Another important step

OK, it is Eddie again. Lauren is off in the middle of the woods in Connecticut, and claims there is no internet service out there. So, you will have to wait for the "writer in the family" to return later. For now, let's get the details to you...

Kathie and Bob have done a lot of thinking about where they will receive the most effective treatment. As mentioned earlier, the Dr. is not the only consideration. Chemo will be delivered every 2 weeks for 2 days. Kathie will be able to wear a "pump" that will allow her to be mobile for most of this time, however. But, she will still need to be at the doctor's office on that first day to be hooked up to the pump (and have a bunch of blood tests), and then also on the 2nd day to return the pump. So, having friends close by is going to be a huge help. This, coupled with the fact that they have really like the Lafayette oncologist - DiMartino (sp?) have helped them decide to stay in Lafayette for awhile. They will still be able to consult with the oncologist and surgeon at MD Anderson as well.

They are going to continue to live in their current house for now. It looks like they may keep it on the market to see what happens with it, however. They are definitely selling their Lake Freeman trailer on the lake. Anyone want it? Also, they are going to keep their house that is currently being built on High Rock lake in NC. So, for a little while, they are going to be real estate moguls :-)

The treatment choice has stayed as FOLFIRI with Avastin. There is a roughed out schedule for when this will start. It will all be done in Lafayette (with possible exception of CT scan - see below).

- The port will be inserted next week.

- The week of July 2nd will be a training week (i.e. what to look for during chemo, how to use the port/pump, etc).

- That same week (July 2nd) will be another baseline CT scan. The oncologists want recent CT scans to compare against later. The first comparison will be after 2 months of chemo have been given. This will tell them if the cancer is still growing, if it has stopped growing, or (the one we are all praying for) if it is shrinking.
The location of the CT scan is still up in the air. It appears that university medical centers have better technology in this area. However, we are getting some data that suggests a minimal "slice count" of 16 or 32 should be an adequate device to track the effectiveness of the chemo. CT machines apparently come in 8, 16, 32, 64, and 128 "slice" versions. The more the slices, the better the machine (i.e. the more pictures you take per certain area). Anyway, we are investigating what type of machine Lafayette has.

- July 9th, there will be a baseline blood test

- July 10th, 11th will be the start of chemo. She will also get a dose of Neulasta to try to keep her white counts up.

- Avastin should start about 4 weeks later (with 3rd Chemo dose). We are waiting on Avastin b/c it can have some negative side affects on Kathie's recovery from the colon surgery. All doctors have recommended we wait on this aspect of the treatment. 8 weeks from surgery seems to be a conservative consensus.

The only other appointments this week are on Thursday at MD Anderson. Kathie will get her stitches removed (and hopefully, get the OK to fly home on Friday). She will also get her pathology report that day. (We intended to get it before, but after some paperwork and timing screw-ups, we were not able to get it). She will also meet with a nutritionist that day.
As a side note, if you have a herbal/dietary treatment that you have some information on, please go ahead and send it to your favorite family member. Please include some info or a study on why it should be looked at. We don't want to get overwhelmed with "my grandma always told me to eat mushrooms to cure cancer." :-)

A funny side story is that while Lauren was on a bike ride the other day, she actually met a person that works at the company that makes Avastin. We are now going to get some insider info on that the drug. Small world...

Bob and Kathie will finish out the week and Irene's house in northern Houston. She has set aside the time to do nothing but help them this week, and it is truly appreciated. I am constantly amazed at the love and support people have shown. Thanks so much!