Hi All,
1. I heard today from Dr. Kaplan that my PET/CT was "Totally, completely, unequivocally normal." There is No Evidence of Disease - NED again! :-) So since I have no disease to measure, I don't qualify for the T-Cell treatment I mentioned yesterday and they will save my cloned cells for me if I ever need them later, which I plan on NOT needing!
I will now just continue with the GM-CSF shot treatment schedule (2 weeks on / 2 weeks off) beginning again on July 17th and wait for ipilimumab treatment in Sept. I will still need to have those 4-5 moles that are either extremely atypical, non-invasive melanoma and invasive melanoma surgically removed prior to Sept.
2. Alexa will have her one moderately atypical mole surgically removed at the end of Aug. after her last summer soccer tournament. She will need to rest for 2 weeks after surgery- no soccer or swimming. Her plastic surgeon, Alexadria, was very nice and Alexa says she wants to sleep during the procedure so she won't have to feel anything.
Wonder if we will get a family discount for all of these procedures?
It is a very good day! Thanks for all your prayers and support!
~Keri
Showing posts with label Melanoma Updates. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Melanoma Updates. Show all posts
Wednesday, July 8, 2009
Tuesday, July 7, 2009
July 7th - Tests and appointments
Hi everyone,
Updates:
1. I have another PET/CT scheduled for today. Then I meet w/ Dr. Kaplan on Thursday to go over the results and discuss a clinical trial that was just proposed to us.
The new trial is a phase I/II trial to evaluate cellular adoptive immunotherapy using T-Cell clones for patients with metastatic melanoma. I gave blood back in Feb, prior to all my treatments and they have cloned my white blood cells and now will put them back into me with a couple other drugs (low doses of chemo & IL-2). There are a few more tests that I need to take to ensure I qualify (brain MRI / Eye test) and we have to discuss the use of IL-2 and see if that is a necessary part of the trial, as my liver doesn't fair well with it. If we do not do this trial, I will continue with the GM-CSF shots on July 17th for 2 more weeks, either way I will still be able to do the ipilimumab trial, once it comes to the UW later this year.
2. Both girls went to the dermatologist in June. Alexa (10 yrs) had to have a very small mole shaved off from her inner right thigh It was not cancer, yet a moderately atypical mole that they want to fully remove. So we meet with the plastic surgeon on Wed. July 8th to discuss the procedure and recovery time. Kourtney was clear. :-)
I will update the blog at the end of the week when we know more on all topics :-)
Thanks for your support!
~Keri
Updates:
1. I have another PET/CT scheduled for today. Then I meet w/ Dr. Kaplan on Thursday to go over the results and discuss a clinical trial that was just proposed to us.
The new trial is a phase I/II trial to evaluate cellular adoptive immunotherapy using T-Cell clones for patients with metastatic melanoma. I gave blood back in Feb, prior to all my treatments and they have cloned my white blood cells and now will put them back into me with a couple other drugs (low doses of chemo & IL-2). There are a few more tests that I need to take to ensure I qualify (brain MRI / Eye test) and we have to discuss the use of IL-2 and see if that is a necessary part of the trial, as my liver doesn't fair well with it. If we do not do this trial, I will continue with the GM-CSF shots on July 17th for 2 more weeks, either way I will still be able to do the ipilimumab trial, once it comes to the UW later this year.
2. Both girls went to the dermatologist in June. Alexa (10 yrs) had to have a very small mole shaved off from her inner right thigh It was not cancer, yet a moderately atypical mole that they want to fully remove. So we meet with the plastic surgeon on Wed. July 8th to discuss the procedure and recovery time. Kourtney was clear. :-)
I will update the blog at the end of the week when we know more on all topics :-)
Thanks for your support!
~Keri
Monday, June 8, 2009
June 8th update
Hi everyone,
Just 2 updates:
1) I talked to Dr. Byrd on Friday to confirm our decision to wait on going through any surgery on those 4 areas until after I get my next round of PET/CT scans sometime in July. Then he also let me know that the pathology report showed that it was a lymph node w/ melanoma that was removed in my right scapula in May. This means that the melanoma could have traveled through my lymphatic system as opposed to my blood stream. This doesn't change my stage or anything, since it is a distant site, but it is good news that there still is a chance that it hasn't gone into my blood system.
2) I am now taking 2 weeks off from the GM-CSF shot treatment and will begin another round of it from June 19 - July 2nd. The ipilimumab drug treatment that we are waiting to come to the UW w/ Dr. Thompson isn't coming in until September, so we will keep with the GM-CSF until that time.
Thanks for all your support and well wishes :-)
~Keri
Just 2 updates:
1) I talked to Dr. Byrd on Friday to confirm our decision to wait on going through any surgery on those 4 areas until after I get my next round of PET/CT scans sometime in July. Then he also let me know that the pathology report showed that it was a lymph node w/ melanoma that was removed in my right scapula in May. This means that the melanoma could have traveled through my lymphatic system as opposed to my blood stream. This doesn't change my stage or anything, since it is a distant site, but it is good news that there still is a chance that it hasn't gone into my blood system.
2) I am now taking 2 weeks off from the GM-CSF shot treatment and will begin another round of it from June 19 - July 2nd. The ipilimumab drug treatment that we are waiting to come to the UW w/ Dr. Thompson isn't coming in until September, so we will keep with the GM-CSF until that time.
Thanks for all your support and well wishes :-)
~Keri
Friday, May 29, 2009
May 29th - Update
Hi everyone,
The first week of the GM-CSF shot has gone better than expected. As I understand it, GM-CSF works with my bone marrow to produce more white blood cells to fight off the cancer cells. So they said I may feel like I am coming down with the flu, as my larger bones (arms, legs & head) would ache. I only had one night, the first night, of yucky side effects, but since then, I have been fine and just go to bed earlier :-)
I then visited my dermatologist on Tuesday for a follow-up and she decided to shave off 4 more freckles/moles that looked odd to her. As it turned out, she called me yesterday and said I would need to have them deeper excised by Dr. Byrd since one is invasive melanoma (yet superficial and shallow), two are non-invasive melanoma and the last is atypical. After consulting with Dr. Byrd and Dr. Kaplan, we have decided to hold off on further surgery for a few months. Basically it is like those are 4 small battles in the larger war my body is fighting. The GM-CSF (and the ipilimumab that I will start July/Aug.) is systematic and will also fight to keep those areas in check. Plus, the areas had signs of regression, so that is good news that either the IL2 or GM-CSF is doing the job.
We had a great Memorial Day weekend, Doug went to Whistler for a hockey tournament, Alexa's soccer team won the tournament they were in, and Kourtney's soccer team is about to get started with their summer season of tournaments too.
Thanks for all your support and please wear sunscreen :-)
~Keri
The first week of the GM-CSF shot has gone better than expected. As I understand it, GM-CSF works with my bone marrow to produce more white blood cells to fight off the cancer cells. So they said I may feel like I am coming down with the flu, as my larger bones (arms, legs & head) would ache. I only had one night, the first night, of yucky side effects, but since then, I have been fine and just go to bed earlier :-)
I then visited my dermatologist on Tuesday for a follow-up and she decided to shave off 4 more freckles/moles that looked odd to her. As it turned out, she called me yesterday and said I would need to have them deeper excised by Dr. Byrd since one is invasive melanoma (yet superficial and shallow), two are non-invasive melanoma and the last is atypical. After consulting with Dr. Byrd and Dr. Kaplan, we have decided to hold off on further surgery for a few months. Basically it is like those are 4 small battles in the larger war my body is fighting. The GM-CSF (and the ipilimumab that I will start July/Aug.) is systematic and will also fight to keep those areas in check. Plus, the areas had signs of regression, so that is good news that either the IL2 or GM-CSF is doing the job.
We had a great Memorial Day weekend, Doug went to Whistler for a hockey tournament, Alexa's soccer team won the tournament they were in, and Kourtney's soccer team is about to get started with their summer season of tournaments too.
Thanks for all your support and please wear sunscreen :-)
~Keri
Tuesday, May 19, 2009
May 19th - update - treatment plan
Hi everyone,
Thanks for being patient while Dr. Kaplan and I figured out my treatment plan.
I will be going in on Thursday, 5/21, for my first shot of GM-CSF. It is a 2-week on, then 2-week off schedule. I will be able to self-administer this at home and will remain on this treatment until the almost-newly-FDA-approved cancer drug, ipilimumab, is available at the UW with Dr. Thompson sometime in July or later. At that time and after a 4-week break from GM-CSF, I will change over to that treatment.
Both of these non-toxic treatments have shown some success in prolonging re-occurrence. We hope that my body will respond positively to both of these treatments and that I will not have any adverse side-effects.
Other than that, I am glad to report that since we removed the "met" in my scapula, I am in N.E.D. status - No Evidence of Disease status, and I plan on remaining that way for a long time :-) They will have me tested every 3 months to check for re-occurrence.
Again, thank you for your love and support through-out all of this, it has been invaluable!
And for those of you who watch the popular TV show, Grey's Anatomy, the character Dr. Izzy Stevens had Stage 4 metastatic melanoma, like me, but hers was very advanced in her brain and organs. Can you believe the timing of that story-line ? Crazy!!
Thanks again!
~Keri
PS The girls may be updating the blog with all their "news" now that we should be done with my health updates until later this summer.
Thanks for being patient while Dr. Kaplan and I figured out my treatment plan.
I will be going in on Thursday, 5/21, for my first shot of GM-CSF. It is a 2-week on, then 2-week off schedule. I will be able to self-administer this at home and will remain on this treatment until the almost-newly-FDA-approved cancer drug, ipilimumab, is available at the UW with Dr. Thompson sometime in July or later. At that time and after a 4-week break from GM-CSF, I will change over to that treatment.
Both of these non-toxic treatments have shown some success in prolonging re-occurrence. We hope that my body will respond positively to both of these treatments and that I will not have any adverse side-effects.
Other than that, I am glad to report that since we removed the "met" in my scapula, I am in N.E.D. status - No Evidence of Disease status, and I plan on remaining that way for a long time :-) They will have me tested every 3 months to check for re-occurrence.
Again, thank you for your love and support through-out all of this, it has been invaluable!
And for those of you who watch the popular TV show, Grey's Anatomy, the character Dr. Izzy Stevens had Stage 4 metastatic melanoma, like me, but hers was very advanced in her brain and organs. Can you believe the timing of that story-line ? Crazy!!
Thanks again!
~Keri
PS The girls may be updating the blog with all their "news" now that we should be done with my health updates until later this summer.
Thursday, April 30, 2009
Update April 30th - It is out!
Hi,
With the disappointing news on Tuesday that the 3mm x 8mm lens shaped mass, just below my skin in my right scapula area, was cancer, I quickly picked up my PET/CT and Ultrasound scans from Swedish and drove them over to the UW Medical Center for Dr. Byrd to review on Wednesday morning. He looked at the scans, said he could get it to it, and sent me to the ultrasound dept. to get the spot marked. Then, that afternoon, it took him about 45 minutes to find it and remove it using local anesthetic, all while I was awake. So technically, at this moment, I am free of cancer :-) But, due to the fact that I had a satellite mass, located away from the regional area where it began (my left leg), I am considered in early stage 4.
Today, Thursday, Doug and I met with Dr. Kaplan to go over all the possible systemic treatments that are available to try to prevent me from having any type of re-occurrence. IL-2 will not be considered anymore :-) Also, Dr. Kaplan has teamed up with the other oncologist I had at the beginning, Dr. Thompson, and with both of them discussing my case, we have lots of treatment options to consider.
Here are some of the options we are considering: There are a few vaccine trials that would require some travel, there is the GM-CSF shot, there is observation, there is chemotherapy with other types of drugs, and there is a trial coming to the UW, with Dr. Thompson, in the summer that looks promising as well. For now, we are going to gather more data on all our options and then meet up again with Dr. Kaplan in 2 weeks, mid-May. Also, on May 9th, there is a Northwest Melanoma Symposium - Science to Survivorship -being held at the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research center, hosted by Dr. Byrd and the oncologists at Seattle Cancer Care Alliance (Thompson/Margolin) that I will attend to learn more: http://www.melanoma.org/ .
Look for another update later in May.
Thanks for all your support!
~Keri
PS Happy 20th Birthday, last Sunday, to my nephew, Pierce. He plays for the UW baseball team and they will be at Safeco field on Friday night, May 8th, vs Oregon State University. GO DAWGS!!
With the disappointing news on Tuesday that the 3mm x 8mm lens shaped mass, just below my skin in my right scapula area, was cancer, I quickly picked up my PET/CT and Ultrasound scans from Swedish and drove them over to the UW Medical Center for Dr. Byrd to review on Wednesday morning. He looked at the scans, said he could get it to it, and sent me to the ultrasound dept. to get the spot marked. Then, that afternoon, it took him about 45 minutes to find it and remove it using local anesthetic, all while I was awake. So technically, at this moment, I am free of cancer :-) But, due to the fact that I had a satellite mass, located away from the regional area where it began (my left leg), I am considered in early stage 4.
Today, Thursday, Doug and I met with Dr. Kaplan to go over all the possible systemic treatments that are available to try to prevent me from having any type of re-occurrence. IL-2 will not be considered anymore :-) Also, Dr. Kaplan has teamed up with the other oncologist I had at the beginning, Dr. Thompson, and with both of them discussing my case, we have lots of treatment options to consider.
Here are some of the options we are considering: There are a few vaccine trials that would require some travel, there is the GM-CSF shot, there is observation, there is chemotherapy with other types of drugs, and there is a trial coming to the UW, with Dr. Thompson, in the summer that looks promising as well. For now, we are going to gather more data on all our options and then meet up again with Dr. Kaplan in 2 weeks, mid-May. Also, on May 9th, there is a Northwest Melanoma Symposium - Science to Survivorship -being held at the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research center, hosted by Dr. Byrd and the oncologists at Seattle Cancer Care Alliance (Thompson/Margolin) that I will attend to learn more: http://www.melanoma.org/ .
Look for another update later in May.
Thanks for all your support!
~Keri
PS Happy 20th Birthday, last Sunday, to my nephew, Pierce. He plays for the UW baseball team and they will be at Safeco field on Friday night, May 8th, vs Oregon State University. GO DAWGS!!
Tuesday, April 28, 2009
4/28 Update - right scapula results
Hi there,
The results came back that the very small, linear tumor in my right scapula does contain cancerous cells :-( We will be meeting with my doctors over the rest of the week to determine the best way to attack it.
First we need to decide between surgery or radiation to remove/kill the tumor. Right now we are leaning towards surgery and I will talk to Dr. Byrd this week to confirm and schedule it soon. Then after surgery, we will decide which other aggressive systemic treatment I will do.
The good news is to know that there has been no "new" growths since we first learned I had melanoma in December since this right scapula area was detected back then too. Plus we have already used the most toxic approved cancer drug (IL-2) there is, so the other drug treatments (toxic or not) should be more manageable, and hopefully very effective.
I will update this blog when some more decisions have been made - which should be by the beginning of next week.
Thanks and keep the prayers and positive thoughts coming :-)
~Keri
The results came back that the very small, linear tumor in my right scapula does contain cancerous cells :-( We will be meeting with my doctors over the rest of the week to determine the best way to attack it.
First we need to decide between surgery or radiation to remove/kill the tumor. Right now we are leaning towards surgery and I will talk to Dr. Byrd this week to confirm and schedule it soon. Then after surgery, we will decide which other aggressive systemic treatment I will do.
The good news is to know that there has been no "new" growths since we first learned I had melanoma in December since this right scapula area was detected back then too. Plus we have already used the most toxic approved cancer drug (IL-2) there is, so the other drug treatments (toxic or not) should be more manageable, and hopefully very effective.
I will update this blog when some more decisions have been made - which should be by the beginning of next week.
Thanks and keep the prayers and positive thoughts coming :-)
~Keri
Tuesday, April 21, 2009
4/21 update; 4/22 update in bold font; 4/23 update in pink
Hi everyone,
Doug and I just got back from meeting with Dr. Kaplan to go over the results of the PET and CT scans from yesterday. As a reminder, the areas of concern were the right groin area and the right scapula area and hopefully nothing new.
The good news is that there was nothing new and that the right groin area was clear, meaning that this area did not light up on the scans as it did the last 2 scans. So, we believe that the injury (torn ligaments) to my right ankle in Dec. most likely caused the right lymph nodes to light up in the previous scans (Dec & Feb) due to their efforts to reduce swelling in my ankle.
As for the right scapula area, unfortunately it is still lighting up and is slightly larger than the last scan in Feb. yet, it is still a very odd linear shape and inconclusive. So I am going in for a CT & ultrasound on Thursday, 4/23, of that specific area to have them mark exactly where it is, then they will do a needle biopsy immediately, to determine if it is melanoma or not.
Update: 4/23- They did a needle biopsy today and I will update this blog on TUESDAY, 4/28, when we get the results back.
Thanks for your support!
~Keri
Doug and I just got back from meeting with Dr. Kaplan to go over the results of the PET and CT scans from yesterday. As a reminder, the areas of concern were the right groin area and the right scapula area and hopefully nothing new.
The good news is that there was nothing new and that the right groin area was clear, meaning that this area did not light up on the scans as it did the last 2 scans. So, we believe that the injury (torn ligaments) to my right ankle in Dec. most likely caused the right lymph nodes to light up in the previous scans (Dec & Feb) due to their efforts to reduce swelling in my ankle.
As for the right scapula area, unfortunately it is still lighting up and is slightly larger than the last scan in Feb. yet, it is still a very odd linear shape and inconclusive. So I am going in for a CT & ultrasound on Thursday, 4/23, of that specific area to have them mark exactly where it is, then they will do a needle biopsy immediately, to determine if it is melanoma or not.
Update: 4/23- They did a needle biopsy today and I will update this blog on TUESDAY, 4/28, when we get the results back.
Thanks for your support!
~Keri
Saturday, April 11, 2009
4/11 Update - Happy Easter!
Hi everyone,
I met with Dr. Kaplan on Friday, 4/10, for a blood-work check up and all is normal. I now have a PET/CT scheduled for 4/20, then I will meet with Dr. Kaplan the next day, 4/21, to review the results.
After the review, I will most likely start the GM-CSF treatment which is a daily shot hopefully with minimal side-effects.
Here's hoping for a clean PET/CT this time around! :-) I will update the blog by 4/24.
Thanks for your support and Happy Easter!
~Keri
PS The girls and Doug are back from Vegas and had a great time! They say "what happens in Vegas stays in Vegas", but they sure do have a lot of cool photos that tell of their adventures!
I met with Dr. Kaplan on Friday, 4/10, for a blood-work check up and all is normal. I now have a PET/CT scheduled for 4/20, then I will meet with Dr. Kaplan the next day, 4/21, to review the results.
After the review, I will most likely start the GM-CSF treatment which is a daily shot hopefully with minimal side-effects.
Here's hoping for a clean PET/CT this time around! :-) I will update the blog by 4/24.
Thanks for your support and Happy Easter!
~Keri
PS The girls and Doug are back from Vegas and had a great time! They say "what happens in Vegas stays in Vegas", but they sure do have a lot of cool photos that tell of their adventures!
Saturday, February 28, 2009
Update #12 - 2/28 - Treatment confirmation
Hi there :-)
After a roller-coaster week of tests, results and appointments here are the updates:
1) I asked Dr. Thompson of SCCA to have a radiologist compare my first (Dec.) PET CT with my most recent (Feb.) PET CT/CT to see if the right shoulder and right groin were on the first PET/CT as well to ensure I actually have re-occurrence and Stage 4 Melanoma - meaning it has spread beyond the regional area. After doing that, to his surprise, he said yes those areas were not new or re-occurring cancer, they were there from the beginning. So the shoulder area could be a false positive and the right groin area could be stress on the nodes from tearing ligaments in my right ankle in Dec. Though due to the different types of tests, he cannot measure them to see if there is a difference in their size from Dec to Feb.
2) I then decided to have an MRI of my abdomen, chest and pelvis on Monday, with the advice of Dr. Kaplan from Swedish Medical center, to help clarify if those areas were actually melanoma tumors or not, and the good news is that the MRI came out clear. So according to Dr. Kaplan, I am not at Stage 4 since the MRI didn't confirm the PET CT /CT results. Yet he said that I still have a very high chance of re-occurrence due to how aggressive it was in my left groin area and he would still recommend high dose Interleukin 2 - normally used for patients with metastasised melanoma. Interferon is only used when there is not metastasized tumors and he doesn't want to risk it by not going aggressive enough the first time out!
I was not very happy with the lack of thoroughness with the SCCA team and their recommendations of treatment seemed not to make sense plus Dr. Thompson was leaving for a conference on Thurs/Fri and wanted to delay my treatment decision until the following week. So when Dr. Thompson called me on Thursday and said that due to the updated information with the MRI, that I do not qualify for his ALT-801 trail, as there needs to be confirmed, measurable metastasized melanoma, and the MRI didn't show that, I quickly thanked him and said that I would continue treatment with Dr. Kaplan at Swedish.
3) I had my appointment with Dr. Kaplan yesterday and I am scheduled to go into Swedish Medical Center on Monday for High Dose Interleukin 2. I will not be in ICU unless I need to be. I will be in there for 14 treatments, spaced about 8 hrs apart. I will come home once I am able to - which could be after the last treatment, or a couple days later, once I am recovered. I then go back in for another round of 14 treatments the following Monday (about 9 days later).
I am not sure how my body will react to the toxic drug, hopefully I will just breeze right through it and be home for the weekend. Along with Doug and my mom helping, my very good friend Sharon will be visiting me March 9-13 to help at home and with the girls.
Thank you all for all your love and support and I look forward to getting through March as quickly as possible.
~Keri
After a roller-coaster week of tests, results and appointments here are the updates:
1) I asked Dr. Thompson of SCCA to have a radiologist compare my first (Dec.) PET CT with my most recent (Feb.) PET CT/CT to see if the right shoulder and right groin were on the first PET/CT as well to ensure I actually have re-occurrence and Stage 4 Melanoma - meaning it has spread beyond the regional area. After doing that, to his surprise, he said yes those areas were not new or re-occurring cancer, they were there from the beginning. So the shoulder area could be a false positive and the right groin area could be stress on the nodes from tearing ligaments in my right ankle in Dec. Though due to the different types of tests, he cannot measure them to see if there is a difference in their size from Dec to Feb.
2) I then decided to have an MRI of my abdomen, chest and pelvis on Monday, with the advice of Dr. Kaplan from Swedish Medical center, to help clarify if those areas were actually melanoma tumors or not, and the good news is that the MRI came out clear. So according to Dr. Kaplan, I am not at Stage 4 since the MRI didn't confirm the PET CT /CT results. Yet he said that I still have a very high chance of re-occurrence due to how aggressive it was in my left groin area and he would still recommend high dose Interleukin 2 - normally used for patients with metastasised melanoma. Interferon is only used when there is not metastasized tumors and he doesn't want to risk it by not going aggressive enough the first time out!
I was not very happy with the lack of thoroughness with the SCCA team and their recommendations of treatment seemed not to make sense plus Dr. Thompson was leaving for a conference on Thurs/Fri and wanted to delay my treatment decision until the following week. So when Dr. Thompson called me on Thursday and said that due to the updated information with the MRI, that I do not qualify for his ALT-801 trail, as there needs to be confirmed, measurable metastasized melanoma, and the MRI didn't show that, I quickly thanked him and said that I would continue treatment with Dr. Kaplan at Swedish.
3) I had my appointment with Dr. Kaplan yesterday and I am scheduled to go into Swedish Medical Center on Monday for High Dose Interleukin 2. I will not be in ICU unless I need to be. I will be in there for 14 treatments, spaced about 8 hrs apart. I will come home once I am able to - which could be after the last treatment, or a couple days later, once I am recovered. I then go back in for another round of 14 treatments the following Monday (about 9 days later).
I am not sure how my body will react to the toxic drug, hopefully I will just breeze right through it and be home for the weekend. Along with Doug and my mom helping, my very good friend Sharon will be visiting me March 9-13 to help at home and with the girls.
Thank you all for all your love and support and I look forward to getting through March as quickly as possible.
~Keri
Wednesday, February 18, 2009
Update # 11 - 2/18 (updated 2/20)
Hi All,
Updated version...
At Tuesday's meeting, we heard that my Brain MRI was clear :-) and here are my options for treatment that I will most likely start on 3/2.
1) High dose Interleukin 2 (IL2) OR
2) Interleukin 2 - clinical trial called ALT 801 (being done in Seattle, Denver and Florida)
We learned about a stage 4 clinical trial that uses IL2, yet not as toxic of a dose. It is a more pointed treatment at the area of the infected nodes/tumors as opposed to everywhere. I would still go to the hospital for 5 days, then 9 days rest, then 5 days back again, but I would not be in the ICU.
We will know if I qualify for the ALT-801 clinical trial when the test my tumors to see if they have the protien P53 in them. They are working to send them off today (2/20) or 2/23 and we should know late next week. If they do have P53, then I will do the clinical trial, if they don't then I will do high dose IL2.
The blog will be updated Friday 2/27.
Thanks again for all the comments and support!
-Keri
Updated version...
At Tuesday's meeting, we heard that my Brain MRI was clear :-) and here are my options for treatment that I will most likely start on 3/2.
1) High dose Interleukin 2 (IL2) OR
2) Interleukin 2 - clinical trial called ALT 801 (being done in Seattle, Denver and Florida)
We learned about a stage 4 clinical trial that uses IL2, yet not as toxic of a dose. It is a more pointed treatment at the area of the infected nodes/tumors as opposed to everywhere. I would still go to the hospital for 5 days, then 9 days rest, then 5 days back again, but I would not be in the ICU.
We will know if I qualify for the ALT-801 clinical trial when the test my tumors to see if they have the protien P53 in them. They are working to send them off today (2/20) or 2/23 and we should know late next week. If they do have P53, then I will do the clinical trial, if they don't then I will do high dose IL2.
The blog will be updated Friday 2/27.
Thanks again for all the comments and support!
-Keri
Sunday, February 15, 2009
Update #10 - 2/15 - Treatment
Hi all,
We have had a busy 2-week period of State tournament soccer games (Kourtney's team lost in the Semi finals today :-(, Alexa's 10th birthday plus her soccer and basketball games, and we had Doug's sister, Deb, and boyfriend Alan from Colorado visit us. Also, I had a few Dr. appointments and tests and wanted to get through the weekend before updating the blog....so here is the update.
I ended up with the A2+ HLA blood type, yet when we did another PET CT on Thursday, they did find a new, very small tumor in my right shoulder area. Also, my right groin area (the other side from surgery) is still a little suspicious, so more tests may have to be done to confirm. Though they now believe that the melanoma has traveled into my blood stream (in-transit or Stage 4). We believe that these results disqualify me for the clinical trials discussed earlier and we will go straight to our other aggressive options of interferon &/or Interleukin 2.
I have another appointment on Tuesday with Dr. Thompson from the SCCA (Dr. Margolin is out for 2 weeks), to finalize my treatment decision/schedule and get the results of the Brain MRI I had on Friday, but we believe that I will most likely start my adjuvent treatment on Monday, 2/23. Also this coming week, I will get fitted on Monday for a compression stocking (to help prevent lymphodema) for my left leg, I will have a stress test on Wed. to ensure my heart can take the aggressive treatment, and I will be giving blood on Thursday so another SCCA Dr. (Dr. Yee) can prepare it for other possible treatments (T-Cell therapy) later on down the line if need be.
So on Monday, 2/23, if interferon is given first, I will go through 1 month of daily injections and be at home with bad flu-like symptoms. If I go straight to high dose Interleukin 2, I will be hospitalized for 5 days in the ICU with severe flu like symptoms, then 9 days off at home, then 5 more days in the ICU, then 9 days off. After which more tests will be taken to see how my body responds and if the tumors shrink. Or I will do a combination of interferon and then Interleukin 2.
In either case, the next couple of months will be tough, but I am ready to finally begin aggressive systemic treatment to fight this cancer head on.
Thank you again for all your love and support - I will update the blog again on Tuesday night when we have finalized my treatment decision/schedule.
~Keri
We have had a busy 2-week period of State tournament soccer games (Kourtney's team lost in the Semi finals today :-(, Alexa's 10th birthday plus her soccer and basketball games, and we had Doug's sister, Deb, and boyfriend Alan from Colorado visit us. Also, I had a few Dr. appointments and tests and wanted to get through the weekend before updating the blog....so here is the update.
I ended up with the A2+ HLA blood type, yet when we did another PET CT on Thursday, they did find a new, very small tumor in my right shoulder area. Also, my right groin area (the other side from surgery) is still a little suspicious, so more tests may have to be done to confirm. Though they now believe that the melanoma has traveled into my blood stream (in-transit or Stage 4). We believe that these results disqualify me for the clinical trials discussed earlier and we will go straight to our other aggressive options of interferon &/or Interleukin 2.
I have another appointment on Tuesday with Dr. Thompson from the SCCA (Dr. Margolin is out for 2 weeks), to finalize my treatment decision/schedule and get the results of the Brain MRI I had on Friday, but we believe that I will most likely start my adjuvent treatment on Monday, 2/23. Also this coming week, I will get fitted on Monday for a compression stocking (to help prevent lymphodema) for my left leg, I will have a stress test on Wed. to ensure my heart can take the aggressive treatment, and I will be giving blood on Thursday so another SCCA Dr. (Dr. Yee) can prepare it for other possible treatments (T-Cell therapy) later on down the line if need be.
So on Monday, 2/23, if interferon is given first, I will go through 1 month of daily injections and be at home with bad flu-like symptoms. If I go straight to high dose Interleukin 2, I will be hospitalized for 5 days in the ICU with severe flu like symptoms, then 9 days off at home, then 5 more days in the ICU, then 9 days off. After which more tests will be taken to see how my body responds and if the tumors shrink. Or I will do a combination of interferon and then Interleukin 2.
In either case, the next couple of months will be tough, but I am ready to finally begin aggressive systemic treatment to fight this cancer head on.
Thank you again for all your love and support - I will update the blog again on Tuesday night when we have finalized my treatment decision/schedule.
~Keri
Friday, January 30, 2009
Update #9 - 1/30 - the 2 week wait...
Hello everyone......After meeting with both doctors today, here are the updates:
1) I had to keep the one drain in since it is still draining a fair amount. But it will for sure be removed by next Wed. All other areas look good and are healing very well. Dr. Byrd was impressed with my quick recovery for the amount of surgery I went through :-)
2) They took blood today and are testing it to see what my HLA type is, and if it is type A2 positive (50% chance), then I am one step closer to being eligible for the "Cosmo" clinical trial going on in Southern California at both UCSD in San Diego and in Santa Monica at the John Wayne Cancer Institute. We will know my HLA type in 2 weeks.
Also, I will eventually have to have another PET CT to confirm that Dr. Byrd was successful at removing all of the cancer during surgery and that it hasn't spread elsewhere!
3) If I don't qualify for that trial (either wrong HLA type or PET CT shows more cancer) we would then be ready to consider interferon injections and localized radiation if there is not another option.
So while waiting for the HLA results over the next 2 weeks, Dr. Bryd agreed that I should consult with a couple more oncologists for their opinion. One will be Dr. John Thompson from the SCCA, and then maybe 1-2 others (from Denver and Portland.) I will also meet with the radiologist (Dr. P.) to hear how that treatment works, if I have to go that route, and then the physical therapist will get me started with that necessary treatment.
Thanks for all of your love, thoughts, prayers and support, it is all appreciated!!
We will update the blog in 2 weeks with the HLA results and in the meantime, you may see the girls having fun with the blog ;-)
~Keri
1) I had to keep the one drain in since it is still draining a fair amount. But it will for sure be removed by next Wed. All other areas look good and are healing very well. Dr. Byrd was impressed with my quick recovery for the amount of surgery I went through :-)
2) They took blood today and are testing it to see what my HLA type is, and if it is type A2 positive (50% chance), then I am one step closer to being eligible for the "Cosmo" clinical trial going on in Southern California at both UCSD in San Diego and in Santa Monica at the John Wayne Cancer Institute. We will know my HLA type in 2 weeks.
Also, I will eventually have to have another PET CT to confirm that Dr. Byrd was successful at removing all of the cancer during surgery and that it hasn't spread elsewhere!
3) If I don't qualify for that trial (either wrong HLA type or PET CT shows more cancer) we would then be ready to consider interferon injections and localized radiation if there is not another option.
So while waiting for the HLA results over the next 2 weeks, Dr. Bryd agreed that I should consult with a couple more oncologists for their opinion. One will be Dr. John Thompson from the SCCA, and then maybe 1-2 others (from Denver and Portland.) I will also meet with the radiologist (Dr. P.) to hear how that treatment works, if I have to go that route, and then the physical therapist will get me started with that necessary treatment.
Thanks for all of your love, thoughts, prayers and support, it is all appreciated!!
We will update the blog in 2 weeks with the HLA results and in the meantime, you may see the girls having fun with the blog ;-)
~Keri
Friday, January 23, 2009
Update # 8 - 1/23 - Pathology results
Hi everyone,
What a difference a week makes!! I am sleeping normally and then during the day, I am up and walking around the house a lot more. As of Monday, I have been off my pain medications and Tuesday I went to the UWMC and had one of my drains removed and the stitches on my shin and back of my knee removed. I am still house-bound since I have one more drain that we need to care for, but I feel great.
As for the pathology results...after hounding both Dr. Byrd and Dr. Margolin all day today, I finally got a call back from both of them tonight: the node on the outside of my knee was a stray "lymph node" which is very good news - that means that the melanoma had stayed within the lymph node strand and did not go "in-transit". Then he elaborated a bit more on the groin area: the lower area had some nodes that were positive and negative with melanoma and then the upper groin area was all positive with melanoma. So Dr. Bryd wants to have me meet with a radiation therapist to discuss possible treatment for that specific area. He wants to be sure that it didn't spread higher than what he could see during surgery. Along with this, the need for a physical therapy to help combat lymphedemea will be a must.
Next steps:
1) I have an appt. on Tuesday, 1/27, with my oncologist, Dr. Margolin, to discuss my treatment and since the melanoma was contained to just the lymph nodes, I am one step closer to being eligible for a couple of clinical trials. We believe that a clinical trial is a much better option than the interferon injection option, and we will need to consult with Dr. Margolin on her thoughts of radiation treatment.
2) Then on Friday, 1/30, I have an appt with Dr. Bryd to remove my last drain as long as it is ready to be removed.
So tonight we are relieved with hearing the good news about the outside knee area, yet a bit concerned with the aggressiveness of the upper groin area and the idea of radiation. If radiation therapy is the course we go, it wouldn't begin until after I am completely healed (a couple more weeks).
Again, we so appreciate all the flowers/cards and wonderful meals/baked goods that friends and family are making for us! We are so fortunate!! Thank you!!!
Have a great weekend and we will update the blog next Friday, 1/30.
~Keri
What a difference a week makes!! I am sleeping normally and then during the day, I am up and walking around the house a lot more. As of Monday, I have been off my pain medications and Tuesday I went to the UWMC and had one of my drains removed and the stitches on my shin and back of my knee removed. I am still house-bound since I have one more drain that we need to care for, but I feel great.
As for the pathology results...after hounding both Dr. Byrd and Dr. Margolin all day today, I finally got a call back from both of them tonight: the node on the outside of my knee was a stray "lymph node" which is very good news - that means that the melanoma had stayed within the lymph node strand and did not go "in-transit". Then he elaborated a bit more on the groin area: the lower area had some nodes that were positive and negative with melanoma and then the upper groin area was all positive with melanoma. So Dr. Bryd wants to have me meet with a radiation therapist to discuss possible treatment for that specific area. He wants to be sure that it didn't spread higher than what he could see during surgery. Along with this, the need for a physical therapy to help combat lymphedemea will be a must.
Next steps:
1) I have an appt. on Tuesday, 1/27, with my oncologist, Dr. Margolin, to discuss my treatment and since the melanoma was contained to just the lymph nodes, I am one step closer to being eligible for a couple of clinical trials. We believe that a clinical trial is a much better option than the interferon injection option, and we will need to consult with Dr. Margolin on her thoughts of radiation treatment.
2) Then on Friday, 1/30, I have an appt with Dr. Bryd to remove my last drain as long as it is ready to be removed.
So tonight we are relieved with hearing the good news about the outside knee area, yet a bit concerned with the aggressiveness of the upper groin area and the idea of radiation. If radiation therapy is the course we go, it wouldn't begin until after I am completely healed (a couple more weeks).
Again, we so appreciate all the flowers/cards and wonderful meals/baked goods that friends and family are making for us! We are so fortunate!! Thank you!!!
Have a great weekend and we will update the blog next Friday, 1/30.
~Keri
Friday, January 16, 2009
Update #7 - 1/16 - Home from the hospital
Hi Everyone,
Thank you all for the beautiful flowers/cards sent to the hospital and my home - they brighten my day and lighten up the house.
I was able to come home on Wed., 1/14, in the afternoon (my 40th b-day :-). They kept me an extra night since I was far from ready on 1/13 as I had a few fevers and very little sleep, plus not being able to get in and out of bed without major assistance. I had a great group of nurses caring for me in the hospital and also a cute/young team of residents - it was funny - it reminded me of Grey's Anatomy....I have a few stories about them!
Yesterday was my first full day at home and I am trying to figure out all the medications, how they make me feel/sleep, etc. so I am able to be coherent when the girls go to school and get home. Between the Oxycodone, Tylenol, Lovenox (self shot of blood thinner), and one other, it has been interesting. Still not sleeping completely through the night, but getting a few medicated naps a day ;-)
Surgery:
I got more info out of Doug's blog than I remember everyone telling me on 1/12. The one thing I can say is that my darn right ankle felt re-injured coming out of the long surgery - since they had to turn me over a couple times - I quickly asked for ice in the recovery room, and they thought I meant ice-chips, which was nice too - but once it was numb, it was all good and is much better now. Dr. Byrd visited me later in the evening on Monday and brought the resident that sent down the order not to feed me, she was so apologetic, I told her not to worry and that my daughter was determined to help and Dr. Byrd thought Kourts was awesome! He said he got everything he could see - (the node in my groin was the size of a ping-pong ball) and he was very glad not to have to do the skin graft, as the melanoma on the shin wasn't as deep - which is good.
I have some impressive incisions and nurse Glenda is taking care of them very well, along with the 2 drains (one in my stomach and on on my leg - which I will have until 1/30). The girls think that it is all pretty gross, but aren't far from me when they are home and my bedroom is still a good place to do homework ;-)
So I have to say that the best B-day present I have ever received was the news I am Cancer-free. I look forward to hearing the results next Tuesday and then meeting with Dr. Margolin again to make final decisions on my treatment.
Also, thank you for all the food/meals - every bit of it is being quickly consumed, and it all is much better than my family is used to... :-)
Thanks again for all your love, thoughts, prayers, comments and support! We will update the blog next week after we hear the results.
~Keri
Thank you all for the beautiful flowers/cards sent to the hospital and my home - they brighten my day and lighten up the house.
I was able to come home on Wed., 1/14, in the afternoon (my 40th b-day :-). They kept me an extra night since I was far from ready on 1/13 as I had a few fevers and very little sleep, plus not being able to get in and out of bed without major assistance. I had a great group of nurses caring for me in the hospital and also a cute/young team of residents - it was funny - it reminded me of Grey's Anatomy....I have a few stories about them!
Yesterday was my first full day at home and I am trying to figure out all the medications, how they make me feel/sleep, etc. so I am able to be coherent when the girls go to school and get home. Between the Oxycodone, Tylenol, Lovenox (self shot of blood thinner), and one other, it has been interesting. Still not sleeping completely through the night, but getting a few medicated naps a day ;-)
Surgery:
I got more info out of Doug's blog than I remember everyone telling me on 1/12. The one thing I can say is that my darn right ankle felt re-injured coming out of the long surgery - since they had to turn me over a couple times - I quickly asked for ice in the recovery room, and they thought I meant ice-chips, which was nice too - but once it was numb, it was all good and is much better now. Dr. Byrd visited me later in the evening on Monday and brought the resident that sent down the order not to feed me, she was so apologetic, I told her not to worry and that my daughter was determined to help and Dr. Byrd thought Kourts was awesome! He said he got everything he could see - (the node in my groin was the size of a ping-pong ball) and he was very glad not to have to do the skin graft, as the melanoma on the shin wasn't as deep - which is good.
I have some impressive incisions and nurse Glenda is taking care of them very well, along with the 2 drains (one in my stomach and on on my leg - which I will have until 1/30). The girls think that it is all pretty gross, but aren't far from me when they are home and my bedroom is still a good place to do homework ;-)
So I have to say that the best B-day present I have ever received was the news I am Cancer-free. I look forward to hearing the results next Tuesday and then meeting with Dr. Margolin again to make final decisions on my treatment.
Also, thank you for all the food/meals - every bit of it is being quickly consumed, and it all is much better than my family is used to... :-)
Thanks again for all your love, thoughts, prayers, comments and support! We will update the blog next week after we hear the results.
~Keri
Monday, January 12, 2009
Update #6 1/12 Surgery Details
Hello All
First of all thank you all for the well wishes! They are much appreciated!
We had a long day beginning at 5:45 am. Keri was prepped for surgery,vitals,urine etc Had a pregnancy test...Negative! Whew! After that I was politely asked to leave. She met with the anesthesiologist and was on her way. The surgery began at about 8:15am and lasted until 1:01pm...4 hours and 45 minutes...now that is what I call a good nap! Keri's Mom, Dad and myself met with Dr.Byrd at about 1:40pm and heard his report. Basically everything went well, There were no surprises, the original mole was removed(no skin graft necessary at this time, which was good news! One less wound to heal!Yeah!) Next came behind the knee, lymph node removed behind the knee(Dr Byrd looked at this one under a microscope and confirmed that it was malignant) He then removed the node that was located at the side of her knee. We will have to wait for the pathology on this one. Up to this point it took about two hours.
Next Dr.Byrd started on the groin area, he removed the lower groin nodes and then removed the upper nodes as well. He took nodes out around the obvious malignant nodes in the upper section and will be checking the pathology under a microscope. This should take a little over a week before we get the results on these surrounding nodes. We know the main nodes are malignant as they were already biopsied.
Keri was in recovery from 1:00pm until 2:45pm. She was in good spirits, took one look at me and said.."Hi, where are my babies? I responded with "I will go and get them," She said, "Yes, Please!" The kids and I hung out until 8:30pm, Keri was tired and hopefully going to have a good nights sleep, I should have grabbed some meds for myself! Beer will have to do!
Keri was incredibly strong and we are hoping for the best with the pathology reports next week. Thanks again for all of your love and support. Thanks to Keri's Mom and Dad for putting in a full shift at the hospital today! We will let you all know when Keri will be released from the hospital.
Thanks again!
Doug
First of all thank you all for the well wishes! They are much appreciated!
We had a long day beginning at 5:45 am. Keri was prepped for surgery,vitals,urine etc Had a pregnancy test...Negative! Whew! After that I was politely asked to leave. She met with the anesthesiologist and was on her way. The surgery began at about 8:15am and lasted until 1:01pm...4 hours and 45 minutes...now that is what I call a good nap! Keri's Mom, Dad and myself met with Dr.Byrd at about 1:40pm and heard his report. Basically everything went well, There were no surprises, the original mole was removed(no skin graft necessary at this time, which was good news! One less wound to heal!Yeah!) Next came behind the knee, lymph node removed behind the knee(Dr Byrd looked at this one under a microscope and confirmed that it was malignant) He then removed the node that was located at the side of her knee. We will have to wait for the pathology on this one. Up to this point it took about two hours.
Next Dr.Byrd started on the groin area, he removed the lower groin nodes and then removed the upper nodes as well. He took nodes out around the obvious malignant nodes in the upper section and will be checking the pathology under a microscope. This should take a little over a week before we get the results on these surrounding nodes. We know the main nodes are malignant as they were already biopsied.
Keri was in recovery from 1:00pm until 2:45pm. She was in good spirits, took one look at me and said.."Hi, where are my babies? I responded with "I will go and get them," She said, "Yes, Please!" The kids and I hung out until 8:30pm, Keri was tired and hopefully going to have a good nights sleep, I should have grabbed some meds for myself! Beer will have to do!
Keri was incredibly strong and we are hoping for the best with the pathology reports next week. Thanks again for all of your love and support. Thanks to Keri's Mom and Dad for putting in a full shift at the hospital today! We will let you all know when Keri will be released from the hospital.
Thanks again!
Doug
Update #5 1/12 Surgery
Hi everyone,this is Kourtney,
Daddy, Alexa, and I are all at the hospital right now, visiting my mom. Her surgery went well (more details later) and she is on the road to recovery. As far as I can tell, she is doing great and is very tired.
Earlier this evening, she asked if she could have some food but one of Dr.Byrd's residents decided that she couldn't.
So, me and my dad went down to the food court and ate some food. I kept asking my dad about Dr. Byrd, and he described him as very tall. As we were leaving, I saw a very tall man at the cash register, and it was Dr.Byrd. Of course I had never talked to him before, so I wanted to introduce myself. I went up to him and said "Hi Dr.Byrd, you did the surgery on my mom today." And he said "Why yes I did! How is she doing?" And I said good, her incision is just sore. My dad came over and said "Yeah, they aren't letting her eat." and Dr.Byrd told us "well, that isn't right! She is allowed to eat!" So thanks to me, she is eating right now. ;)
Also, I am sick right now so I have to wear a mask. I look pretty funny.
My dad will update the blog later with the medical stuff. This was just an update to let everyone know she is doing just fine!!
Thanks!
~Kourtney
Daddy, Alexa, and I are all at the hospital right now, visiting my mom. Her surgery went well (more details later) and she is on the road to recovery. As far as I can tell, she is doing great and is very tired.
Earlier this evening, she asked if she could have some food but one of Dr.Byrd's residents decided that she couldn't.
So, me and my dad went down to the food court and ate some food. I kept asking my dad about Dr. Byrd, and he described him as very tall. As we were leaving, I saw a very tall man at the cash register, and it was Dr.Byrd. Of course I had never talked to him before, so I wanted to introduce myself. I went up to him and said "Hi Dr.Byrd, you did the surgery on my mom today." And he said "Why yes I did! How is she doing?" And I said good, her incision is just sore. My dad came over and said "Yeah, they aren't letting her eat." and Dr.Byrd told us "well, that isn't right! She is allowed to eat!" So thanks to me, she is eating right now. ;)
Also, I am sick right now so I have to wear a mask. I look pretty funny.
My dad will update the blog later with the medical stuff. This was just an update to let everyone know she is doing just fine!!
Thanks!
~Kourtney
Tuesday, January 6, 2009
Update # 4 - 1/6
Hi & HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!
(If you are new to this blog, please start at the bottom :-)
Updates:
1)Ankle - My Orthopedic at the UW said I need to rest and wear an air cast for a couple months and not run or play soccer while it heals, and at this point, there is no need for surgery. Yahoo! I think I can do what he asks! Then come to find out, my college roomate was his first girlfriend back when they were in middle school....what a coincidence!
2)Melanoma - I have an ultrasound scheduled for 1/7, a dermatologist appt. to map all my freckles/moles on 1/9 and then surgery 1/12 @ UW Medical Center - Surgery Pavillion, I will be staying overnight and when all goes well, released on 1/13.
Along with Doug and the girls, my mom Glenda will be helping me post-surgery, & my neighbor, April Perla, is helping coordinate all the food that has been so kindly offered to be made for my family post-surgery. (P.S. Kourtney would prefer if there were no strange casseroles, thanks!-KRK) Doug will manage the girls sports schedules so Kourtney & Alexa will be well taken care of during this time. Thank you all very much!
Thanks again for all your well wishes, prayers and comments! They are all appreciated! Until next week!
~Keri
(If you are new to this blog, please start at the bottom :-)
Updates:
1)Ankle - My Orthopedic at the UW said I need to rest and wear an air cast for a couple months and not run or play soccer while it heals, and at this point, there is no need for surgery. Yahoo! I think I can do what he asks! Then come to find out, my college roomate was his first girlfriend back when they were in middle school....what a coincidence!
2)Melanoma - I have an ultrasound scheduled for 1/7, a dermatologist appt. to map all my freckles/moles on 1/9 and then surgery 1/12 @ UW Medical Center - Surgery Pavillion, I will be staying overnight and when all goes well, released on 1/13.
Along with Doug and the girls, my mom Glenda will be helping me post-surgery, & my neighbor, April Perla, is helping coordinate all the food that has been so kindly offered to be made for my family post-surgery. (P.S. Kourtney would prefer if there were no strange casseroles, thanks!-KRK) Doug will manage the girls sports schedules so Kourtney & Alexa will be well taken care of during this time. Thank you all very much!
Thanks again for all your well wishes, prayers and comments! They are all appreciated! Until next week!
~Keri
Wednesday, December 31, 2008
Update # 3 - 12/31
Happy New Year's Eve everyone!
(If you are new to reading this Blog, start from the very bottom :-)
Updates:
1) My appt. w/ Dr. Kim Margolin yesterday went well, we learned about the treatment options I have for post-surgery: Interferon injections, a clinical trial or observation. As for a final decision on the best treatment, we will have to wait until after surgery to see how it all turns out. We need lots of prayers that the lump on the outside of my knee is a superficial lymph node and not an in-transit tumor. That way, when Dr. Byrd brings his "A" game to surgery on 1/12, he will be able to remove ALL the melanoma in me in one shot. When he does that, there is a slight chance I may be eligible for a clinical trial called "MAGE vaccine trial" that is going on right now in 5 cities including Seattle. Again, this will be based on the outcome of the surgery -cleaning me of all melanoma, the pathology results of my lymph nodes and some other qualifying criteria - a long shot, but maybe I will qualify.
2) I got an MRI on my right ankle on Monday and the results came back yesterday that revealed I completely tore my anterior and inferior talofibular ligament and partially tore the inferior band of the deltoid ligament...ugh! I have been walking with a boot for a few days which has helped and now I have an appt. on Monday 1/5 with an Orthopedic to see what I will need to do - hopefully just keep wearing the boot for a few weeks as opposed to a cast or surgery.
We have been enjoying the holidays here at the Kirton house! As for our family visit, Scott went back to Calgary on Sunday and Doug's parents, sister and niece go back to Toronto on 1/5. It has been great to have them with us!
Thanks again for all your support and comments on this blog! We will update it again in 2009 :-)
Cheers!
~ Keri
(If you are new to reading this Blog, start from the very bottom :-)
Updates:
1) My appt. w/ Dr. Kim Margolin yesterday went well, we learned about the treatment options I have for post-surgery: Interferon injections, a clinical trial or observation. As for a final decision on the best treatment, we will have to wait until after surgery to see how it all turns out. We need lots of prayers that the lump on the outside of my knee is a superficial lymph node and not an in-transit tumor. That way, when Dr. Byrd brings his "A" game to surgery on 1/12, he will be able to remove ALL the melanoma in me in one shot. When he does that, there is a slight chance I may be eligible for a clinical trial called "MAGE vaccine trial" that is going on right now in 5 cities including Seattle. Again, this will be based on the outcome of the surgery -cleaning me of all melanoma, the pathology results of my lymph nodes and some other qualifying criteria - a long shot, but maybe I will qualify.
2) I got an MRI on my right ankle on Monday and the results came back yesterday that revealed I completely tore my anterior and inferior talofibular ligament and partially tore the inferior band of the deltoid ligament...ugh! I have been walking with a boot for a few days which has helped and now I have an appt. on Monday 1/5 with an Orthopedic to see what I will need to do - hopefully just keep wearing the boot for a few weeks as opposed to a cast or surgery.
We have been enjoying the holidays here at the Kirton house! As for our family visit, Scott went back to Calgary on Sunday and Doug's parents, sister and niece go back to Toronto on 1/5. It has been great to have them with us!
Thanks again for all your support and comments on this blog! We will update it again in 2009 :-)
Cheers!
~ Keri
Saturday, December 27, 2008
Update #2 - 12/27
Hi :-)
We hope you all had a wonderful Holiday. For us, Christmas Eve was fun with my side of the family (McDonald and Rankin families) and then Christmas morning, with us 4, Buddy, mom and Scott was really nice - nothing like a true white Christmas! Then later Christmas night, the Kirton clan (Doug Sr., Norma, Angie and Isabella) made it from Toronto to Seattle safely. We have had a great time enjoying the snow, sledding, making snowmen (see profile photo of our snow art), ice skating and we had our traditional Christmas Turkey dinner tonight with all the fixings, while Kourtney (12) made the dessert - Apple Crisp! Yummy!
As for my update:
I will meet with Dr. Kim Margolin on 12/30 for my initial appointment and discuss my post-surgery options.
Then I heard on Friday that I have been scheduled for surgery on Monday, 1/12. Dr. Byrd performs surgeries on Mondays and Thursdays, and with the holidays taking up 2 Thursdays 12/25 & 1/1, that was the soonest date available. I told the scheduler that I am ready to go anytime, in case someone cancels, which is unlikely, but you never know.
Next update will come if there is any new news after my 12/30 appointment.
Thanks again for all your well wishes and prayers. I am so blessed to have such wonderful support!
Cheers!
~Keri
We hope you all had a wonderful Holiday. For us, Christmas Eve was fun with my side of the family (McDonald and Rankin families) and then Christmas morning, with us 4, Buddy, mom and Scott was really nice - nothing like a true white Christmas! Then later Christmas night, the Kirton clan (Doug Sr., Norma, Angie and Isabella) made it from Toronto to Seattle safely. We have had a great time enjoying the snow, sledding, making snowmen (see profile photo of our snow art), ice skating and we had our traditional Christmas Turkey dinner tonight with all the fixings, while Kourtney (12) made the dessert - Apple Crisp! Yummy!
As for my update:
I will meet with Dr. Kim Margolin on 12/30 for my initial appointment and discuss my post-surgery options.
Then I heard on Friday that I have been scheduled for surgery on Monday, 1/12. Dr. Byrd performs surgeries on Mondays and Thursdays, and with the holidays taking up 2 Thursdays 12/25 & 1/1, that was the soonest date available. I told the scheduler that I am ready to go anytime, in case someone cancels, which is unlikely, but you never know.
Next update will come if there is any new news after my 12/30 appointment.
Thanks again for all your well wishes and prayers. I am so blessed to have such wonderful support!
Cheers!
~Keri
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)