We had a good appointment yesterday with Dr. Lin. He spent a lot of time with us. And, while he didn't really give us any different news, it was good to talk through things.
Harv completed the first of three rounds of chemo. He received pre-meds to help with nausea, some Avastin and some Irinoticin (sp?). I think it's too soon to really say, but so far his major reaction has been fatigue. I am praying that that will be the only side-effect.
Dr. Lin believes that it'll be better to try to handle all of the liver surgery as one surgery because of the danger of causing the (my word) floating cancer cells to move around too much. He compared it to digging a hole and there's almost no way not to drop dirt when you do that... So, he believes you limit the spread if you make fewer cuts. Surgery, however, won't happen for a while. Gotta get through these three rounds of chemo and then have a CT scan to see where we are. He said it's best to wait for surgery until the patient has been under chemo for a year. That'll be around January-ish.
Harv's CEA count is still pretty good -- 3.0 -- so we're keeping the cancer aware of our attacks. And, he's gained a bit of weight which is also good.
I'm hoping that his having some time to get stronger this summer will be helpful as he receives these rounds of chemo.
We're planning to take a weekend trip to Portland to watch the girls in a cross country meet this weekend. I am praying that he feels good during that trip. Fatigue is pretty easy to manage on a trip. Anything else would be inconvenient.
Every day we thank God for our support. All of you have supported us in many, many helpful ways --an AMAZING gift in a less-than-ideal time.
We love you.
3 comments:
Hey there, Carrie. Just checking to see how you all are doing. I miss your updates :)
Hope the Avastin + Irinotecan is kicking the bad cells out! My friend is stable with Xeloda + Celebrex, but her onc want to add those other 3 soon. May I ask you how much (mg) Celebrex and Xeloda does Harvey take? Does he take the Celebrex at the same time than the Xeloda, or one hour later...? Maybe my friend is taking too little.
Sending good vibes and prayers your way!
Maia
So sorry... Didn't see this until now. Dr Lin has taken Harv off the Celebrex while he's on the other chemo. When he took the Celebrex, he took it twice a day. I think there are a lot of factors that determine how much Celebrex is given.
Oh, that was such a silly question, from me -wanted to erase it after I asked, too bad there is not 'delete' button :) I *do* know any med depends of so many factors (weight, age, physical condition, interaction w/other meds, etc.). My friend is taking just the Celebrex her onc allowed her and she wouldn't change that without his advice.
But I come here to tell you something... next Wednesday, she's seeing Dr. Lin in Seattle! She's flying from Canada to do so. She's very excited and hopeful (me too! I'm not the patient but all this is so hard on me, emotionally. You know that too well).
Hope things are going well for Harvey and the whole family -I've been missing your updates :)
Sending love and blessing!
Maia
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