Latest News from Rob

We have had a busy two days with the visits to the doctors. However, we are pleased with where we are at. First, Dr. Gupta listened to our questions and gave us some answers.

1. Calcium was at 9.8. He is a perplexed by what is causing it to rise. Feels that it should go down with treatment. Will run additional tests if it rises in the future.

2. Duration of the treatments will be for as long as they are working and as long as her body can tolerate them.

3. Her white blood count is responding well to treatment. Dr. Gupta told her to get out and about. She does not have to worry about wearing a mask or anything.

4. He is helping with her sleep by adjusting her medicines. Especially, the steroids that she takes before chemo. He feels that they are causing her the problems on Monday nights.

5. We asked about the frequency of treatment and the perception that he is treating aggressively. He explained that with just Taxol and Avastin this is considered less aggressive. He said that aggressive would be two or three more types of chemo. With the additional chemo, she would have more severe side effects and the final outcome would not change.

6. Teresa asked about experimental treatment with crystals. He told us that is not out of the question, but that will be after the chemo stops having any influence.

7. On Monday, she will get a blood test that is used in checking the tumor markers. Hopefully, it will be below the baseline figure of 1300. If it is lower, that means the Taxol and Avastin are doing the job.

8. He explained that on weeks that she only receives Avastin she will feel better. The Taxol is the chemo that causes the fatigue, etc.

Doctor visit #2 = Thursday with Dr. Sutton, gynocological oncologist. He scheduled her to have her ovaries removed on Friday, March 13. This will have a positive affect because it will stop her from producing the estrogen which the cancer is feeding off. It will also send her immediately into menopause. The procedure will be done laparscopically. She has to go through the whole cleansing of the digestive tract beginning on Thursday morning. So, Teresa is not looking forward to the discomfort that will cause. In addition, she will spend the night in the hospital and be out of commission for approximately 2 weeks. She understands it is a necessary procedure. However, she is not looking forward to it at all. Dr. Sutton explained that she will not be able to take Avastin for a least one and probably two rounds. It has something to do with how Avastin chokes the blood supply to the damaged area and they want to make sure her incisions heal. The positive is that some doctors only remove the ovaries and do not give Avastin. So, it will not cause a major setback in the long run.

I know that I have said it before but we want to thank everyone for their continued prayers. It is our hope that we can get the cancer to stop growing and begin to shrink. It is our understanding that it will never totally disappear and the chances of spreading are high. We just want to get it under control so that she can get back to as "normal" as life as possible. The girls are tough kids but they miss their mom being her normal self. The love and affection that has been shown is overwhelming to us. If it has taught me anything, it will make me more of a giving person from now on. Like Joyce C. said this week, "God never gives us anything that he does not think we can handle."

Rob