Scantastic!

As I mentioned at the end of my last post, I had a good brain scan last week that showed the two remaining lesions in my brain have shrunk "slightly".  After becoming happily accustomed to "stable", this was a complete thrill for us.  I mention this news again since I am thinking the majority of you never made it to the end of my last way-too-long post to read that news.

Now I have the news of my whole body PET/CT scan to add to this.  It was the best scan I have had in a very long time.  The long and slow march of cancer through my bones has finally been halted and mostly reversed.  All the activity in my sacrum and ribs has stopped completely and is showing increased sclerosis, a hardening of the bone lesions which is usually indicative of healing.  The only active bone lesions remaining are in my femur and T9 vertabrae.  Four months ago the SUV (measure of activity) was 6.0 in the T9 and is now1.7.  It was 5.5 in my femur and is now 2.3.  This is amazing news!

My oncologist decided to get aggressive with things after my last scan showed continuing progression in the bones.  I began taking two new medications: Xgeva, which is an injection specific to bones, and Xeloda, which is a twice daily oral chemo one week on and one week off.  Both of these have some very unpleasant side effects, but with results like these, I am newly pleased to continue taking them.

All my soft tissue organs are totally clear, as they have been since I completed my course of TDM1 (now approved by the FDA!!!) in summer of 2011.

Of course you all know I attribute this as much to answered prayers as to medical intervention.  Given that the whole time Jay has been asking for "a miraculous or medical cure", they have become one and the same for us.  This is the closest I have been to NED (no evidence of disease) in awhile, certainly since the brain mets popped up in 2011.  I thank you so very much for your continued support and prayers!