Halfway through Treatments

Happy to report that the lesion on my liver has been halved since February by the treatment. There are no new lesions and my CA125 is at 10. So, indications are that the treatment is working!! This is good news, which will hopefully get me through the next few treatments.

We enjoyed St. John and in spite of feeling rested, my white blood cells had not recovered sufficiently for Tuesday's treatment. So that has been rescheduled for this Friday. It has been a little respite to recover this week since I seem to have lots to do.

Hoping to train for and ride my bike in the PMC in August (probably the 47 mile version) and going to Switzerland with the family at the end of the summer.

I feel as if summer has come and gone a few times already...gardens are happy and we have had plenty of rain!!

Maura

Spring is in the air!

It is lovely here today. I have one more treatment on Monday for this cycle and then 10 days off. I am looking forward to the good weather ahead!

Last Monday, I had an allergic reaction to one of the chemo drugs-carboplatin. Being experienced in such matters, it was not horrible, but the nurse had to stop the infusion and reverse it with benadryl and other drugs. So I really only got 1/4 of the infusion of that drug. But I did get the others. On 3/16 I will be allergy tested for the carboplatin and they will decide how to proceed. Tentatively, I am scheduled to get the next infusion on 3/18 in the desens lab, which is in the basement of the Dana Farber, over 12 hours....yuck and double yuck. I have been there before, and the days are long and light-less. I thought I had graduated to the 10th floor, where the other infusions will take place.

The good news is that with the addition of Neupogen (which boosts my white blood cells), I am feeling better and have been able to receive my 2 treatments (since last weekend).

But I have not had a normal cycle yet, so hopefully with the addition of the Neupogen and the allergy issue addressed, I will be back on track to finish the chemo before June.

Back from Vacation

We are back from skiing and spending the week near Sunapee. We were joined by other family members; namely my sister Pat and her family at my parent's house in New London. A good time was had by all.

This Tuesday, I continue with my treatment at Dana Farber, with a slightly changed protocol. I will be going in on the next two Tuesdays and Fridays for infusions. I will be administering Nepogen, to boost my white blood cell count.

Friends in Concord have been kindly driving me into Dana Farber for my treatments, which has been a huge help. This allows Bill and the kids to keep a somewhat normal schedule.

Thank you all! I am feeling well right now, just dreading the week ahead!

Chemotherapy Again

I've had a cancer recurrence which will require treatment. Initial indications were good after surgery with my tumor marking falling. However in January, it started to climb upward indicating that there were some new concerns. A CT scan this week confirmed that there is small growth on my liver and some increased activitiy in nodules around my lungs. This is inoperable, but could be penetrated by chemotherapy.

I have decided to participate in a study with contains conventional chemotherapy agents and a new agent in a class of drugs called PARP inhibitors. It is offered as a phase 2 trial at Dana Farber. It is 18 weeks of treatment---6 cycles, in 3 week intervals. In week one, there are 2 infusions (of 3 agents) which is repeated in week 2. Then the third week is time off, until it starts again. I have been told that the main side effects are low blood counts and fatigue.

The PARP inhibitors are very hopeful for the kind of cancer that I have. So I am hopeful!

Home for Two Weeks Today

I have been feeling well and out walking on most days. My mother was with me for a week, and I have had help in the afternoons. The weather has been quite nice and condusive to being outside. Other than a sore belly, I feel fine. Friends have been providing wonderful dinners and comfort for me. The pathology report showed that one of the growths was cancerous and the other was not. There was no evidence of spread to lymph glands or anywhere else. It was a big surgery, to remove a little bit of disease. I will meet with my doctor at Dana Farber on 12/1 to determine the next step. I hope to next publish good news.Meanwhile, have a happy Thanksgiving with family!

Home from the Hospital

I am home from the hospital and doing quite well. I have had 2 walks today outside.
Thanks for all your well-wishing.
Maura

Successful Surgery

Many thanks for all the kind messages. The surgery was successful. Other than the cysts there was no other evidence of a recurrence of the disease. They were removed without damage to anything else. Chris Awtry had to work long and hard to achieve this result. We are very grateful to him. This should keep Maura in remission. The patient is already plotting her escape from the hospital. She will start walking tonight, by the morning it will probably be hard to keep up with her. Catch her if you can!

Surgery again, November 3rd, 2009

Unfortunately some golf ball size cysts need to be removed from my abdomen. So I am going into Beth Israel for surgery on November 3rd. We are not sure of the extent of the surgery, but it will most likely be followed by chemo at Dana Farber. There are some new protocols which I will find out about next week from my medical oncologist at Dana Farber.

Meanwhile, I am off to Tucson for a conference on Socially-responsible investing from Sunday, October 25th, through Wednesday, October 28th.

Hoping for a good recovery. Maura