Miracles and Wonders
Another victory
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In the last update, Deb had just been diagnosed with a recurrence and we were
preparing to start another six rounds of Chemo using a different combination of drugs.
This time we chose to enroll in a study in order to get a new drug, Topotecan, that
worked through a different mechanism than the Taxol that she had had the first time
through. Our thought was that the recurrence was an indication that the original
combination had not been 100% effective so perhaps a different combination would
produce a permanent response. Also, the Toxal side effects had been quite severe, and
we were hoping that Deb might better tolerate the Topotecan.
Participating in the study lead to a new frustration. We knew from the scans that the
recurrence had not reached any new organs or locations so we were anxious to begin
treatment immediately, but there is an enrollment process that must be completed and,
of course, this led to delays. First, we had to get a special approval because her first
course of treatment deviated from the study parameters in a trivial way. Then when the
approval came, too much time had elapsed since her previous scans, so Deb had to
have another CT scan. All together this only amounted to about two or three weeks of
waiting, but it seemed like much longer. When treatment finally began we were really
ready to get started ... and finished.
The treatment started out very smoothly and the side effects were less, but it came at a
price. The worst days were not nearly as bad as with the Taxol, but the study required
infusions on both day 1 and day 8 of the three week cycle. This meant that Deb
experienced some side effects for most of the three week cycle and never really felt like
she had recovered before the next cycle started. This made for a cumulative effect that
caused each cycle to be harder to get through that the previous one.
After the second round of Chemo, Deb had her first scan to check on the progress and
the result was as good as possible. All of the swollen lymph nodes in her abdomen had
completely resolved and the slightly enlarged node under her arm (which had never
even showed up on a PET scan) was shrinking as well. So the treatment was working
again. Even her CA-125 had dropped back into the normal range, so there was already
no evidence of disease and she still had four rounds of Chemotherapy to go.
That sort of early good news is an incredible blessing, but it can also be a bit of a
burden because it removes the urgency that you feel about your treatments. As the side
effects continued to wear her down, it became harder and harder for Deb to persevere
because the cancer was already gone. Now the treatments are just for added insurance,
and that makes it hard to tolerate being sick all the time.
By the fifth round, Deb had had almost all that she could stand, and that's when things
took another unexpected turn. As the last few drops of Carboplatin were feeding
through the IV, Deb had a classic allergic reaction and the Chemo nurses had to
administer some additional drugs to counteract her new symptoms. Developing a
sensitivity to Carboplatin is fairly normal after about 5 doses so this wasn't that big of a
deal, except that once it starts it will continue with each treatment. So Deb had to start
her final round of Chemotherapy with an overnight hospital stay so that the Carbo could
be administered very slowly.
To make a long story short, she finished her treatments on November 1st and had a
combined CT and PET scan on November 15th that showed no signs of cancer. So,
Deb is once again cancer free and we have had a second healing miracle.
preparing to start another six rounds of Chemo using a different combination of drugs.
This time we chose to enroll in a study in order to get a new drug, Topotecan, that
worked through a different mechanism than the Taxol that she had had the first time
through. Our thought was that the recurrence was an indication that the original
combination had not been 100% effective so perhaps a different combination would
produce a permanent response. Also, the Toxal side effects had been quite severe, and
we were hoping that Deb might better tolerate the Topotecan.
Participating in the study lead to a new frustration. We knew from the scans that the
recurrence had not reached any new organs or locations so we were anxious to begin
treatment immediately, but there is an enrollment process that must be completed and,
of course, this led to delays. First, we had to get a special approval because her first
course of treatment deviated from the study parameters in a trivial way. Then when the
approval came, too much time had elapsed since her previous scans, so Deb had to
have another CT scan. All together this only amounted to about two or three weeks of
waiting, but it seemed like much longer. When treatment finally began we were really
ready to get started ... and finished.
The treatment started out very smoothly and the side effects were less, but it came at a
price. The worst days were not nearly as bad as with the Taxol, but the study required
infusions on both day 1 and day 8 of the three week cycle. This meant that Deb
experienced some side effects for most of the three week cycle and never really felt like
she had recovered before the next cycle started. This made for a cumulative effect that
caused each cycle to be harder to get through that the previous one.
After the second round of Chemo, Deb had her first scan to check on the progress and
the result was as good as possible. All of the swollen lymph nodes in her abdomen had
completely resolved and the slightly enlarged node under her arm (which had never
even showed up on a PET scan) was shrinking as well. So the treatment was working
again. Even her CA-125 had dropped back into the normal range, so there was already
no evidence of disease and she still had four rounds of Chemotherapy to go.
That sort of early good news is an incredible blessing, but it can also be a bit of a
burden because it removes the urgency that you feel about your treatments. As the side
effects continued to wear her down, it became harder and harder for Deb to persevere
because the cancer was already gone. Now the treatments are just for added insurance,
and that makes it hard to tolerate being sick all the time.
By the fifth round, Deb had had almost all that she could stand, and that's when things
took another unexpected turn. As the last few drops of Carboplatin were feeding
through the IV, Deb had a classic allergic reaction and the Chemo nurses had to
administer some additional drugs to counteract her new symptoms. Developing a
sensitivity to Carboplatin is fairly normal after about 5 doses so this wasn't that big of a
deal, except that once it starts it will continue with each treatment. So Deb had to start
her final round of Chemotherapy with an overnight hospital stay so that the Carbo could
be administered very slowly.
To make a long story short, she finished her treatments on November 1st and had a
combined CT and PET scan on November 15th that showed no signs of cancer. So,
Deb is once again cancer free and we have had a second healing miracle.