I am
getting really, really tired of writing these types of posts.
I had an appointment with my med-onc, Dr. Kundranda, today. I had no idea that the meeting was going to go the way it did; no one did.
Yesterday, I had bloodwork drawn. Routine labs, nothing to be worried about.
But there is. To confirm his suspicions, Dr. K. ran a CEA test. My numbers are back up, from 6.6 to 10.1. This is not good. Looking at that, plus the increase in my lung nodules....we are looking at the cancer rearing it's ugly head again.
Long story short, I will be starting chemotherapy again on Tuesday. I will be on Oxalipalantin, Xeloda, and Avastin. I was on the Ox back in 2008, and never, ever imagined that I'd be back on it again. But, here we are.
The Xeoda has been pretty steady for a while, and we are looking at a potential increase in dosage, after this first treatment. The Avastin will be used to kill off the blood supply to the tumors in my lungs.
Each cycle will be 21 days - Avastin and Ox (plus all the necessary pre-meds) on day one, and starting 14 days of Xeloda on this day. Once I complete 14 days of Xeloda, I get a 7 day break until we start the next round. We are looking at 3-4 rounds of this. Dr. K. is going to test my CEA after the first round (movement 5 points one way or the other is acceptable; 50 points is not), then won't touch it again until we are done after round 3 or 4.
The hope is that we will be able to get this cancer back in check, and to use the Avastin and Xeloda as maintenance after 3 or 4 rounds of chemo.
I think he is planning to send out my tumor cells from the most recent surgery (in January) to a company that CTCA just partnered with, and this will give us more information on how we can treat this damn cancer in the future.
There was so much information thrown at me today, so I know I'm not reporting everything, and some information may be wrong. My head is so full today; my heart is so damned heavy. I'm just worn down, and need to give my brain (and my heart) time to accept and process what happened today.
****************************
On a fairly ironic note, right after this appointment today, I had a television interview with some local stations and with Grumpy Cat. You may be familiar with Grumpy (aka, Tartar Sauce). She's become an internet sensation, and is known for memes like some of my favorites, below.
Anywhoo, Grumpy came to CTCA today, and we (meaning me and ole' GC) were interviewed by local news stations. I got to hold her (she's so damn tiny, and so much cuter in person that any meme could possibly show), and almost didn't give her back. I honestly have NO idea what I said on camera today - I had literally just come out of the "Now you have to have more chemo" appointment, and had to pull it together for this. I hope I didn't stumble over my words, or come off as a jackass.
Anyways, that's been my day. Prayers, good mojo, positive vibes, and cancer ass-kicking thoughts all welcome. Another battle....the war isn't over yet.
My army.....ENGAGE!!!
I had an appointment with my med-onc, Dr. Kundranda, today. I had no idea that the meeting was going to go the way it did; no one did.
Yesterday, I had bloodwork drawn. Routine labs, nothing to be worried about.
But there is. To confirm his suspicions, Dr. K. ran a CEA test. My numbers are back up, from 6.6 to 10.1. This is not good. Looking at that, plus the increase in my lung nodules....we are looking at the cancer rearing it's ugly head again.
Long story short, I will be starting chemotherapy again on Tuesday. I will be on Oxalipalantin, Xeloda, and Avastin. I was on the Ox back in 2008, and never, ever imagined that I'd be back on it again. But, here we are.
The Xeoda has been pretty steady for a while, and we are looking at a potential increase in dosage, after this first treatment. The Avastin will be used to kill off the blood supply to the tumors in my lungs.
Each cycle will be 21 days - Avastin and Ox (plus all the necessary pre-meds) on day one, and starting 14 days of Xeloda on this day. Once I complete 14 days of Xeloda, I get a 7 day break until we start the next round. We are looking at 3-4 rounds of this. Dr. K. is going to test my CEA after the first round (movement 5 points one way or the other is acceptable; 50 points is not), then won't touch it again until we are done after round 3 or 4.
The hope is that we will be able to get this cancer back in check, and to use the Avastin and Xeloda as maintenance after 3 or 4 rounds of chemo.
I think he is planning to send out my tumor cells from the most recent surgery (in January) to a company that CTCA just partnered with, and this will give us more information on how we can treat this damn cancer in the future.
There was so much information thrown at me today, so I know I'm not reporting everything, and some information may be wrong. My head is so full today; my heart is so damned heavy. I'm just worn down, and need to give my brain (and my heart) time to accept and process what happened today.
****************************
On a fairly ironic note, right after this appointment today, I had a television interview with some local stations and with Grumpy Cat. You may be familiar with Grumpy (aka, Tartar Sauce). She's become an internet sensation, and is known for memes like some of my favorites, below.
Anywhoo, Grumpy came to CTCA today, and we (meaning me and ole' GC) were interviewed by local news stations. I got to hold her (she's so damn tiny, and so much cuter in person that any meme could possibly show), and almost didn't give her back. I honestly have NO idea what I said on camera today - I had literally just come out of the "Now you have to have more chemo" appointment, and had to pull it together for this. I hope I didn't stumble over my words, or come off as a jackass.
Anyways, that's been my day. Prayers, good mojo, positive vibes, and cancer ass-kicking thoughts all welcome. Another battle....the war isn't over yet.
My army.....ENGAGE!!!
Comments:
Tina said...
Cancer
sucks!!! So sorry you got bad news today. And the oxaliplatin...well we all
know that sucks!
You are in my prayers, and you've got your army behind you!
You are in my prayers, and you've got your army behind you!
May
16, 2013 at 5:52 PM
If
you need anything, let me know! My heart is breaking for you and your family
but you will kick cancers ass again!
May
16, 2013 at 5:57 PM
I
am so thankful your doctor and you have s game plan to work with! I am praying!
May
16, 2013 at 9:17 PM
Tambre said...
You
are one of the strongest people I know. Sending you tons of healing energy as
you take these next steps. You are a fighter and a role model showing people to
never give up. You and your family are being held in a circle of love by your
community. It's an honor to know you.
Namaste,
Tambre
Namaste,
Tambre
May
17, 2013 at 8:09 AM
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