Back to the chemo room

Today Laura starts a new chemo that will totally destroy the evil cancer in her brain and body!

I went shopping!  Delicious pho noodle bowls for lunch!!!   

If anyone is wierd like me and likes to see detailed medical info on a procedure look below. This is a page from her gamma knife radiation zapping tumors a couple weeks ago.   It's so precise.

Back to the chemo room

Today Laura starts a new chemo that will totally destroy the evil cancer in her brain and body!

I went shopping!  Delicious pho noodle bowls for lunch!!!   

If anyone is wierd like me and likes to see detailed medical info on a procedure look below. This is a page from her gamma knife radiation zapping tumors a couple weeks ago.   It's so precise.

Today's appointment

We feel good about Dr. Laura's doctors appointment today. The bottom line is she will start a new regiment of Chemotherapy next Tuesday.  She will be on TDM-1 which is a targeted chemo.   Herceptin marks the HER2 + cancer and the chemo attachs specific proteins in the herceptin has marked so it's a two stage process on the cancer cells.

Dr Raish feels good about trying something else and is hopeful.  I feel like it's a new treatment which will hopefully keep Laura alive another year.  With another year new things come on the market and new trials will come too.

Particulars about her cancer: The worry some spot in her lower left lung is indeed cancer and it has grown 5 mm in the past six weeks.  Dr Raish is not worried about her lung spot right now.  Also it will be a good marker to see if the TSM-1 is working.

 Three of the brain tumors that she  had zapped out last week where there before.   They have all grown since last January where they were Gamma knifed out.

 Actually a more positive visit than this sounds like

She's out of surgery

Laura is out of surgery.  Ani and Laura are going to get Thai food now.   She is tired and sad and soar but ok.  Thanks for all the positive energy.  They ended up zapping 22 spots in her brain.

Gamma knife today

Laura is currently in getting tumors gamma knifed.  Unfortunately the Number of tumors has increased from 4 to 21 that they will zap today. She will be in for over five hours getting the gamma knife procedure. The large increase is likely due to both the MRI this morning has a finer resolution as well as a fast growing cancer.  I will try to update this blog later today when she gets out of the gamma knife procedure.

The good and the bad

Our tall beautiful boy Tim  graduated today!!!  Go Tim!  Earlier in the week he hauled in $9000 in local scholarships!  He's the man!  He is planning to take prerequisite  classes at our local Clatsop Community College next year and then go to Oregon Institue of Technology to major in mechanical engineering in the fall of 2017.  

Ani is home for the summer and will take a year off of college. She wants to be closer to mom and is burnt out of school but she will go back- don't you worry east coast family!

Laura:  while she has clean scans in the middle of April, was feeling bad and dizzy and vertigo last weekend so she demanded an MRI.  She has 4 new tumors in her brain.  She will get them gamma knife zapped this Wednesday June 15.  Her dr feels confident that he can zap them.  He reiterated that the brain tumors will continue to be chronic issues and everyone is different on how many gamma knife radiations they can handle.

This is the third year in a row that Laura has gotten shitty cancer news the week before graduation...  I am totally dreading this time of year.   Before Ani's graduation Lu was diagnosed with metastatic breast cancer where it spread to her liver lungs and lymph nodes.   Last year she has her first brain tumors- 18 requiring whole brain radiation.  And now more brain mets...   One step at a time

Tomorrow, Sunday, we have a big grad party for our boy!   Party on!   It's more for us parents and  am excited.  Four close friends came over today and scrubbed our house....  We have good friends.  My mom and dad are here watching and helping with the festivities.  Love you all!  Sorry I don't post more...