Scans during Thanksgiving week? Yes. I scheduled that.
Last time, the oral contrast did a number on me, and so now I worry that it will happen again. I asked my doc if he would let me skip this unpleasantness at the upcoming visit, but he rejected the idea. I wonder if his opinion could be swayed by 50-pounds of Halloween candy.
hmm...
Last time I was this close > < to achieving "partial response" by RECIST criteria. I don't know what it takes to make lung tumors shrink, but I vowed to
walk daily until my return to Bethesda, in an effort to boost my immune system. It hurts my feet (neuropathy) but I do it anyway. Maybe walking will kill off some of the damaged nerves for good. ha.
Other news! An article about the TIL therapy has been published in
Science*. This one made me realize just how incredibly basic my understanding is. When I think I know something, I learn another something that makes the first revelation miniscule in comparison. Still, what I do understand fascinates me. It must be a very exciting time to be a cancer researcher--it seems like they are on the brink of unlocking cancer's final secrets.
Since my last post here, I got to speak to the lovely
Melinda on the phone. Hers is the case that rocked the world of immunology a couple of years ago. I read an article about her case before I knew my own was metastatic, and it is because of the publicity surrounding her that I found the
trial at NIH. She is now two years out from the same treatment I received, and doing great as a "partial responder".
Next up: Results. Prayers for good news are gratefully accepted! If swinging chickens is more your style, I'll take that, too. It's all good.
*the KRAS patient referred to is not me. This data was collected prior to my treatment.
