Riddle me this...What both sucks and blows, but is not a Shop Vac?
If you answered, "Terry Harper's recurrent, malignant brain tumor," then you are today's big winner!
I learned last week - Feb. 4 - that less than fourth months following my second brain surgery and after five rounds of chemotherapy coupled with supposed miracle drug Avastin that my most aggressive tumor had broken through the lines of defense and is once again "progressing."
Although Lee Ann and I had suspected for a couple of weeks that something might be askew because of some vision problems I was experiencing, the actual confirmation came as quite the ole gut punch.
At the moment, we are scrambling to weigh the available options and make a decision as to the next course of treatment. Those options may include more surgery, more chemotherapy or clinical trials in which I may be eligible to participate.
I have a consultation scheduled back at the National Institutes of Health National Cancer Institute (Dr. Howard Fine) on Friday, Feb. 13, and am scheduling a consultation at Duke University for early next week.
My local doctor has offered to put me on Carboplatin, another chemotherapy, but to do that immediately would rule me out of any possible trials because you have to come into those "clean," i.e. not taking any other treatment.
So that's where things sit at the moment. I should have a plan of action in place within two weeks, at the very latest. As always, time is a factor.
I shall keep you, loyal readers, in the know as I learn more in the coming days. Keep that good karma flowing this way!
Love,
Terry
xoxox
