Not the news I was hoping to hear......

So apparently the hair loss has only happened in patients with red hair, and my thyroid is completely normal. I asked my self "Why should I be suprised...if it only happens to a couple people...then it will happen to me."

I had a CT and an MRI scan done on December 21st and met with the nurse today. Good news and not so good news.

Good News: I have no new tumors, some of them have decreased in size
Not so good news: The tumors in my armpit and abdomen are growing. From the date of the first scans my tumors have grown overall 30%...which in "cancer" terms means that your cancer is not stable.

They recommended that I start "IPI"  http://www.yervoy.com/patient/about-yervoy.aspx  treatments in January- IPI is an IV therapy that I will do once a week for 4 weeks (I think...still kind of in shock). I will not have to stay in the hospital, and they say I will be able to work at the same time (uhh-huh, we will see about that) It is still an immunotherapy drug, so not Chemo-but it will affect my immune system in a different way.

They also suggested some radiation therapy for the tumor under my arm because it is getting annoying for me, and sometimes the radiation helps the other tumors react better to the IPI.

So on to the next battle.......

Graduation Day

You are now leaving the Twilight Zone.......

I finished the last treatment of IL2 on December 7th! I feel pretty good, with the exception of the new side effect that I had of joint pain, I feel like I have arthritis in every joint of my body, so ibuprophen has become my new friend.

As usual I do not remember much of the week, but I know that they did something different. Rather than giving me an pre-dose of pain meds, they waited until I "rigored" before they gave me anything. Which might have something to do with the joint pain.

Apparently we watched Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer, and I was talking to my Grandpa and asking him for Werthers because my mouth was dry. (He has been gone for almost 6yrs)

I am scheduled to go in for a CT and MRI scan on Dec 21st and I am keeping my fingers and toes crossed that everything is good.

I started loosing my hair about 2 weeks ago, which should not be happening, so I am trying to figure out what is going on-might be thyroid issues etc. I know everyone says that "hair should not define you", but they have never lost hair. It would be easier if it was something that I had planned for, but this typically does not happen with the kind of treatments that I received. So hopefully I will find out more next week.

I am so grateful for the staff at HCI, it was a bitter sweet day when I left on Friday. They made me feel like a real person and made the bumps in my journey a little less painful. They knew me, they knew my quirks- what "home remedies" I brought with me. How much I hated to wear the hospital gown. They laughed at me when I told them I could taste the saline when they would "flush" after the injections, and how I felt the benadryl in my chest after it was injected. They noticed my pedicures and even gave me decorations to decorate my "IV tree".

I may not be a University of Utah fan......but I am a fan of YOU! XOXO

This image was on the board when I arrived on Monday, and yes RC was one of my favorites!