Feeling Good

It's post Thanksgiving with turkey and stuffing still in the fridge. Lots of cranberries in chutney and jello, as well as a jar full off fresh fruit cup. Hmm. Pies are gone though along with other baked goods.

I'm feeling great. Am tackling some bigger projects and preparing to make the most of this week before yet another treatment on the 4th. By this time I am generally feeling well enough not to want to go back, but know that my going back is what makes me feel so good. I will begin a new treatment for a maintenance program in hopes to hold down the numbers with less toxicity. The doctor has yet to decide the schedule whether weekly, biweekly or gradually lengthening time between treatments.

Spent yesterday preparing a control journal re Flylady.com which contains all the necessary health, academic and misc information along with all necessary contacts, friends, family and professionals. All the personal info of the family in one journal. My family at your fingertips, so to speak. I hope it will be helpful. Well off to my next project. I hope everyone enjoyed a great holiday.

The Magic Formula

In response to the question concerning the results of continued use of a drug, the toll on my body is an important factor but also that nebulous time when resistance will form. The cancer has already developed a resistance to doxil and topetecan after only five courses. The Gemcetibine/cisplatin combo treatment is new and very effective for most ovca patients. But it is hard on the bone marrow in particular. Since I seem to respond so effectively to this combo and since continued current use is not going to eliminate the cancer or offer me a time of remission as the cancer is too aggressive, I have opted to use it only as needed to bring my counts down and shrink the tumors.

Each change of drug brings it's own mystery factor. Will this drug work, how effective will it be, will I develop a resistance to it thus eliminating its use. The maintenance drug will likely be carboplatin which was on of the first I used back in 05/06. We don't know how it will work in this plan. We hope and pray it will be a stop gap for 6-12 months, but no one knows. After that we use gem/cis again or reach into the grab bag and pull something else out. There are some really exciting things happening in research for ovca right now but when they will be approved and available for use is a question. The next question is will my case no longer be a practical application for the new treatments.

Those Magic Numbers

The gemcetabine/cisplatin treatments have done it again. My CA125 count is down to 4. We discussed with my gynie/oncologist yesterday discontinueing the gem/cis and using another drug as a maintenance treatment. My objective is to save this gem/cis for future use as I respond so well to it when my counts go up. The question is what drug at what dose will keep the numbers down for me and how long.

So this week and next is my last on gem/cis for awhile. Today I am tired and tomorrow is a very busy day and Thursday is notoriously my worse day after this treatment. My body just crashes and refuses to go any further.