Gemzar

I’ve had a few days to ruminate, and now I’m ready to share.

My doctor called after noon on Monday.  He went straight into the results – not a good sign.  The PET scan showed two new areas of cancer in my right lung.  Not only are they new since my last PET scan; they are new since my CT scan only one month ago.  This means my cancer is worsening despite three months of chemo.

So starting Monday I will receive a weekly infusion of Gemzar (pronounced jem-zar).  It’s given every week for three weeks followed by one week off.  Three weeks on, one week off.  I’ll do this for 3 months, and then I will have another PET scan to measure my progress.  Nausea and hair loss are uncommon with Gemzar, so my main concern is flu-like symptoms.  Hopefully it won’t take more than a couple of days to bounce back from each treatment.

There was some ‘okay’ news, too.  The spot on my spine hasn’t grown, and there is no sign of cancer anywhere in my abdomen.  Since we know there isn’t cancer in my collarbone, the pain must be from the shot of Aranesp.  My doctor advised me to try some different anti-inflammatories to see if they will relieve the pain.

It’s extremely frustrating and disappointing that two treatment plans have failed; several doctors were hopeful for both.

But I try not to dwell on the failures and instead focus on what’s next.  Onward and upward.  Hopefully Gemzar will treat me nicely and control my cancer, too.