Another win for me…Dave (UPDATE! )

Well I just got back from Duke Medical Center, and I have to say that my MRI looked pretty darn impressive, if I do say so myself. I haven’t seen a scan have that little to say regarding cancer since…well, I didn’t have a brain tumor (which seems like oh so long ago). There was generally less contrast on the image (especially around my squished cerebellum) which is great. Lets get that guy outta there, then maybe I can have another surgery and scrape the rest out. Maybe I’ll end up being the person with the largest number of craniotomies….probably not, I probably have a really, really long way to go until I get to that point...

That's what I was writing yesterday when my Dad and I were on the road and I was caught up in an emotional high from being at Duke (in beautiful North Carolina, I might add). Now I feel tired, tired but satisfied, satisfied that I could take almost five entire weeks off (minus the Avastin at week 3) and still be kicking this thing's sorry little butt. I really wasn't expecting to have such a great MRI this time, but I'm not saying that I mind one little bit.

Seriously though, it's hard to fight this thing off every other week (just knowing the next week's right around the corner gives me a sinking gag-like reflex sometimes). The constant ups-and-downs with replete with nausea, constipation, and anemia puts me into a general haze of not-caring about the goings-on in the rest of the world (though I do realize that this is not the most beneficial state of mind for me now or ever), I can't really let myself return to this mindset anymore. But...enough of this wining and moaning.

Anyway, my experience at Duke Cancer Center was a good one. I had quite a bit of good news these last couple of days, but now I'm tired and I need to go back to sleep, or I may catch another bug that's being passed around my parent's house...


********I got a great update for you today. I emailed my Duke PA, Sprague, trying to clear up a little bit of miscommunication that occurred yesterday. I had the opinion that there was no change from last time, but that wasn't quite it. There actually is no 'MRI evidence' of any neoplasms in my brain this means that there is no radiographic evidence of any tumors in my prefrontal cortex! Now don't freak out...yet. I still have the tumor around my cerebellum, and thankfully it is less than before. This made my treatment today just a little easier to swallow. Now I'm going to sleep for a bit. Oh and if you want, you can freak out now**************  

6 months down, just 6 to go

I've been on this chemo binge now for six months + there were two (I believe) that I had before that. I'm summing this up with a picture of me desperately trying to give my phone a thumb's up, but I think the pictures kind of lacking. You see the problem is that it was really hard to give a thumb's-up and tap the camera shutter switch. Therefore it just looks like I was caught taking a picture of myself. The thumb's-up is the focus, though, not me. Is this what my life has come down to? Making it through chemo treatments. Forgive me if I don't sound pleased.

So I've been doing well over the last six months, but my blood counts have not. Tiredness, nausea and headaches have all been kept at bay somewhat (though I did have to take about five weeks off recently due to my red blood cells being dangerously low. I was also lacking in white blood cells and platelets as well. Maybe I haven't kept all those at bay?) So my blood counts could definitely use some help. Needless to say, I was extremely tired due to my low RBC count. But now things are better. I just don't know how long my blood counts can handle this. I really don't know if I can handle this for 6 more months. I mean I think I, as a person, could, but I, as a collection of quantitative blood counts, may not be able to. Does that make sense?

Though there is a clinical trial being offered that could be my salvation. Dr. Boockvar, a Neurosurgeon through Cornell Medicine in NYC, who, listen to this, will actually take a brain cancer patient a string them up (from groin-to-cranium) with tiny catheters throughout his/her arteries to insert one as physically close to the tumor as possible. Once the catheter's inserted, he will release a sugary compound that will break up the blood brain barrier for 5-10 minutes. Then he'll release a chemo agent or an antiangiogenic agent that will actually infuse only into the tumor. These are the initial results after just one treatment. Astounding. One guy had a reduction of about 30% of his tumor mass! After just one time. Pretty great, huh? Well that was for someone that was naive to the particular drugs that they were using, but if I could only get close to the that. I would be so thankful.