Second Chemo Update

We realized that waiting until after the next scan may be too long to post again. We are thankful that so many of you want to know how things are going. So, we’ll tell you. 😁

Since our last post we did learn from a skin biopsy that Kristi has a metastatic leiomyosarcoma on her scalp; a second lump under her skin on her back came back inconclusive.  We think it would be remarkable if that spot was benign; it may have not been a good sample. But who knows? 

Kristi had her second round of chemo last Thursday. We think Dr. Ganjoo was just being very optimistic when she told us about the treatments … the chemo is rough. The two chemo drugs Kristi gets are two of the oldest drugs used (dacarbazine and gemcitabine for those interested). Just about the only side effect she hasn’t experienced is hair loss, which is likely yet to come. The chemo makes her feel like she has a bad flu and nausea. The drug that helps keep her white cell count up makes her spine hurt. And of course she has the “regular” back pain we assume is from the original tumor recurrence.   This post-chemo yuck about a week last time before she began to feel better. She was pretty good last week before this most recent round. 

Today may be the worst day since treatment Thursday. She spent all day in bed. But there is a tidbit of good news. The recent adjustment of her pain meds have given her some relief. At least enough to help her sleep more at night. 

Last week we took a drive through the frosted foothills of the Sierras. 

She will have an MRI on Friday at Stanford. We understand that this MRI will tell us what, if any, effects the chemo has had on the cancer.  We already have an appointment set for Wed the 15th to discuss the MRI. 

Your continued thoughts and prayers are very uplifting. Thank you.