Phase X
December 13, 2011 is here and we met with my doctor… The results were mixed sort of… My CAT scan looked good. There is improvement from my last one a year ago, which is very good. My CA-125 increased though by 8 points. I am thinking really how annoying... We continued talking about adding Avastin to my current regimen of Carbo and Doxil. I was concerned about the one side effect of bowl perforation. So I asked when this occurs what is the common denominator those patients had that may have contributed to it. Seems if there are tumors attached to the bowel at the time it is administer this is one of the contributors. This is because Avastin restricts blood vessel production to the tumor, which in turns with Chemo causes it to die quickly resulting in a whole or weakness in the bowel. When tumors die with chemo it is a slower process that allows the bowel to heal as the tumor goes away. The CAT scan didn’t show any of that so it was decided that my doctor would add Avastin to my current regimen of Carb and Doxil. We have not tried Avastin yet, so lets go... Before treatment will start I have to have another chest x-ray as the CAT scan did show fluid in both lung linings. The left lung looks like it is resolving but the right lung is not. So across the hall I go for a chest x-ray… When I got back we started the infusion of Avastin, it is going to take an hour and a half this treatment, then they will continue with Doxil followed by Carboplatin. Wow it is going to be a long day… Lynn ran to Tim Horton’s to get us coffee and snacks… yum…
Got through the Avastin infusion, no issues. Woo Hoo!!! Got through the Doxil infusion no issues again… YES!... And got through the Carboplantin… All righty… The Chemotherapy infusion today was uneventful... My one infusion nurse Jackie said with you that is always a good thing… We all chuckled as twice with new drugs I have had allergenic reactions a number of times as they re-introduce chemo agents trying to get your body to take the toxic substances... So it is an adventure when adding drugs with me...
When I got home and was fast asleep napping, my Doctor’s office called and said that I need to have my right lung tapped as the x-ray showed moderate increase in fluid. My doctor wants to give Avastin a jump-start and have the fluid removed from right lung… We had talked during my exam that Avastin also helps with fluid so that makes sense. I will be getting a call by the doctor that will remove it. I hope to have it no later than early next week so I feel good for Christmas…
The call from the doctor came on Wednesday; my choice is Friday or Monday. I had this procedure done one other time, in February 2010 when I was still in ICU after my debaulking surgery. I was not improving after surgery so they did a CAT scan and found my right lung was full of fluid so they tapped it in the ICU. That really helped get me moving in the right healing direction… This tap will two as I am not having an overly hard time breathing… So, I opted for Monday, as I will be rebounding from Chemotherapy by then and will feel better to under go this procedure. So bright and early Megs and I arrive at the hospital (7am…). I asked Megs if she wanted a dunkachino thing on our way to the hospital and she said nah… I was the 1st procedure that morning which is good… They check me in and off I go… The procedure goes good, only one hiccup, that I would describe as I hyperventilated when the fluid was drained. Now that was a weird feeling. I have not had that happened before and I will admit was really uncomfortable while I went through it. They slowed the procedure when I became a bit uncomfortable to allow my lung to expand and I don’t know started it again which triggered what I would say was a spasm. The nurse that was watching my stats said your o2 is 100%, okay that’s good my funky breathing is getting enough oxygen in me, phew. They administered some pain medication, sat me up to help get my breathing to calm down… That really helped… In about 10 minutes my breathing became normal… I could feel my lungs working; you cough a bit which is good and expected. Means your lungs are expanding. I have to go to be watched for about an hour. On the way back to recovery I got nauseous, yes that happens to me with pain medication. By the time I got back I was getting sick. When the movement of the cart stopped I started to feel better. From my past experience I know I need anti-nausea medicine. The nurse asks me if I do and I say, yes if you want me to go home today (laughing)… So the doctor approves this for me and I am starting to feel better drinking my ginger ale. When they release me Megs and I drive through Tim Horton’s to get COFFEE… Yes!!! Oh it tastes so good…. I don’t remember the lung tap from 2010 taking this much out of me, but then again I had other pains that were much more noticeable… I was not back then in the same shape as I am today… I am much better today than then, no comparison. Now I just take it easy today and allow my lungs to adjust or heal… Not sure what they have to do.
I decided to follow up with Doxil website and see what is up with the drug shortage… Maybe it is subsiding, they said by late 2011 it should be. I found this article on the NY Times that was posted earlier this month. The plant that makes Doxil completely shut down in November!!! There is no more Doxil available they distributed the last of it earlier this month. There will not be any until late 2012… The article says that there have been a number of consolidations in the Pharmaceutical industry which is resulting in only one company making a particular drug. With that, one hiccup like a failed inspection and the drug leaves the market until it is remedy. What about the patients that need it? Doxil makes such an impact on re-occurred Primary Peritoneal and Ovarian Cancer and now doctors and patients have to try other drugs that may or may not be as successful and may be harmful with the side effects...
Of course I go to Doxil website and found this letter dated 12/23/11, from the president of Jenssen discussing what happened. They have suspended production there due to equipment issues and needing long term solutions. Really, they couldn’t figure this out and immediately work for the “long term solutions”. I can’t help wondering if they are hoping the manufacture that maybe taking over production in several years will expedite the conversion to doing this sooner than later. Though the other manufacturer sounds like there still talking about it…
Why not have a couple of plants make a drug then this could be potentially adverted or be not as sever and long term. I will be checking back in early 2012 watching for updates…
I also found the FDA drug shortage list, I was curious what drugs were there and they also list a brief reason. When you read 256 drugs are in short supply it sounds like a lot, when you see the list it does put it into perspective…
On another note there have been a number of positive articles posted about ovarian and primary peritoneal cancer. This article talks about how the ovarian cancer cell learns to adapt to chemo so it is not as effective and why that is. How does it adapt… This is why it is so difficult to treat and why reoccurrence is a challenge for all concerned.
I find so much hope in this article… When I read it I was like a little kid at Christmas time… They analyzing the ovarian cancer cell and then developing a vaccine to take advantage of that cell analysis shown flaws. Basically kicks your immune system to kill those nasty cells… The thought is the same process would be used in reoccurrence with the expectation that the analysis of the new cell would result in a tweaked vaccine targeted at that specific recurrence cell. Maybe we need to move to BC to get into the study in a few years… Better yet maybe the trail will be offered here… Bonus.. This is very exciting stuff coming up.
I know there have been strides in this research for other cancers. Friends of Lynn and mine were just talking about this the other night and I said I was not aware of any tied to ovarian cancer. I am thrilled to see the same is true for this cancer… Woo Hoo the future and bag of tricks will keep growing… Have to dance around the house again… Laughing.
And this article that announces Congress Funds Ovarian Cancer Research and Education!!! Another WOO HOO!!! Another Dance Around The House… WOO HOO…
Kay, now I have to catch my breath… It will be run by the department of defense, that does not make a lot of sense to me, except it is a war on cancer…
In my web browsing I found this article that I felt should be included in my blog. 15 cancer symptoms women ignore, cause that is what we do and I wish we did not… Hind sight is 20/20…
So spread the information… And don’t be afraid to ask your doctor to refer you to whoever can diagnosis you quickly… Going to multiple doctors to narrow down what is going on is a good thing, as symptoms’ may not be related to what is really going on. Early detection for any illness is critical to better outcomes…
I want to wish everyone a very happy holidays season and a Happy, Healthy, Peaceful and Prosperous New Year for us all….
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