Normal Life

For a few weeks, at least, I'll get to remember what a normal life feels like.

Last week David and I met with the oncologist and with the liver transplant doctor at Stanford. My oncologist is still supportive of me getting a new and improved liver if that's what I decide to do. I think that overall he thinks it's a good idea. We talked about some upcoming treatment options, such as what drugs to put me on for maintenance. He's big on maintenance chemotherapy. I reminded him that I need a few weeks off in order to attend to other issues that have been on hold for a while, like my right foot (pinched nerve) and my gums. He agreed but I don't know how long I can hold him off.

Two days later we met with the liver doctor. He explained to me that years ago it was tried many times to cure people in my situation, but pretty much all of them ended up with more tumors in the liver or the lungs, mostly. He said that the anti-rejection drugs that a patient has to take when undergoing a transplant causes the immune system to be weaker so any cancer cells that are still around can rev up and grow quickly. So this may not be the best solution. He did tell me that there is a pilot study underway in Norway for liver transplants for patients with colon cancer mets to the liver. I have read the report for the study and have found it very interesting. He is friends with one of the doctors performing the study and said that he would contact him to find out more information. But if the transplant causes a situation in my body where more tumors grow, and then I have to battle those tumors in addition to dealing with the anti-rejection drugs, this may not be the best option for me. Maybe it's a last-resort type thing.

I have done a lot of reading and have even consulted with a nutritionist who specializes in cancer-fighting diets. Based on her recommendations, and my own research, I have decided to try taking C3 Curcumin Complex by Designs for Health. There's more information about that here: Curcumin. Curcumin is very effective at reducing systemic inflammation that cancer cells thrive on. I've also decided to try the "My Community Host Defense" supplement. Info for that is here: Host Defense. That supplement is for building up the immune system and if I can help my immune system fight cancer cells I'll do it. It's worth a try.

Last One!

Well, I did it. I endured 12 rounds of aggressive chemotherapy accompanied by a not-so-nice liver chemoembolization along the way. A cure isn't expected, but it certainly isn't if we don't try.

This round wasn't so bad. I was able to get plenty of rest before going in for the infusion and also I was able to sleep through the infusion.

Before I go into the details, I'd like to first thank my cousin Nadine for visiting over the weekend. I loved spending time with her and wish we could do it more.And I can't wait to wear the awesome clothes I got while we were out shopping!

OK, back to this week. One thing I did differently this time (better late than never) is I sipped on smoothie after smoothie. Having the extra fluids and the extra nutrition from the smoothies helped a lot. Sure, I still felt fatigued but it wasn't as intense. I also didn't throw up at all.

I am experiencing sensitivity in my hands, so much that holding a knife and fork is uncomfortable. I tried to eat a breakfast burrito this morning (it didn't taste very good as it turned out) but cutting it was painful. So, David lovingly cut it up into bite-sized pieces for me. I expect this sensitivity to persist for a few days and then it will subside. I will hold onto ice packs a lot to help the inflammation go away.

Speaking of inflammation, last time and this time the hair follicles on my head have been very tender. Of course I'm afraid that my hair might fall out again. So I'm spending a lot of time with an ice pack on my head until the tenderness goes away. If it cools down the follicle inflammation, perhaps the follicle will hold onto the hair shaft. It's worth a try.

On Monday I didn't actually see the oncologist (I saw his assistant instead) so I didn't get to discuss our next plans. I do know I'll get a nice break while keeping an eye on the CEA. I will meet with the oncologist in a couple of weeks and will have more to say about that then.