So this is the new path that I am on. Or at least the medical path. I am now a cancer patient. I don’t at all associate with this nor do I subscribe to it, and will do everything in my power to be healthy.
My view has been, and still is, that when Dr. Vega did the craniotomy and resection, he removed at least 98% – if not 99% – of the tumor. A tumor which, by the way is labeled a Stage 4, Glioblastoma. Stages 1-3 usually present in younger people. This is still a shocking diagnosis to me.
The prognosis can be wide ranging, from two months of survival to 20 years. There are many factors, and I have hope and have faith that many are in my favor.
The treatments include radiation, and the chemotherapy pill called Temozolomide. Used together, the goal is to make sure that no new cells grow back and become cancerous.
I begin 6 weeks of radiatinon therapy starting Monday 9/11 (Monday through Friday), running through mid-October. Each day, I take the chemotherapy pill two hours before the radiation.
By week 4, I will most likely be more tired and will be ready to let my many lovely friends help me out. I promise to be in touch and to have the grace to allow you to help me. You know that I am an independent person – and up until now, have really not needed help. I have been told by the nurses and the doctors that I will welcome the assistance between weeks 4-6. Stay tuned!
At the end of 6 weeks, I will have a 4 week break just before Thanksgiving. I will have so much to be thankful for this year.
Following my 4 week break, I will be taking the chemo pill 5 days out of each month for 6-12 months. I will get an MRI to see the status of the brain, and then am scheduled to have one every two months.
Along with the radiation and chemo, I am enrolled in a clinical research trial at Dana Farber Cancer Institute in Boston. I have another wonderful team of doctors and nurses there. When I first enrolled in the trial August 21, Dr. David Reardon told me about two brand new clinical trials that ‘coincidentally’ just came out and are very promising for patients with glioblastoma (I had to smile at the word the coincidence!).
This research trial is originating at Dana Farber and uses a vaccine for the treatment term. I will get 9 vaccinations during my treatment. They are fairly painful, but to have the desired outcome of being healthy makes it worth the moments of pain. The injection of the vaccine is followed by a hard punch to the injection location that feels somehow dull and rubbery. Now that I know what is coming when I go for the shot, I need to find a way to put it out of my mind and relax. So far I have had 2 shots and will need 7 more. I don’t have to return for another shot until after my 6 weeks of treatment.
If you want to read about the clinical trial I am enrolled in, click here.
If you want to read about glioblastoma, click here.