Erika's Treatment Update -- Week 27

Merry Christmas everyone!

Here's the latest update:

• Last week I had my appointment with the head neurologist at Stanford in regards to my weird uncontrollable movements. I received the results of my EEG, which as expected was normal. After a verbal and physical assessment, the neurologist determined that what I experienced was most likely a movement disorder caused by a drug reaction. He's not 100% sure that it is indeed that, however that is what it most resembles. He's running a few more tests (thyroid, sed rate, and immune studies) to see if they can find any possible additional sources and I'm scheduled to see him again in March.
  
• This week I had my scheduled 6th chemo treatment on Wednesday. The infussion went fine as usual and I had some mild fevers for the first two days. I had a chest x-ray done again to determine my prognosis, however it doesn't seem to show enough detail so I have a CT scan scheduled for Jan 3rd. I'm scheduled for a 7th round of treatment on Jan 5th and will also receive the results of my CT that day. I asked my oncologist about what her plans are in terms of treatment and she said that we can continue to use the chemo that we're currently using until my tumor stops responding (there's no maximum number of doses you can have) and after that there's a clinical trial going on at Stanford that I would be eligible for. If they can somehow get my tumor down to a small enough size, there's a possibility that we could find a surgeon (specializing in the chest area) that might be able to use some new sort of new technique to remove the tumor surgically. This is a rather risky and very experimental procedure however so it's something that my oncologist is keeping in the back of her mind for now. Of course the way I see it is that if there's any way they could remove it I'll take the risk...anything for a cure.

That's pretty much it for these past two weeks, it seems like not much has been going which is why I'm not updating the site as often (I think this is probably a good thing). Chris and I have had a wonderful Christmas so far, we had a great mexican feast with my family last night (Christmas eve) and a crab dinner with Chris' parent's today. Hope you all have had a wonderful one too!

Wishing you all a Happy New Year!

Erika's Treatment Update -- Week 25

Hi everyone!

I just realized it's been two weeks since I last updated this site, here's the latest news...

• Last week was pretty normal except for Friday where I had another episode of my uncontrollable movements. This time it was on my left side rather than my right and I was fortunate enough to videotape it. Right now I'm not scheduled to see a neurologist until the end of January, but I'm hoping to get in sooner so they can evaluate what has been going on. My MRI was normal and I haven't yet received the results of my EEG. Fortunately, Chris and I were still able to take a trip down to LA for the weekend to visit some friends and spend Monday at Disneyland. It was nice to get away even though the weather down there was terrible.
• Yesterday I had my 5th round of chemo. My blood counts were all normal and my BMT doctor was impressed at how well I looked. I even mentioned to him that I would love to go skiing and he said to go for it, however I think that might be a little bit of a long shot considering that it's unpredictable how I feel each hour. I've been having constant fevers since the chemo yesterday which is expected, it appears that as I start getting more treatments the side effects start to become stronger. I'm not scheduled to return again until Dec 22nd for my 6th round of treatment. I'm hoping to have either a chest x-ray or CT scan done then to determine how my tumor is reacting.
• Below is a link to an article posted on the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society's website in regards to my BMT doctor (Dr. Lowsky) and the clinical trial (my 2nd transplant) that I was involved in. I'm one of the 18 patients transplanted in partial remission (unfortunately not one of the 11 successes).
• I want to wish the best of luck to all the TNT Honolulu marathon participants! I'll be thinking of you this Sunday!!

Have a great weekend!

New Bone Marrow Transplant Strategy Curbs GVHD But Not Anti-Tumor Activity http://www.lls.org/all_news_detail?news_type=&source_id=5,6,4&item_id=325401&cat_id=140