Chapter 34: March Madness

Hi friends and family of Kate. Click the link below for the most recent update from our favorite modern-day Wonder Woman. Continued prayers and positive juju always appreciated! 

Chapter 33 - Three Days in NY

This is a hard post. I had both a CT & PET Scan yesterday (3/12) and both came back with their own horrible sets of results. New progression in lymphs, as well as quite a few other places, plus the one that was the most "a-ha" of all...a tumor in the soft tissue muscle wall in my back right flank---which, we now know, has been the source of my back pain. Not the abscesses, nor other cancerous lesions. 

I met with my allergist on my 2nd day at MSK and she was all gung-ho about tweaking the chemo cocktail on my 2nd line of chemo so I don't have any more allergic reactions. But after we received the scans today, my main oncologist came in with a different recommendation. She said she had even consulted with another oncologist on my case and they are both recommending the 3rd and final line of chemo.

I'm gonna admit, I was pretty hysterical while in the appointment with her. I said multiple times, "Yep - I know how this goes. Last line of chemo. Hospice. Dead." Through all of my sobbing, she corrected me by saying, "last line of chemo...bridge to trial."

Of the 2 trials I presented to her (from my previous trial fact-finding trip to CA a few weeks ago), she was on board with one of them. I said, "If I get a spot now, would I forgo this last resort of chemo regimen?" And she said, "Yes."
So, I now have a lot more on my to-do list:

✔ Continue on this course of antibiotics to get rid of my abscesses
✔ Urgency to get on the one trial that my oncologist liked, administered by USC Keck
✔ Explore palliative radiation for the metastases in my right back flank muscle
✔ Major ramping up of end-of-life planning. I honestly thought I had more time.

I appreciate everyone's support and encouragement over the past few days (1.5 years, rather) and ask for your continued prayers.

-Kate

Chapter 32: Only Thing Being Drained (today) Is My Energy

 

After spending the weekend in the hospital with the instructions that Interventional Radiology (IR) would be draining my abscess on Monday, a rotational doctor came to my room at 1 pm on Monday afternoon (mind you, after I had showered and prepped for the procedure and had not eaten anything after midnight in order to comply with instructions) to inform me that IR had decided AGAINST the previous plan of draining it, and would suggest a long course of antibiotics to treat the issue instead.

So, the entire weekend hospital stay was for nothing as I'm still in excruciating pain. I have calls into Memorial Sloan Kettering and the University of Rochester Medical Center to see if they can do it.

And no, I will NOT be going to Geisinger ever again. 

Chapter 31 - GET OUT

 Kate has a February update for us...