Follow a small child, Violet on a day at the beach for example, and you will quickly discover that her path through the world is anything but a straight line. One minute running over packed, wet sand, the next looking at the world upside down, then chasing a gull or watching sand spill through her fingers. It's fun to watch, although sometimes exhausting to keep pace. It's also a good reminder to those who witness it, that life, no matter how carefully planned, will never proceed neatly from point A to B to C . . .
Last week, I began my twelfth cycle of chemotherapy. Due to ongoing problems with the management of my blood pressure -- it was still bordering on stratospheric -- the avastin was held back and only the gemcitabine administered. Since then, there has been another change in my anti-hypertensive medication, swapping out a beta-blocker (which had caused my pulse rate to drop into the range of a hibernating marmot) for an alpha-blocker. It seems to be working. I'm finally seeing normal blood pressures at least part of the day, and the higher numbers I'm getting would be considered mildly hypertensive -- not the potential "blow a gasket" numbers I was experiencing last week. I'm not absolutely sure what this means in terms of future treatments. I think, if my blood pressure is reasonably low, I will receive another dose of avastin next week during my scheduled chemo appointment. What happens after this cycle has been completed is less clear. I am going to take an extra week off from treatment so that I'm able to celebrate Thanksgiving. I have a CT scan scheduled early the week after Thanksgiving, and the results of that scan will help inform decisions about what's next. Options include a thirteenth cycle of avastin/gemcitabine, a chemo holiday of indefinite length, or a change in my chemotherapy regimen. Dr. Tempero has talked to me about a "plan B" (and no, not from outer space) that sounds promising. So, I wait, but not passively. Life, with or without cancer, is about living.
Peace,
Don
PS: Break a leg -- er, perhaps not the right words of encouragement for those planning to run a race -- to my brother Jim and his wife Margaret who will be running a half-marathon in Monterey on Sunday in support of pancreatic cancer research; Margaret has raised nearly $5,000 in contributions. Go Ritchie's.
