May 12

I received quite a few emails asking, and so I wanted to let everyone know how things went yesterday at Mayo.

Generally speaking, Dr. Hartmann is pleased with how Ma is doing with the chemo.  However there was a slight increase in her CA125 marker.  We want the CA125 marker to go down, not up. 

Dr. Hartmann ordered another cycle of chemo treatments with the Avastin.  It took about an hour for that to drip intravenously and so after that Sylvia and Ma took off back to Minneapolis.  On the way back they stopped halfway in Cannon Falls and Ma got ill there.  She's starting to feel better today. 

The next appointment is Wednesday, May 12.  Dr. Hartmann scheduled an ultrasound that day to get some images and she also scheduled a parecentesis to remove the fluid buildup caused by the cancer. Chemo will follow all of that.  So May 12 will be a very long day.  A hotel stay may be in order because the paracentesis procedure is really hard on Ma.  

In the meantime though, Ma has to continue taking a daily chemo pill.  I don't know what it is called, but apparently it is unavailable at the L'Anse pharmacy.  So they had to fill the prescription in Minneapolis.  This pill is part of the chemo treatment.

Finally Dr. Hartmann shared that the continuation of chemo treatment will be based on the outcomes of the ultrasound, fluid reads when they do the paracentesis, and monitoring of the CA125.

Appointments

Well that two weeks flew by.

Ma is back in Minneapolis this morning.  Sylvia is in Minnesota now too.  They are making the drive this morning to the Mayo Clinic.

The first appointment is early this morning for a blood draw.  Then in the afternoon there is the oncology evaluation with Dr. Hartmann.  At the evaluations, typically Dr. Hartmann and Ma go over the blood test results to see how the chemo is working, they talk about how Ma has been doing or any side effects, there is a physical exam usually, and then they talk about next steps.

Home

Today is chemo day - the third one in three weeks with the new treatment regimen.  The appointment is early this morning.

Jim and Carl drove to Minneapolis yesterday and today all three are driving to the Mayo Clinic today so that Ma can get her treatment.

After today's treatment there is a break until April 28.

So that means that Ma gets to go home!  This will be her first time home since February 17.

Chemo

Yesterday was the second round of chemo for Ma with this new treatment regimen.  The next chemo treatment is again on Monday.

Then there is a two-week break!