September 2015 Results

After 7 months of being on the same chemo my oncologist has ordered a CT or cat scan to see how well or if the chemo has been working. While on chemo we have been checking tumor markers and noting my symptoms. Neither have been one way or the other very telling. The CT scan or cat scan, was done on September 9th. I got the results the other day and they aren't the best. Not the worst, but not what I was hoping to hear. There is a pretty big tumor in my liver. Last time we looked, there was a tiny tiny spot on my liver. After months of this chemo not working, that tiny spot has grown to a tumor that has taken over what looks like a third of my liver. I haven't gotten a copy of the report yet to know the exact size of the tumor, I just remember seeing how big it was on the screen as the doctor was reviewing the results.
As always, I didn't let my mind stay on the results very long. I immediately want to know what we can do about it. There are a few things we need to know before we can select a treatment. That means we need to go in for a biopsy. The radiologist decided that the best place to biopsy is the liver, so I will go in for surgery on September 30th for that. One of the things we are looking for, is to see if any of the receptors have changed. We are also checking another part of the pathology report that has not been checked since I was first diagnosed in 2008! (Gosh that was a long time ago!) If any of those things come back in my favor, we will have some easier treatment options to chose from. Possibly even multiple treatments at the same time. So it's important to get that done. Even if there are favorable results, there are only so many chemos available to me and then there are so many that I have already done and can not do again. Once you have been on a certain chemo, you build a tolerance to it and possible others. So the ones that have worked before aren't an option now. Choosing a chemo seems to be such a big deal and only getting more difficult as there are less and less to chose from as the years of treatment have gone on. So after the biopsy results arrive, I am going to Stanford to see what treatments and chemos they recommend. While we wait for that, I started a chemo that my doctor felt would prevent things from progressing and wouldn't eliminate too many good options later. That way we are not letting the cancer grow like crazy while we wait for tests and appointments. He said it is one that will knock my hair out.
Funny how so many chemos have worked before and the one that knocked my hair out this last time is the one that hasn't been working! I said along the way that I would be mad if I lost my hair and it wasn't working. But now that I know that's exactly what happened, I don't really mind. I've never really been bothered by loosing my hair. It's always been really long when I lost it too. The first time I lost it, I thought it would be so difficult, so I cut it short before I even started chemo. I was worried I would be so upset and I was scared about chemo and not feeling well and then being even more upset. So I went from short hair to a shaved head before my first treatment. This last time I lost it, I waited for it to fall out and then I cut it short. Only because it was a pain to clean up longer hair than shorter hair. Once it really fell out and looked really bad, I shaved it. It has started growing back in. It is about an inch long and really light. There is also a ton of gray! Last time it grew back in, it was curly and really dark. There was a lot of gray then too, but there is more now!
I will post again when I have news or a funny story to share, or really any story to share! Happy Fall and thank you for all of the birthday wishes and prayers for good health! I have been feeling very loved!