Jon came home with some information on a new supplement recommended by Dr. Chue and Darren Bunch (acupunturist). He had actually tried it for a few days early in our cancer project but abandoned it for some reason neither of us can remember (is chemo brain contagious?) It is called Sho-saiko-to or "Xaio Chai Hu Tang" and has been used extensively in Japan to treat hepatitis and primary liver cancer. The studies report a 40% improvement in long term survival rates for liver cancer over a five year period. Apparantly this came up during a recent staff meeting at SCTWC while reviewing Jon's case. Darren tells us that he and Dr. Chue believe that this herb can help reduce Jon's current cancer cells to a point where the radiofrequency ablation may be possible. It is a stretch in the sense that there is no information regarding metastatic pancratic cancer but like everything else it is worth the try.
Jon slept well last nigh (unusual for chemo day due to steroids) and is in good spirits today. Friday still looks like "crash day" so we just plan our weeks around him sleeping all day on Friday and being better through the weekend. No reportable side effects with Doxil other than the usual chemo fatigue.
Wednesday, January 30, 2008
Tuesday, January 29, 2008
Jon did his first solo chemo today. He's been feeling well and I had to take Kelsey to a doctor's appointment that I've already rescheduled three times. His blood work is all in the normal range and he continues to use natural supplements and acupuncture to keep the chemo side effects to a minimum.
The guys all had a good time in Reno and I enjoyed my peace and quiet :). Jon was pretty tired when they got back late Friday night but felt well enough to go coyote hunting with Levi on Saturday. Kelsey and I did a lot of driving (he's planning on taking his driver's test in February), movies, church, and celebrated Cody's birthday at the Lentings (Kristi-that webcam is too cool!)
Jon is planning on more coyote hunting with Rex during the week and then we all get some Maelie time over the weekend. Maybe even skiing Sunday if he's up to it. Although I'll never completely understand his passion for hunting I am grateful he feels well enough to do the things he enjoys. Kelsey's been even begging to go along which should be a good opportunity for the both of them.
No new word on the tumor marker (I expect that Jon appropriately harassed Dr. Chan today). We should get the update next week since they check it semimonthly.
The guys all had a good time in Reno and I enjoyed my peace and quiet :). Jon was pretty tired when they got back late Friday night but felt well enough to go coyote hunting with Levi on Saturday. Kelsey and I did a lot of driving (he's planning on taking his driver's test in February), movies, church, and celebrated Cody's birthday at the Lentings (Kristi-that webcam is too cool!)
Jon is planning on more coyote hunting with Rex during the week and then we all get some Maelie time over the weekend. Maybe even skiing Sunday if he's up to it. Although I'll never completely understand his passion for hunting I am grateful he feels well enough to do the things he enjoys. Kelsey's been even begging to go along which should be a good opportunity for the both of them.
No new word on the tumor marker (I expect that Jon appropriately harassed Dr. Chan today). We should get the update next week since they check it semimonthly.
Tuesday, January 22, 2008
Tumor Marker Update
We juut finished our visit with Dr. Reilly. Interstingly enough, while he was going through Jon's file he found that Dr. Chan had misquoted us on the tumor marker. It did not go up form 27 to 150 during his month off, it actually went DOWN to 15. We will have to harass Dr Chan (remember he's the new guy in training) about his decimal points!
Chemo Tuesday
Back again for round two...Jon had a mostly good week last go around. He did have a "chemo crash" on Friday where he slept most of the day but did not experience any additional side effects. Today he asked that his steroid (premeds) be slightly reduced to avoid the sleepless night after chemo which makes him even more tired when the steroids wear off. He will receive Doxil every other week so today is just Taxol and Posphitamide. He still gets to drink the "sweat tasting" Mesna tonight but says its actually not as bad as everyone says it is. His white count, red count and platelets have all fallen a little so he's uping all his supplements this week. We are currently awaiting our 11:30 appointment with Dr. Reilly, the naturopath, to review the supplement program for this regime.
Interestingly enough the doctors here at SCTWC have finally discovered a tumor marker that they can use to follow Jon's treatment. It's called AFP (alpha feto protein). It is typically elevated in liver cancer. Normal is 7, Jon was 27 at the end of his last chemo session, but elevated to 150 last week. That is not any cause for concern because the doctors would expect to see an elevation after a month off. Dr. Chan also says he has seen AFPs in the thousands. I am somewhat relieved because I like to have some objective measurement to follow the efficacy of treament more closely than a PET scan every 12-14 weeks. That way we can tell if his current regime is effective and switch gears earlier if need be. Jon says he'd rather just ignore all the "scientific mumbo jumobo" and go by how he feels.
Jon, Levi and Kelsey all leave for Reno on Thursday morning for Safari Club International, a trade show for big game hunters. All three are excited about the trip and I'm looking forward for a few quite days to myself.
Have any of you seen the movie "Bucket List?" Jon's definitely got a little of the Jack Nicholson thing goin on :)
Interestingly enough the doctors here at SCTWC have finally discovered a tumor marker that they can use to follow Jon's treatment. It's called AFP (alpha feto protein). It is typically elevated in liver cancer. Normal is 7, Jon was 27 at the end of his last chemo session, but elevated to 150 last week. That is not any cause for concern because the doctors would expect to see an elevation after a month off. Dr. Chan also says he has seen AFPs in the thousands. I am somewhat relieved because I like to have some objective measurement to follow the efficacy of treament more closely than a PET scan every 12-14 weeks. That way we can tell if his current regime is effective and switch gears earlier if need be. Jon says he'd rather just ignore all the "scientific mumbo jumobo" and go by how he feels.
Jon, Levi and Kelsey all leave for Reno on Thursday morning for Safari Club International, a trade show for big game hunters. All three are excited about the trip and I'm looking forward for a few quite days to myself.
Have any of you seen the movie "Bucket List?" Jon's definitely got a little of the Jack Nicholson thing goin on :)
Thursday, January 17, 2008
So Far So Good
Jon seems to be tolerating the Doxil quite well. He actually came home from chemo and lifted weights. That is definitely a first! Today is Thursday and he didn't have the ususal post-chemo crash. It could always come tomorrow but we remain optimistic that it won't. I'm planning on skiing Saturday but Jon "tweaked" his knee on our last trip so he's laying off until its healed up. I hear a rumor that there is a UFC fight Saturday night so I guess I'll just stay til Crystal closes!!
Tuesday, January 15, 2008
Doxil Day
I was surprised when I realized how long it's been since I posted anything! Jon and I have just been enjoying our month off of chemo and getting psyched for this next round.
We started back today and I am writing while Jon is in acupuncture. Starting a new chemotherapy is always a little disconcerting with the long list of potential side effects. The main one with Doxil is "hand and foot syndrome". That's when your fingers and toes turn hot, red, and the skin peels. They prevent it by using ice packs on those areas while the chemo is being delivered. There is also some cardiac side effects to be aware of but they are not expected at this lower dose. He is also supposed to stay cool and out of the sun...not much of a problem here in Seattle in January! Jon is also taking Ifosfamide as part of the magical "Dr. Chue Cocktail". It can be hard on the kidneys and bladder (internal bleeding) and will also probably cause him to lose his hair. To offset the side effects of this chemo he gets to take another drug called Mesna which is in a liquid form. They say it tastes like sweat...yummy. He's also still on Taxol.
Dr. Reilly popped his head in and gave us the quicky overview of Jon's supplements. We have a full consultation scheduled with him next week. We interrogated poor Dr. Chan about comparative PET scans, new pancreatic cancer drugs, and chemo injected directly into the liver. He was very tolerant with us and told us he would consult with Dr Chue regarding our many questions and concerns.
Jon is back from acupuncture and in good spirits. He is enjoying my mom's homemade chocolate chip cookies with a cup of green tea.
We started back today and I am writing while Jon is in acupuncture. Starting a new chemotherapy is always a little disconcerting with the long list of potential side effects. The main one with Doxil is "hand and foot syndrome". That's when your fingers and toes turn hot, red, and the skin peels. They prevent it by using ice packs on those areas while the chemo is being delivered. There is also some cardiac side effects to be aware of but they are not expected at this lower dose. He is also supposed to stay cool and out of the sun...not much of a problem here in Seattle in January! Jon is also taking Ifosfamide as part of the magical "Dr. Chue Cocktail". It can be hard on the kidneys and bladder (internal bleeding) and will also probably cause him to lose his hair. To offset the side effects of this chemo he gets to take another drug called Mesna which is in a liquid form. They say it tastes like sweat...yummy. He's also still on Taxol.
Dr. Reilly popped his head in and gave us the quicky overview of Jon's supplements. We have a full consultation scheduled with him next week. We interrogated poor Dr. Chan about comparative PET scans, new pancreatic cancer drugs, and chemo injected directly into the liver. He was very tolerant with us and told us he would consult with Dr Chue regarding our many questions and concerns.
Jon is back from acupuncture and in good spirits. He is enjoying my mom's homemade chocolate chip cookies with a cup of green tea.
Thursday, January 3, 2008
Wednesday, January 2, 2008
More Pet Scan Results
We spent an hour today during my lunch with a radiologist friend who graciously reviewed the PET scans from Good Samaritan Hospital. It appears that the quality of the second scan is questionable and that the third scan was not compared to the first scan from last year, only to the second scan from June. Unfortuantely the hospital did not include the scan from a year ago on the disc for the radiologist to review. He suggested that we ask the radiologist who read the last report to do a comparison of all three. I called Good Samaratin today and made that request.
So the moral of the story, just in case none of that made any sense, is that it appears there are no new tumors and that Jon is stable at the worst case senario. What is even more encouraging is that the intensity of the PET scan (which measures the physiology of the cancer sells as opposed to the size) remains significantly reduces. We are optimistic about switching to the Doxil, however Jon was a little whinny about starting chemo again on the 15th...I think it interferes with the goose hunting season :)
I will post the final results when I receive them from the radiologist.
So the moral of the story, just in case none of that made any sense, is that it appears there are no new tumors and that Jon is stable at the worst case senario. What is even more encouraging is that the intensity of the PET scan (which measures the physiology of the cancer sells as opposed to the size) remains significantly reduces. We are optimistic about switching to the Doxil, however Jon was a little whinny about starting chemo again on the 15th...I think it interferes with the goose hunting season :)
I will post the final results when I receive them from the radiologist.
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