I spoke with my doctor today. We will begin a chemo cocktail of Avastin and Tarceva beginning tomorrow (12/11/07). This will be chemo cycle #9. Avastin is delivered via an IV and Tarceva will be a daily pill. The Avastin will be scheduled every three weeks. The duration is to be determined based on my tolerance and my doctor's ongoing assessment. It’s typically delivered for 6 rounds. I have a lot of mixed feelings about this. On one hand, I have no evidence of active disease. On the other hand, both my doctor (most important) and I believe based on all of my recurrences (4 in the past 2 years), it is only a matter of time before my disease resurfaces in the form of a new detectable hot spot / tumor. I’d love to wait as I’m feeling pretty good right now, but I don’t want to risk having more body parts, like more of my tongue, surgically removed. The old saying, between a rock and a hard place, sums it up nicely. I suspect it will be a long day tomorrow between meeting with my doctor, getting blood work done, and then having the chemo scheduled and delivered.
One can look Avastin up on Google. The side effects are pretty scary; but, so is my cancer. Potential side effects include stoke, heart attack, death, difficulty breathing, weakness, and the list goes on. Once again, between a rock and a hard place, seems fitting.
Wish me luck. I’ll keep you posted. Take care everyone.
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Dear Ed. Wishing you all the luck in the world! But more importantly I'll be praying for you. I'll pray for healing and minimal side effects. Take care and Be Strong. Tanya
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