Results

I met with Dr. Lodi yesterday to review the results of my PET scan from last Friday. Almost all of my tumors and lesions have shrunk by about half. Their metabolic uptake has also decreased by about half. (That's the amount of sugar that these cancerous areas are appropriating). The smallest tumor decreased by only 1/3 in both measurements, but that's still an improvement. The previous PET scan in October had showed two areas of concern, but were not positively identified as metastisized cancer - my ovaries and thymus. Both of those areas are completely clear of whatever was causing them to show up on the PET scan. So that was all good news. Dr. Lodi said that if we could compare this to a baseball game, we are on third base. With two outs. So don't give up praying for me. This is still a battle for my life, and perhaps the analogy to a game was a little light for this situation.

I was discouraged when I found out that during the week's break from the IPT treatments my tumor markers climbed to 143. Dr. Lodi told me not to let that get me down, since tumor markers are only a very narrow indicator of how things are going and will almost certainly fall again once treatment resumes - which, by the way, was yesterday.

We discussed future treatments, and I was not surprised that Dr. Lodi recommended I complete a full 12 weeks of treatment. Although I long to go home, I would hate to stop in the middle and lose the progress we've made. The goal is to get my tumor markers down to normal, and then continue with maintanance treatments for approximately a year to a year-and-a-half. Dr. Lodi is reasonably certain that this is an achievable goal over the next month. If my markers continue to fall at the pace they'd been falling before last week, we would be within 10 points of normal at the end of the treatment routine. Tumor markers are not necessarily predictable, though. Please be in prayer about that.

My white blood cells are doing better, and I would appreciate prayers that those cells will keep up with me. I'm feeling a lot better now. The cold symptoms have been rapidly clearing up since last Saturday. And I've been enjoying my food a great deal more. So your prayers are being answered. Thanks very, very much.