What a busy couple of days! We left Moscow on Monday afternoon, and arrived at my parents in Albany that night. We hung out with Mom and Dad, talked football, and settled in for a nice sleep. Since the plan for the day was to spend the afternoon dealing with some nasty issues, we did the only thing we both thought was appropriate in the morning: Go to the Zoo!
Lions, and tigers, and bears, oh, my! And howler monkeys, and elephants, and bald eagles, and poison dart frogs, and sturgeon, and, oh, gosh, a whole heck of a lot more! Oh boy. That was fun. We got there a little late (11:00), and had to leave by 1:15 to get to the doctor's office across town. We didn't get to see the lions or penguins. Bah.
The meeting with Dr. Crocenzi was good. Not much new information regarding melanoma (yes, melanoma bad; melanoma very bad; most people eventually succumb; melanoma bad---yeah, yeah, yeah, been there, done that). He spent 1/2 hour going over every possible treatment option, down to the smallest detail of each, then discussed with us what our goals were and what we wanted to do. One of the things I've noticed about doctors: they like to put ALL the cards on the table, describing each and every one without giving you a judgment on each, let you make a valiant effort to pick the right one, then backtrack and tell you which one you should have picked, even though you don't have the knowledge to make the best pick. Grr. Just Tell Us What To Do!
After I sniffled for a bit (he did get me kleenex), with Dr. Crocenzi we chose to start the Interleuken-2 treatment.
I will be starting a treatment regimen starting in early- to mid-October, likely October 7, at Providence Medical Center in Portland.
Interleuken-2 treatment is currently the best treatment available for Stage 4 metastatic melanoma. 15% of all patients respond either by zero-growth in tumors or a reduction in growth. 1/2 of that 15% have reduction to the point that the tumors disappear. That is the best statistics you can find for a melanoma treatment. Yes, forget statistics. They suck.
I won't go into too much detail, but basically it supercharges the body's immune system, hopefully inciting leukocytes to attack cancer cells. Of course, it may also attack other cells in the body as well, resulting in some fun side effects! There are some dangerous side effects, such as low blood pressure and organ failure, but these are extremely rare. These side effects are the reason for a required hospital stay during treatment.
The fun I will likely go through could include a rash, itchy skin, fever, nausea, diarrhea, and extreme water weight gain. My doctor said it is not unusual for a weight gain of up to 10-15 pounds! Of Water! PER TREATMENT SERIES! There goes my grand master plan of losing some weight in time to wear a bikini next summer!
The treatment can only be done during a week-long hospital stay (oh, boy!). I will be in the hospital for one week, getting interleuken-2 treatments 3 times each day, then I can go home for 2 weeks. I then go back to the hospital for another week of treatment, then I can go home for a month. The treatments (14 in all) are paired this way, resulting in a treatment regimen extending over the next year. During the month off, I will get a PET scan to determine whether my cancer is responding to treatment. The side effects are tied to the treatment, and should disappear within 1-3 days after the end of each treatment cycle. Yippee.
I go in this week for a pulmonary function test, a treadmill stress test, and bloodwork. Luckily, all could be scheduled in Moscow/Pullman/Lewiston, so I could go home for the time being until my treatment starts. The cats are happy to see us, though my tomato plant, I think, is giving up the ghost.
That's all for now. Think good thoughts, and if any of you in the Portland area get bored the week of October 7, come on over and see me. I might need entertaining. Beyond just Dave (sorry honey!).
Cheryl
1 comment:
"HAIL THE PLAN !!!!" Great site Cheryl, and I hope to meet Dave someday soon. If he gets down to Orofino, or if I get up to Moscow (which is possible since my 2 sons are attending U of I, we'll have to hook up.)
Now, it appears that I have to sign up on Google to send you any message via blog site. That's OK. I do hope you receive my message.
Good news about my Mom--the protein cell that they use to monitor cancer, and other conditions, was really high like 185 several weeks ago, and now it is trending downward and is down to 108. Normal is 0-35. At least that gives us hope that the Abraxane treatment that she may be working. In another month, they will do a CAT or PET scan to check progress.
ATTITUDE is so important and as this is key to conquering this dreadful disease, then I know you will beat it. Know that I am here supporting your endeavor and wishing all the best for you and Dave. Keep the FAITH!!
OK, I am all signed up to BLOG!!!
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