Well the last month was a very busy month for us. Chris made it through
the first month of the trial with little complications. 2 weeks ago
she went for a follow-up MRI from the chemoembolization procedure she
had done about 3 months ago. The news was not what we wanted to hear.
The tumors that were killed off from the last procedure were still gone
but there are now new tumors that are coming in. The old one step
forward 2 steps back approach. We were disappointed but not surprised.
News like this has been coming our way off and on for 3 years now and we
just take a deep breath, hug the kids, and move forward and fight some
more!
Chris's oncologist initially said that this is not a surprise, as
sometimes it takes up to 3 months for the drugs/treatment to start
showing results and that a progression of the disease is not uncommon.
That was good to hear, but bloodwork done on Wednesday this week
indicated that her liver functions have deteriorated. Not
dramatically, but these functions are just below the level required to
remain in the clinical study trial. So, the bad news is that she no
longer is eligible for the trial that she has worked so very hard to get
into. That is very upsetting to us, as well as the clinical nurses and
doctors that we've grown close with over the last several months.
So right now, it is Friday and I'm sitting in the waiting room at Johns
Hopkins Hospital. Chris has had a CT scan and is getting a Bone Scan
right now. Next Tuesday she will receive a MUGA scan of her heart.
These are preliminary tests for her as she will be going back into the
hospital on Wednesday morning for another chemoembolization surgery.
This again will inject undiluted chemo drugs into her liver in hopes
that it will kill off the tumors that are growing and give the other
drugs that she's taking a chance to work. We are hoping that she
recovers from the procedure a little better than she did last time.
After this procedure, she'll be given periodic MRIs to monitor the
tumors in her liver. The results were very good before and the Dr. is
very optimistic about doing it again.
Needless to say this has thrown another monkey wrench into any plans
that we had had for the summer. But, with a little help we'll get by.
We've learned to not make plans more than a couple weeks out. I'll be
in touch with some of you directly about specific changes. We were
hoping to be able to go to Chris's favorite vacation spot in MD, Deep
Creek Lake. We're scheduled to go at the end of July and are really
hoping that she is recovered enough that we can go and spend a week with
the kids and just relax. We did this last year after 3 years away from
it and it was very beneficial to making her more comfortable and
bringing our family closer.
Again, please know that your prayers and kind wishes are heard loud and
clear! Our entire family is dedicated to helping Chris with this
disease and we appreciate so much the flowers, cards, meals, cleanings,
phone calls, emails, and all the love and support that has come our way.
I must say that I am forever grateful to everyone.
Don't hesitate to drop any of us a line and check the blog often for
more detailed updates.
May God bless all of you and especially may God bless Chrissy.
Thank you,
Charlie
Frederick, MD
charliedewitt@comcast.net
http://chris-dewitt-updates
240-285-7251
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