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.
