Cycle 3, Week 3

Now that we’re into the third month of this latest treatment, the accumulation of the chemo drugs are taking their toll. Kev is feeling pretty miserable most of the time. Although now that week 3 treatment is complete, he gets next week off from Abraxane and is hopeful that some of the discomfort will subsides. He is still taking the Nexavar daily but his Rx runs out the end of this week. He can’t get a new Rx until he sees his Dr. which isn’t scheduled until mid next week (2 May). This is probably just the usual kind of mistake that we often encounter which is resolved after a few phones and trip to the medical center. But this time Kev is not interested in trying to “fix” it. He is looking forward to not taking any chemo and even though at our last Dr. visit the plan was to continue through cycle 4, Kev is now talking about taking a month off. He thinks the side effects of the treatment is causing him more discomfort than the disease itself.

Cycle 3, Week 2

This past week has been difficult for Kev. His skin has been bothering him quite a bit – it’s peeling, itchy and his hands and feet are cracking near the joints which make it painful to bend his fingers & toes. Also the inside of his mouth is very tender so he can only eat soft, bland foods. In addition, he has been battling intestinal problems and diarrhea. This combined with a general lack of appetite does not help the whole weight gain objective.

We did hear back from the neurosurgeon and since he going to be out of the office on the 27th, we are now scheduled for May 4 for the head surgery.

Cycle 3, Week1

Well as you can see from the title that we have started another cycle of Abraxane & Nexavar.
The CT scans showed no new tumors and no significant growth in any of the existing tumors. This was interpreted as positive results. In addition there are a few tumors, neck & armpit that don't get scanned in the CT or MRI so the oncologists tracks these by physical measurements. The armpit tumor was greatly reduced, broken up and softer (from ~10 cm to ~6cm) so this was definitely a positive result. It was also discussed that after cycle 4 Kev would get a PET (Positron Emission Tomography) scan. This allows for a full body scan and can identify all his tumors. Plus it can differentiate between dying tumors and growing tumors. Kev has had a handful of PET scans. The first in 1999 soon after his metatastises were initially identified.
The oncologist also concurred to having the subcutaneous tumor removed from the back of his head. He suggested April 27 which would be at the end of Cycle 3. So we now just need to coordinate this back with the neurosurgeon.

Cycle 2, Week 4

No Abraxane this week, instead an MRI and consult with Kev's neurosurgeon. The results from the MRI were good - no metastases. Kev did ask about the tumor that is subcutaneous and on the back of his skull. It's been there over a year, and it has continued to grow even through the treatments. It is both bothersome, for sleeping, and troublesome in that we're concerned it may start growing into the bone. His neurosurgeon said he could easily remove it - day surgery. We just need to get the OK from Kev's oncologist.

CT scans planned for Tuesday and a meeting with the oncologist on Wed. As long as the CT scans indicate there is some positive effect, we should be continuing with the next cycle of Abraxane & Nexavar treatments.