Update for Friday, September 10th

Update....Friday, September 10th, 2010

I had a great day at Duke University. They reviewed my MRI and stated that there was a sliver of regrowth, which tells them how aggressive the tumor is. They were happy that I came in today and not next week, because they want me to participate in a trial. I was hoping and praying that I would be selected. I will get two additional medicines in addition to the Temodar. One is Avastin (at $25,000 a dose, but free to me because of the trial). Avastin is not a chemo. It is more of an anti-body. The drug will actually "starve" the tumor of blood by destroying the blood vessels in it. The tumor is blood thirsty, and can't grow if it can't get blood. They told me that the timing is perfect because of the amount of time since my surgery inand the progress of the healing of my incision is . This drug could have actually caused my incision to re-open, but after they examined it, they determined it is safe to proceed. Unfortunately, this is not a pill, but an IV drip done once every two weeks. I am not working with Dr. Friedman directly, but instead I have a whole panel of doctors working on my case. The hospital was staffed with very caring doctors, with great bedside manners. The team leader is Dr. Desjardin. She was so easy to talk to, and made sure I fully understood every detail possible on how to fight brain cancer successfully. The goal is to get past the two year mark. They feel confident that once we get past this, our chances of prolonged survival with good quality of life will greatly increase. Originally, the trial was only funded for 50 people. It filled up and was closed. They just got additional funding and opened it up to accept 30 more people. Today was the last day anyone could get in. Talk about God working miracles. In addition, I volunteered to allow another study to have full access to my medical records, for which they will compile data to use to build a better database, helping to make advancements towards a cure in the future. (Like I would refuse...). I will be going back every 8 weeks for the next two years, so they can review a new MRI and run blood tests. If this trial doesn't slow the growth of the tumor, or if the drugs have an adverse affect on my health, then they will make changes to the treatment plan. The way they explained it to me, my local doctors are the drivers and Duke is the GPS. Once my initial radiation/chemo is done, I go on a cycle of elevated Chemo treatments, that will act as a one-two punch against the tumor, making sure it is completely beat down. The medication routine is very complicated, but I have a personal case manager who has put together a detailed log telling me exactly what to take, and when to take it. I was given a tote bag full of literature, to make sure I have every questioned answered, and every doctor on my team gave me phone numbers and email addresses to contact them, in case I have any questions. I got the impression that they are as excited about me participating in this trial as I am! Duke University Medical Center is a truly amazing place!