register. Get your tickets here.
Plant-Powered Party Updates
I’m thrilled to share that the upcoming Plant-Powered Party in Las Vegas just added two incredible presenters!
- Dr. Cara Fuhrman, daughter of Dr. Joel Fuhrman, who’ll join him for a joint presentation titled “Will the Real Dr. Fuhrman Please Stand Up.”
- Javant from Healthy Vegan Eating, who’ll be doing a live cooking demo.
Ticket prices are going up soon, so get your early-bird tickets here.