Sorry to all that have been checking for an update. We have had a super busy couple of days and I have not had a chance to get on the computer and update the blog.
Wednesday the 4th Jody had a lab draw and the saw Dr. Meiri (oncologist). His cancer markers are doubling almost every 3 1/2 weeks. It's not good but, at least this time they register and we can keep tabs on them. Two years ago they never showed anything. We now have a plan set in place though. We will go back on December 19th for a ct to get a baseline right before treatment starts. On the 20th he will start chemo. That should take about four hours and then right after that he will do immunotherapy. Immunotherapy will take about an hour. The following two weeks he will have to go back for a check up on the immunotherapy but, after that treatment is every 21 days.
The not so great news is that the immunotherapy is a double blind study and he has a 50/50 chance of which group he will be in. Half the people will get the immunotherapy drug and the other half the placebo. Because this cancer is so aggressive they have not been able to do as many studies and chemo has been the course of treatment all these years. The immunotherapy studies are new even since the first time he was diagnosed. So, we are grateful that there is even a chance that he will get it and that he is not advanced enough to not be considered. Chemo will be administered both orally and via his port. Immunotherapy will be via his port.
December 5th Jody had his port put in. He is still having a bit of a time recovering from it. When everyone sees him know that the shortness of breath and weakness is not necessarily from the cancer or the pleural effusion but, a lot of it is from surgery after surgery the last six weeks and not being able to let his body heal all the way. I am hoping he can get some good rest before treatment starts and the three weeks in between each time.
The plan still is to do radiation for five to ten days in two months if he is responding to the chemo treatments.