A New CT Scan

I had another CT scan performed a few days ago because of vomiting and severe pain near the embolization site. Great news! The left lobe of the liver which was not embolized is showing tumor death also. This means that the new regime of I.V. chemotherapy is working for me. Although the doctor said this chemo only has a twenty percent chance of being effective, I prayed and prayed that this would be my miracle drug. I will see my doctor next Monday and ask him if maybe I can get away without embolizing the left lobe. That procedure has been so painful and so difficult to get over, I would like to avoid the next one.

More Good News

I saw my doctor today and my blood counts have improved so much I started a week of chemo today. The good news is that the embolization is working better than anyone could have hoped. The tumors are dying rapidly and there are many tumors effected. The doctor can't say if it is the embolization alone or the combination of that and the I.V. chemo. Regardless, he doesn't want to change anything and he wants me to have the embolization on the left lobe of the liver in about two weeks. If everything continues to improve, I may be able to get that transplant after all. Thanks for all your prayers.
Love,
Darlene

The Doctors Visit that Became a Hospital Stay

I'm so happy to be home. I went for a follow up visit Monday and the doctor suggested i stay overnight in the hospital. I had a CT scan done to rule out that the embolization had caused abscesses in the liver. It had not and it did show that the tumors are dying as we had hoped. Also while in the hospital I was given fluids, I.V. antibiotics and two pints of blood. Evidently I was severely anemic. All the blood cultures they took are still negative so hopefully I'll start feeling better soon. The other good news is that my liver function tests are much better since the embolization. This little procedure is much harder to recover from than I had expected. Lets pray that it is worth the trouble.

Recovering from Embolization

Wow, how can six plastic beads hurt so much? Actually the doctors said the embolization went very well. He was able to place them throughout the liver so several of the tumors can be effected at once. I had it done Thursday, left the hospital Friday but immediately developed a fever. Kevin took me back to the doctor yesterday to get I.V. fluids and antibiotics and they took cultures to see if there is another way to knock out the infection. I feel stronger every day but I can tell this one will be a slow process. I still have plans to go back to work tomorrow because laying around certainly isn't making me stronger. No chemo this week thank goodness, the doctor wants to wait a week or two. I don't have anything else planned for awhile so maybe this will do the trick for a while. Thanks again for the prayers, flowers, food,calls, cards etc. etc.

1st Week of Second Line Chemo Over

I finished five days of chemo this week with just a little fatigue and some abdominal pain. I have a week off with the embolization next week. After speaking to my doctor last week I learned that the trial med is off the table, it is not for all small cell cancers, only small cell lung cancer. Also, he presented my case to the tumor board again and hopes to be able to find more chemo options after looking at the colon biopsy. I have also had the first ultrasound and the tech could not find anything on the left ovary. She thinks the CT was showing small cysts on the cervix that were mistaken for the ovary. Of course the radiologists will have to confirm this. All is well for now and I am touched by everyones prayers and concern. Lets pray that this second line chemo is the one for me.

New Info

I met with Dr. Bordoni yesterday and had many questions answered. The tumor on my left ovary of course has not been proven to be malignant but either way he is not calling it ovarian cancer. He believes it has metastasized from the liver. I will meet with the Gyn-Oncologist Monday,but per the conversation my doctor had with her, she will go in laparoscopicaly, look around and if it is just a couple tumors she believes she can remove them and the ovaries right then. Being done laparoscopicaly means a recovery time of less than a week. I will be having five days of chemo starting Monday followed by chemo embolization two weeks later with the ovarian surgery thrown in there somewhere. Also, my doctor has located the trial chemo at M.D. Anderson and is trying to get some sent here. He suggested that if that doesn't work, I could try the National Cancer Institute in Maryland to see if they have a trial. Thanks once again for all the prayers.

Change In Plans

Well the latest CT scan was not very encouraging. The tumors in the liver are still growing and new ones have appeared. Also there is a new tumor in the left ovary and the cyst on the right ovary is now looking suspicious. The plan is to try a new chemo and go ahead with the chemo embolization of the liver. My doctor is also looking into getting hold of a trial chemo being used in England that shows much promise. I will be meeting with a Gyn-Oncologist to see if removing the ovaries is possible. I go back to my doctor Friday to ask more questions and will update soon. Please pray for us,I don't want to give up yet.