oh shizzle.

From Jan's Sunday Punch blog posting.

Stability didn't last as long as I'd hoped. I was going for 25-30 years, but obviously not on that particular drug study. The tumor increased a bit in size on my last scan Feb 26. I was promptly removed from the study and the search for Plan C is currently underway.

Dr. F initially suggested a bland embolization. It's invasive and one I'd hoped we'd use as a fallback plan. Dr. F found a couple of drug studies as well. The studies are testing drugs to see if they effectively slow the growth of tumors while controlling the two main side effects of carcinoid syndrome. This time not so much about shrinkage, but control or slowing down the rate of growth. All are good options.

Cousin Julie and I are scheduled to see a Neuroendocrine Specialist in Louisiana today. We made the trip last night after a couple of weeks of mad shuffling to get biopsies, scans and test results to the offices here in Kenner, LA.

I'm not sure what the day will bring, but I'm hopeful and thankful I have options. It's been difficult to get my head around not being stable. "Hopeful" was harder to get to this time. It may be because there doesn't seem to be any interesting drug studies right now that could produce the shrinkage I need without risking growth. The options start being embolizations or other procedures I don't fully understand or haven't researched yet. But that's okay, that's what I'm doing now. "Hopeful" is back. It never actually left, but just needed to move out from under frustration and fear.

I understand there may not be a "silver bullet" out there for me yet, but I'll take a few strategically aimed pezzizles at this point.

I'll keep you posted. smak,
jan

Blogpost: Happy in the New Year

From Jan's Sunday Punch blog posting.

Happy New Year. Everything's been going fine. Or at least everything I'm going to write about in this blog. (see explanation of gastrointestinal tract from Benched blog) No, no new tumors, just occasional discomfort. I had to skip one dose of Avastin in January because of a gnarly sinus infection, but I did get back on track in February.

Still stable. Feeling fine. We are restaging at the end of February to determine if the tumor is indeed staying the same size. My postings have been less frequent because I'm quite boring as far as the cancer goes and that's a good thing.

What's been going on? I traveled to Scotland for the New Year and had a great time. Lot's of castles, beaches and snow. No problems with meds or angina while there. Enjoyed a Scottish beer for New Years and later in the trip a vegetarian haggis. Not for the faint of heart. Very soon after my trip in mid January, I adopted a dog named Mozes. Or maybe he adopted me? He's beautiful and brilliant. He keeps me busy, entertained, and he doesn't seem to give a shit about cancer. I quite often imagine his internal voice saying, "What do you mean you don't feel well? Getupgetupgetup, let's go, it's time for our walk m'lady." (This happens at 5:30 am every morning.)

I'm busy at work, pottery class and always, always trying to win a lottery. Whether it's the one with the big money or the one where the doctor says "it's gone." That sums it up. I'll check in after my restaging/measurement.

smak,

jan