Better News

I met with my doctor today and learned that not only does she have a different take on my scan from last week, but that she has also really been putting up the good fight for me.

She said that the new tumor they thought they saw in my liver she does not believe is new but just easier to see because of the fact that the inside of it is dead. I don't know anything about reading CT scans, but I do like the sound of my tumor dying.

She also says that I am having an inflammatory reaction to the medications I am taking right now. This is what she thinks is causing my increased coughing and all of the polka dots all over my arms and legs and she thinks it is also affecting my scan. I can't explain that one to you at all, I really don't understand, but what she said sounded good and she was able to convince the people in charge of the study of her theories so they are going to let me stay on the study for now.

According to the way the trial is written, if you have any progression with your cancer in the first 6 weeks, then you are automatically out of the study. They said what they saw with my scan was progression and therefore I am done. But she convinced them that what they were seeing in the scan is not progression and she backed it up with my CEA (tumor marker) numbers and the fact that they have always indicated progression with my cancer. (Just a refresher, that number was still down the last time I went in and that is what convinced the other doctor to go ahead and let me get treatment last time.)

I will get another CT scan in 6 weeks. I really hope that one proves her right, otherwise I probably will be out of the study. The study requires that my CEA number be followed so that is the only tumor marker they have been tracking since I started the study; but today my doctor requested the lab to start tracking another one, CA 19-9, as well. With two tumor markers being tracked, she is hoping to have more information to tell if my cancer is progressing besides just the scans.

She also told us about another study. I don't know the details of it. She didn't go into a whole lot of depth and I didn't ask questions since I didn't want to waste her time on something I don't need to worry about right now but it is for a drug that has virtually no side affects but you have to have the right genetic qualifications for the drug to even work for you. She has already sent a sample of my tumor to be tested to see if I am a candidate for that study if/when this treatment fails.

Now that is one thing that was interesting she said today. She actually said, "...when this treatment fails, it will eventually..." I didn't really understand that since while this treatment does fail for some, others have been doing quite well on it and a couple of people have gone into complete remission. So I am not sure why she is suddenly thinking this treatment will definitely fail. I didn't ask her about that. I know I should have.

The news she gave me I didn't enjoy hearing was that since the tingling in my fingers and feet (from the oxaliplatin in my last treatment) is going away, that means I can eventually go back on the traditional chemotherapy treatment I was on, folfoxiri. I thought I was done with that. She said that treatment failed after they took me off of the oxaliplatin which was one part of the treatment, but that if we add that back in, it might continue to work with all of the drugs in combination again. I know I should be happy that I have another treatment option and it is one that worked for me for quite some time, but I am just not excited about doing that one again.

The other great news we got this week is that the Charity Care we had applied for through the hospital was granted to us. Now, much of the financial stress this has been putting us under will be relieved.

We have truly been blessed! Thank you for all of your continued prayers and support. It is clearly getting us through all of this quite well!