Round Six of Chemo

First a quick update on how the fifth round of Chemo went. Vann has been feeling better and her energy level continues to improve. We now realize the Cancer was taking a lot of Vann's energy away before she was diagnosed. So far it seems the toughest rounds of Chemo were when Vann was recovering from surgery and was limited to a liquid only diet. We are hoping Vann can maintain her energy level and minimize the side effects on the future rounds of Chemo. We still can not figure out the hives and some other skin irritations, but this round was better than the fourth round.

We just got her blood tumor marker results back yesterday while the sixth round of Chemo was being administered. This cycle will be the fourth round that Vann also receives the Avastin. We are very happy to let everyone know the Cancer Antigen CA 19-9 and Carcinoembryonic CEA markers have been cut in half once again! The tumor marker numbers are actually lower now than they were when Vann was first diagnosed. We feel very fortunate for the response we are getting and are doing everything we can to ensure Vann keeps on track.

We also want to express how much we appreciate all the support from everybody. A lot of Vann's success during her treatments have been made possible by all the help from our families, friends, neighbors and co-workers. Its amazing how helpful the delivery of the meals have been and have enabled us to keep up with all the appointments and to have quality time with the family. Thank you to everyone for the outpouring of support and love!!

5th Round of Chemo

Vann tolerated her fourth round of Chemo very well and has been able to enjoy more time with our family. During this round there was no more fever and Vann's energy level was definitely up compared to the previous rounds. A couple new side effects have been hives and nausea. We are trying to pinpoint the cause of the hives, but it has proven difficult. We were able to enjoy July 4th as a family which was a great feeling! Thank you to our family and friends for making that all happen. Attached is a great picture of Ryley visiting Big Bear with her friend Luke.

Today we got the tumor marker results back from Vann's blood draw. We are extremely happy to say that the Cancer Antigen CA 19-9 and the Carcinoembryonic CEA numbers were cut in half from the last blood draw. We have not discussed anything with our Oncologist yet, but at least we know the Chemo is doing exactly what it is designed to do. We hope this trend continues and ultimately pray for surgery later this year.

Thank very much to all our family, friends, neighbors, and co-workers for all the help and support. We really appreciate what everyone has been doing for us and want everyone to know how much it has helped.

Fourth Round of Chemo

Just a quick update on how Vann is progressing along. We had a week that was full of opposite emotions, but ultimately came out looking very positive! When Vann went in for her fourth round of Chemo we were told some depressing news from her blood draws. Apparently the CEA numbers had dramatically increased during her third round of Chemo. This pointed towards the Fol Fox Chemotherapy not being effective for Vann's particular Cancer. At this point it was determined to stop the Chemo and perform a CAT Scan to get a better idea of what was occurring.

Upon the review of the CAT Scan, by our Oncologist and the Radiologist, it appears the tumors in the liver are responding by shrinking. In addition, the CAT Scan did not show any spread of the Cancer in any other areas. According to our Oncologist the CEA numbers are elevated at this point due to the Cancer actually being cut off from its blood supply and ultimately dying. Of course the discussion about this was explained in much more detail, but for most of us we just want the bottom line.

Vann received the same Fol Fox Chemotherapy treatment after the meeting with the Oncologist and will be receiving Avastin this week. We also got some very encouraging news in all of Vann's liver enzyme numbers. All the liver enzyme numbers have been roughly cut in half since Vann's diagnosis. Her liver is functioning better now than it was when she was diagnosed in early May.

The game plan from here will be to focus on gaining some weight and doing some mild exercise. Vann needs to keep on a two week cycle for the Chemotherapy to be most effective. Hopefully we can get the liver tumors and colon tumor to shrink enough to make surgery a possibility. At this point everything is pointing in the right direction to accomplish this.

Thank you for all the prayers, love, and support!