Better Week
Sorry for the delay in writing this update. It's been a slow recovery. The side effects weren't as severe as last time, thankfully. No mouth sores or chemo brain this time, but I did develop an eye infection that I am still fighting. I go back to CTCA near Chicago again next week! The time seems to have gone by so quickly.
Last visit I received a new drug, Erbitux. It's been a real struggle to find a drug that my cancer will respond to. Since my cancer is estrogen and progesterone receptor negative, it won't respond to any of the hormonal therapies. The cancer is also Her2neu negative, so Herceptin won't work either. Dr. Ctirin tested me for Her1 (also called ERB1) and I tested highly positive for it. That means I should respond well to the Erbitux.
I should get evaluated by a radiation oncologist during my next visit. My cancer is responding well to the chemotherapy, but as soon as it stops, the cancer comes right back. That is why Dr. Citrin would like for me to receive radiation. Problem is, administering the radiation is going to be tricky. The area that needs to be radiated is right over my heart. The Adriamycin I received in the fall has already damaged the heart. They hope to use a more targeted type of radiation called Tomotherapy.
Please pray that I will be able to transfer to the Philadelphia branch of CTCA soon.
Last visit I received a new drug, Erbitux. It's been a real struggle to find a drug that my cancer will respond to. Since my cancer is estrogen and progesterone receptor negative, it won't respond to any of the hormonal therapies. The cancer is also Her2neu negative, so Herceptin won't work either. Dr. Ctirin tested me for Her1 (also called ERB1) and I tested highly positive for it. That means I should respond well to the Erbitux.
I should get evaluated by a radiation oncologist during my next visit. My cancer is responding well to the chemotherapy, but as soon as it stops, the cancer comes right back. That is why Dr. Citrin would like for me to receive radiation. Problem is, administering the radiation is going to be tricky. The area that needs to be radiated is right over my heart. The Adriamycin I received in the fall has already damaged the heart. They hope to use a more targeted type of radiation called Tomotherapy.
Please pray that I will be able to transfer to the Philadelphia branch of CTCA soon.
posted by Kathy Holleger @ 11:54 AM
1 Comments:
At 6:56 PM, April 01, 2006,
Anonymous said…
I don't know if I can find the words to make you feel better so I will try to send jokes now and then.
Did you hear about the teacher who was helping one of her kindergarten students put his boots on?
He asked for help and she could see why. With her pulling and him pushing, the boots still didn't want to go on. When the second boot was on, she had worked up a sweat. She almost whimpered when the little boy said,
"Teacher, they're on the wrong feet." She looked, and sure enough, they were. It wasn't any easier pulling the boots off than it was putting them on. She managed to keep her cool as together they worked to get the boots back on - this time on the right feet.
He then announced, "These aren't my boots." She bit her tongue rather than get right in his face and scream, "Why didn't you say so?" like she wanted to do. Once again she struggled to help him pull the ill-fitting boots off.
He then said, "They're my brother's boots. My Mom made me wear them." She didn't know if she should laugh or cry. She than mustered up the grace to wrestle the boots onto his feet again.
She said, "Now, where are your mittens?" He said,
"I stuffed them in the toes of my boots..."
Cindy from TUG (CSB)
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