Update - and uber-scanxiety!

[chrisy]

Hello friends,

I have not posted much over the past few months, as they have been quite challenging and a more than a little scary. Its still scary.

I've been back in limbo - actually for the past year - and trying like hell to find something that will "work".

The good news is that I feel pretty good and seem to be functioning ok and my liver numbers and blood counts are better than in months...still I have some "new pain" in my lower abdomen which is unexplained and some liver pain that MAY be the tumor or MAY be residual from a liver biopsy in December.



My "miracle drug" TDM1 quit working about a year ago, and so half of 2011 was spent (wasted?) waiting and watching to see if that was really true...and the second half of the year was a not so successful scramble to find something else that would get that stupid cancer back under control. A series of "oh, lets try this trial" (no, your "numbers" don't qualify) then "OK, lets try Xeloda" (looks like its working...oh wait, hmmm no it's not).

Very frustrating and scary as I said.

I've now had 2 treatments in a Phase I trial at UCSF of MM302, which is a similar theory to TDM1 - it's a chemo/her2 target mix. As it's a "first in humans" study I'm really truly a lab rat now. Although I hear that monkeys have done quite well. The study objectives are to find out dose and toxicity (mine is of course, that it WORKS!). Courtney was in this study as well, before her brain mets went awry.

I have scans next Tuesday, so will know more next week - if it's working, or if I am back on the hunt for an effective treatment. Although I'm not the first person in the study, I am the first one they will evaluate at UCSF... everyone is on pins and needles (especially me) so I'm hoping to perform well for everyone!

Any good vibes, prayers, etc....appreciated

I sure hate this dumb disease!