The Erbitux is still on the job. Dr. Gold called me yesterday morning, bright and early with the latest CEA tumor marker numbers. Drumroll please...... 13! Now officially the lowest marker number so far, we are making good progress and a zero number is on the visible horizon at this rate. I'm feeling pretty good about it, even if the Erbitux makes me a miserable welted and itchy mess - the progress is worth it. I'm on a temporary honeymoon from the welts and itch right now as the steroids I got with treatment on Thursday keep the Erbitux side effects in check, or at least for a few days anyway.
Since the last posting with good Erbitux news featured a waterfall picture, I thought I would continue the trend - sort of like a keeping a pitcher's lucky streak going. This week's picture is from a hike I took to Comet Falls in Mount Rainier National Park. This image popped into my head early on Friday morning (approx. 3:00AM). When I get the steroids (they are for nausea relief), I almost always wake up between 2:00 and 3:00 the following morning and then stay awake for several hours, until I'm too groggy to stay awake. My mind races for hours with vivid images and insightful thoughts, none of which seems so impressive when I try to recall them in the morning. At least I remembered this picture and a few memorable moments from the hike. I can't wait to get out again and see it in person.
One of the therapeutic treatments that happens at the clinic has nothing to do with the drugs and medicines that are administered there. It's the opportunity to interact with the other patients in the waiting rooms. Some of us are regulars and we get the chance to catch up with how our treatments are progressing (or not progressing) while we wait. We compare notes on treatments and side-effects. We congratulate each other on how fabulous we look, whether true or not. Others are "newbies" who still have the "deer in the headlights" look in their eyes as they carry the hospital-issued looseleaf binder given to all new cancer patients. The balding veterans welcome the newbies to cancer-world and pass on what they know about the doctors and drugs they've been treated with. I guess I fall into the "veteran" category now, as I've had the opportunity to see former newbies "graduate" and head towards remission or surgical options. I had the opportunity to meet a woman last Thursday who has mesothelioma - lung cancer from asbestos exposure. While she's known about the damage to her lung tissues for some time from exposure to asbestos as a child (her father was an asbestos worker in a shipyard and brought asbestos-laden work clothing home), she hadn't been diagnosed with cancer until very recently. This was her third visit and she had a lot of questions. I'm glad that we had the chance to chat and I hope that we meet again.
