After 3 trips to the ER and 2 hospital stays Blake has decided to take a break from Chemo. He's been on 3500 mg Xeloda (7 pills) 14 days on - 7 off with Avastin every 3 weeks.
The trips to the ER have been because of severe abdominal pain; upper & lower left side. All CT's have been clear, endoscope = clear, PET = clear, CEA = 2.3 which is down from 3.0 but has never really been a marker. Actually, the last 3 PET's have been clear.
Because Blakes problems/symptoms do not seem to be related directly to cancer but rather to the effects of chemo (actually, surgeon thinks Avastin is the culprit,) the feeling is that he may be getting "toxic" from the treatments. A chemo break was suggested, so Blakes all-in.
CEA will be monitored monthly & action will be taken if activity is suspected. A PET will be done every 2-3 months.
A break is a real risk and I'm not certain it's the right decision - but I firmly believe Quality Of Life must always come 1st. Blakes QOL has been in the tank & I look forward to having a great summer with our family.
So, here's to chemo breaks! Cheers! May you all enjoy life! It's meant to be lived, right?
P.S. Did I tell you he still works full time!! What an amazing man! Love him!
No comments:
Post a Comment