Setback

Cathy’s latest scan indicated tumor growth and the thickening of her bladder wall. Her doctor believes she does not have bladder cancer but the tumors are causing problems. This is obviously scary and frustrating, but not entirely surprising.

Cathy was on a combination of three chemotherapy medicines, Leucovorin, Fluorouracil (5FU) and Oxaliplatin. This regimen is known as “Fol Fox”. Two scans indicated the regimen stabilized Cathy’s cancer and even provided mild improvement. However, she could only take the Oxaliplatin for a limited time or there could be irreversible side effects. She had 12 rounds of it and the plan was then to continue only with the Leucovorin and Fluorouracil hoping they would maintain the stabilization and perhaps even sustain the progress. Unfortunately, they did not do this. Cathy began to experience symptoms such as ankle swelling and abdominal discomfort. She was given a scan which showed the above results.

So now another drug, Irinotecan (Camptosar or CPT-11), has been added to her regimen and with the other two drugs makes up a treatment plan called “Fol Firi”. This new drug, like the Oxali, is a heavy hitter causing fatigue, nausea and hair thinning, but hopefully it will stop the cancer and reverse its course. Giving her Oxali again is not out of the question since it was effective the first time but for now it is better to try other medications given the irreversible side effects Oxali can cause.

This setback is a reminder to us that battling cancer is a journey with many ups and downs. Cathy had several chemo sessions with less fatigue and side effects. Now she is on a new drug and is back to being knocked out for a few days during treatment. In addition, we will have to wait and see if any other side effects occur. On the bright side, knowing what is causing her symptoms gives us courage to fight them as opposed to not knowing and guessing. The doctors can also treat and relieve her symptoms more effectively. There are many options in cancer treatment and Team Cathy will exhaust them all. That is for sure!