The emotional rollercoaster clicks uphill...slowly

My subtitle for this post: check out Jim in his compression stockings!

At least Jim's got a sense of humor.

Madison was a fairly positive visit. We met with Dr. Holen and his student doctor (Fellow). They didn't feel that there was enough appreciable growth to take Jim off his current chemo regimen. They (the medical community) typically characterize significant growth as around 20%. They thought that his growth measured around a 5% increase, subject to opinion. CT scans are so subjective - it's not an exact science.

That being said, they were hesitant to start Jim on a trial. They would like him to continue on his current regimen and replace one of the drugs, Vectibix, with Erbitux. Vectibix is essentially a sister drug to Erbitux, but it's not as widely studied. They want to monitor his improvement over the next two months and then decide what to do.

There was a trial that I was interested in for Jim that is studying a previously approved drug in Europe. Unfortunately, the study is closed right now. They put Jim's name on a waiting list. The study is closed nationally, as the study filled up with the initial candidates - they are currently reviewing the results of the initial candidates, and then they will determine whether or not to add more people to the study. If the study opens up, they will review Jim's improvement and decide whether to take him off his current regimen and put him on the study.

Dr. Holen and his Fellow also believe that Jim's CEA level is elevated because of the cryoablation. They believe it's the tumor breaking up and sending all sorts of protien into his bloodstream. Needless to say, we were delighted to hear that. On the other hand, they were not too jazzed about cryoablation as a method for removing the tumors on Jim's liver at this point. They urged us to consult with them the next time we are recommended for cryoablation.

So, that's the tall and the short of it. We didn't go there and get horrible news. We didn't go there and hear "No Evidence of Disease", but what we did hear was "Stay the course. You can do this. And there are still other options." We left feeling a little lighter. We will continue to go to other hospitals for consultations. We're working on our appointments at Mayo and Sloan Kettering, as well as considering other places. We have HOPE.