I am scheduled to go in next week for my fourth dose of Avastin. The Oncologist is going to wait with the CPT-11 chemo until we can really guage the effectiveness of the Temodar/Avastin combination I am on now. The MRI on the 14th will give us more to go on. Well, that and any symptoms which may come or go. My homonymous hemianopsia (left field of vision loss) is still a problem, but I’m either getting used to it, or it is getting a little better, hard to say.
I am on a steroid (dexamethasone) which I’ve reduced from 6mg/day to 4mg/day. Those were the oncologist’s instructions, but I wonder if it will affect the ability to guage progress. Still, I’ve been feeling well, have a big appetite, but am eating healthy.
I saw that same lady at my last treatment. I told her how much her words meant to me last time. Her name is Emmy. She inspired me some more and said that I helped her, too. We had a really nice talk, such a cool lady. At one point, she got up and walked down the hall. I thought she was looking for a bathroom. Well, the nurse and her husband got a little upset because she walked off without her wheelchair. I didn’t even know she had one. But, if anyone who is wheelchair-bound could walk off, it’d be Emmy. She has been a bright spot in the middle of all this. I was glad to brighten her day by letting her know.
I’m a newbie here on this board, and, without knowing you personally, I’m sorry to hear that you’ve been through such rough and tough times. To paraphrase a Quaker phrase that an old, old friend of mine paraphrased to me almost nine years ago at the time of my dad’s passing (even though I’m Jewish); Here’s holding you to the lights during these dark and difficult times. I wish you a speedy recovery, and all the best of luck.
I went in for my most recent MRI on December 14th. My surgeon looked at it right away and said it looked better. What really stood out was He started talking about examples of cases that proved the effectiveness of Avastin, and he added, "I’ve seen cases that show dramatic improvement, “and yours is one example.” Wow, really? Yes, he described it as “dramatic improvement.” Excellent. What really stood out was how centered the brain was. Previous scans showed that the tumor was pushing the brain off-center. When my oncologist saw the scan, he described it as “1,000 times better.”
So, we’re sticking with the Temodar/Avastin combination and it has been going well. I had been on the steroid dexamethasone for quite some time, due to swelling, but my oncologist had me gradually reduce the dosage and get myself off the steroids. Friday was my last dose. After the first surgery, they had me stop the steroids very agruptly, and the leg pain was excruciating. A walk to the bathroom and back felt like scaling Kilimanjaro. This time, the dosage reduction was extremely gradual and painless. Steroids also give you an enormous appetite. I gained a lot of weight, but since I started tapering the dosage, my appetite has been getting smaller than normal. I have lost six pounds.
I will get my next MRI on February 24th, the one year anniversary of my initial surgery. I will have a nice before-and-after comparison.
I am just getting over my annual Christmas cold (please, family, keep the sick kids away from the cancer patient!) and my energy level is getting back to normal. Today was another Avastin treatment, and, in two weeks, I get another, and my next dose of Temodar. So, even in the midst of immprovement, we’re throwing everything we got at the tumor. I’m almost expecting to come out of this as another story of victory.
Good luck with the meds that work so well for you, and don’t get discouraged at the side effects, the main thing is to stick with them and tough it out.
