8/31/09

I spoke with my doctor last Monday but he didn't have much new information. He presented my case to the Tumor Board once again and they didn't think I am a good candidate for the transplant. My doctor obviously doesn't agree so he contacted Emory last week. I heard from an R.N. who said she is sending me educational materials and will have a scheduler contact me for an evaluation appointment. Other than that the doctor wants me to do one or two more rounds of chemo and an emboliztion on the left lobe of the liver. Hopefully something will happen soon with Emory. Thanks for all your concern and I hope I have good news to post soon.

Yesterday's Doctor's Appointment

It's chemo week again so I saw my doctor yesterday. He was very pleased at how much I had improved over the last three weeks. My blood counts, tumor markers, fever and pain have all gotten better. I know I feel a whole lot better. He didn't have any definite to say about the transplant, just that I will have another CT scan on the 17th that will help those doctors decide if I would qualify and therefore need to be evaluated by them. If a transplant is an option I will more than likely have to have the colon tumor removed first. So much is undetermined and there is so much waiting. My peace comes from knowing that God knows the outcome and it will be the best for me. Thanks in advance for your prayers.
Love,
Darlene

More Info From Doctor

I saw my doctor Monday and after reviewing my newest C.T. scan he is convinced that the chemo is working and that I shouldn't have to go through another embolization. In fact he said he would start looking into having my evaluated for the liver transplant. Such good news. The only cloud is that I am scheduled for more chemo in three weeks. I will have to ask him how much more of this he foresees. I have had chemo every day this week and it is definitely getting harder each time. Thank you for all your prayers I couldn't go on without them. Please think of Kevin too, he had a wreck last week and it is possible that his truck may be totalled. We don't need financial hardship on top of everything else.
Love,
Darlene

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.