Thank you for your phone calls and messages. Hearing your voices and news of your lives has been a great lift to my spirits during this self-styled sabbatical and throughout this journey of discovery.
JANUARY: The news from January’s trip to Charleston for the experimental drug clinical trial check-up continued holding steady with more or less equally balanced changes. Four tumors in my liver were scanned: the two smaller tumors showed some growth while two larger tumors actually shrank. This is the first conspicuous shrinkage we’ve had since I joined the trial a year and a half ago. Blood testing also turned up few variations from “normal range,” and those were close enough not to be a worry or require treatment. We’re building an impressive track record!
APRIL: The most recent trip, completed last week, is even better. From four radiology reports: “Essentially unchanged” (abdomen, liver); “without evidence of metastatic disease” (pelvis); “Stable…without new nodes or masses … thyroid unchanged” (neck); “no evidence of … abnormality. Unchanged … lymph node.” (chest).
As for the blood work, the CEA (carcinoembryonic antigen) is down 22% since the January analysis. This means that the cancer cells are creating fewer new cells than before. The results of the second (Calcitonin) markers will be available soon. I’ll pass them along when I have them. Other results from the blood testing are all Within Normal Range or close enough not to be a concern. Overall, a “no change” situation, the third consecutive check-up showing little or no changes.
Thank you for being with us so faithfully.
Copyright 2009
Lynn Chapman-Adler
www.lindalater.blogspot.com
Posted: April 9, 2009
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