Wednesday, December 28, 2011
PET Scan Plan
Quick update: I went in for my 12th Avastin infusion yesterday. During my appointment with the oncologist we discussed our plan. Dr. Dormady said that the CEA for me is a good indicator of disease progression and while it's low like it is right now he doesn't see a need to do a scan as frequently as every two months. He did say that he wouldn't go over three months. Anyway, we'll keep watching the CEA and as long as it behaves we are pushing the PET scan out another month and will do it after the 14th Avastin infusion, which is about a month from now.
Saturday, December 24, 2011
Early Christmas Present
What a great early Christmas present! I had my CEA drawn yesterday, but due to a problem with the machine it wasn't run until today. I just got the fax and the CEA is 1.0. This is the lowest my CEA has been since 1/24/2011... almost a year ago. I am very happy to see this and will be eagerly waiting for the next one to see if it drops below 1.0. Cross your fingers for me!
My next infusion will be next Tuesday, the 27th. I will also be taking the pill chemotherapy all week that I've been taking since July (every other week). Then my next PET scan should be the week after. With the CEA this low I don't expect any nasty surprises.
My next infusion will be next Tuesday, the 27th. I will also be taking the pill chemotherapy all week that I've been taking since July (every other week). Then my next PET scan should be the week after. With the CEA this low I don't expect any nasty surprises.
Friday, December 9, 2011
CEA
Today I had my bi-weekly blood tests done. The CEA today is 1.3. That's down a tic from 1.4 two weeks ago. Which was up a tic from 1.3 two weeks before that. Which was down from 1.5 two weeks before that. So, maybe I'll just stay in this small range and bounce up and down. I guess I'm happy with that as long as my scans stay clear. Of course, I'd love to see it drop below 1.0. Will I be happy then? Well, it's all relative. Just like those "5 more pounds" I will then look for it to drop to, maybe, 0.5. Let's see what happens if and when I get to 1.0.
My oncologist told me that we will just keep doing what we are doing pretty much indefinitely. Maybe if my CEA drops and stays down and my scans are clear for 6 months then perhaps he may consider lengthening the time between infusions. However, though it is a minor inconvenience (especially when we are kept waiting in the waiting room for an hour), I don't mind the treatment I'm getting now as there are no side effects that I notice.
He will order a PET scan after my 12th infusion (it's after every fourth infusion) which means I'll get my next scan the week of January 2nd, most likely.
My oncologist told me that we will just keep doing what we are doing pretty much indefinitely. Maybe if my CEA drops and stays down and my scans are clear for 6 months then perhaps he may consider lengthening the time between infusions. However, though it is a minor inconvenience (especially when we are kept waiting in the waiting room for an hour), I don't mind the treatment I'm getting now as there are no side effects that I notice.
He will order a PET scan after my 12th infusion (it's after every fourth infusion) which means I'll get my next scan the week of January 2nd, most likely.
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