reporting in from Nashville
lisa42
Member Posts: 3,625 Member
Hey Everybody! This is for all of you who were following my posts about going to seek alternate treatment of Lovastatin and interferon for cancer treatment. This, by the way, is something you really should save for if/when the "standard" treatments have run out/failed. So, here I am! I'm writing this from the hotel lobby's computer where I'm staying here in Nashville, TN (Brentwood, TN technically)(Mainstays Suites, right next door to the office- the Baymont Inn is another hotel right next door- rates are not bad- check them out if you're planning on visiting Dr. Cantrell). Anyhow...I had my 2nd and final appt. w/ Dr. Cantrell earlier today. Everything went very well and I really liked Dr. Cantrell. He's a very warm, welcoming, and caring person. I'm starting on the Lovastatin tonight & will build up to my full dose (which will take about a week and a half for my dose, which is based on weight).
After that, I'll add in the interferon injections and will inject myself 3 times a week for 8 weeks. At that point, I'll get scanned again and then we'll see what's happened to my tumors!
Funny, as I was getting ready to leave the Neoplas Innovation office, a woman and her husband came in for the next appt. The woman looked at me and asked me if my name was Lisa and did I post on the cancer board. Of course I answered yes, and she told me I was the reason they were there! In fact, Dr. Cantrell told me he had heard my name mentioned by 3 or 4 patients in the past couple of weeks. That's so exciting to me!! (I've never been famous before-lol!)
If any of you out there reading this are the patients that have seen Dr. Cantrell, I'd love to hear from you! If you'd rather not post here, you can send me a private message via the board's private messaging system (go to CSN Home, then New Message, then type it to lisa42).
I wish you all nothing but the best!! It also might be interesting to compare our journeys through this and to be of support to each other.
Dr. Cantrell was very thorough, open, and honest about everything- he said he knows how this treatment has worked with other patients, but that of course everyone is different. He belives I'm a very good candidate for this treatment, but of course no one knows what will actually happen until we try it. He did say that sometimes lung mets are kind of tough, which is what I'm mostly fighting, but that I could still hopefully expect good results.
By the way, a couple of you asked about his success with bone mets. Although I don't have any bone mets, I did ask about that so that I could report back to you. He did say he's had patients who have had bone mets- from colon cancer and other cancers- and that, yes, he has had some good success in some patients with that. Brain mets are really the only area of mets that he says outright don't have a good response (something having to do with a barrier within the brain that doesn't allow certain chemicals/medications to cross that barrier, which doesn't allow certain meds to work as well on brain mets). With that said, he also did say that he still does have some patients with brain mets, and that they knew this info going into it & were still wanting to do the treatment to work on "other stuff" within them.
I'll check back with you all in a couple of days when I'm home and settled again.
Take care and keep the chin up everyone- THERE IS HOPE, whether it's through this treatment or other clinical trials or other offline treatments- don't ever take "there's nothing more we can do" as an answer- keep seeking new alternatives out! THERE IS ALWAYS HOPE and those people who keep that hope alive and going are often the ones who pull through this cancer beast the best.
Cyberhugs to all-
Lisa
After that, I'll add in the interferon injections and will inject myself 3 times a week for 8 weeks. At that point, I'll get scanned again and then we'll see what's happened to my tumors!
Funny, as I was getting ready to leave the Neoplas Innovation office, a woman and her husband came in for the next appt. The woman looked at me and asked me if my name was Lisa and did I post on the cancer board. Of course I answered yes, and she told me I was the reason they were there! In fact, Dr. Cantrell told me he had heard my name mentioned by 3 or 4 patients in the past couple of weeks. That's so exciting to me!! (I've never been famous before-lol!)
If any of you out there reading this are the patients that have seen Dr. Cantrell, I'd love to hear from you! If you'd rather not post here, you can send me a private message via the board's private messaging system (go to CSN Home, then New Message, then type it to lisa42).
I wish you all nothing but the best!! It also might be interesting to compare our journeys through this and to be of support to each other.
Dr. Cantrell was very thorough, open, and honest about everything- he said he knows how this treatment has worked with other patients, but that of course everyone is different. He belives I'm a very good candidate for this treatment, but of course no one knows what will actually happen until we try it. He did say that sometimes lung mets are kind of tough, which is what I'm mostly fighting, but that I could still hopefully expect good results.
By the way, a couple of you asked about his success with bone mets. Although I don't have any bone mets, I did ask about that so that I could report back to you. He did say he's had patients who have had bone mets- from colon cancer and other cancers- and that, yes, he has had some good success in some patients with that. Brain mets are really the only area of mets that he says outright don't have a good response (something having to do with a barrier within the brain that doesn't allow certain chemicals/medications to cross that barrier, which doesn't allow certain meds to work as well on brain mets). With that said, he also did say that he still does have some patients with brain mets, and that they knew this info going into it & were still wanting to do the treatment to work on "other stuff" within them.
I'll check back with you all in a couple of days when I'm home and settled again.
Take care and keep the chin up everyone- THERE IS HOPE, whether it's through this treatment or other clinical trials or other offline treatments- don't ever take "there's nothing more we can do" as an answer- keep seeking new alternatives out! THERE IS ALWAYS HOPE and those people who keep that hope alive and going are often the ones who pull through this cancer beast the best.
Cyberhugs to all-
Lisa
0
Comments
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Christmas Miracle!
I'm expecting a wonderous miracle Lisa! Still praying for you to be fully and forever healed.
Much love and God bless,
Diane0 -
Good to hear that you made it
Good to hear from you and what wonderful news. When will you be home? I still owe you a lunch. LOL
I hope the rest of the trip goes as well.
Life is funnysometimes
Brooks0 -
Heyas Lisa!!!just4Brooks said:Good to hear that you made it
Good to hear from you and what wonderful news. When will you be home? I still owe you a lunch. LOL
I hope the rest of the trip goes as well.
Life is funnysometimes
Brooks
So glad to hear from you, you really sound happy through your posting, I can feel your smiles! I am so happy to hear you like the doctor, and you got me wanting to see him as well! He does liver mets? I really hope this treatment works out for you, if so, I'm going there! lol...I don't want to be on maintenance chemo, I want more...though, I don't know about injecting myself with anything, yowch! I'd be chicken too. I do have a friend though who is a nurse and could probably do it for me though lol...
Hope you have some fun while in Nashville, and hope you have a safe trip back!
Hugsss!
~Donna0 -
Way to Go Sunshine
Hi Lisa
I can feel the warmth in your post and you sound so good and confident!
You're a trendsetter - but you have always been so!
You are provididng hope and inspiration to so many people here - as you always have.
I loved your story about the lady recognizing you from the Cancer board - now you're famous too! How interesting that the new Dr. is getting "referral" patients from you.
YOU are the Gift that keeps on giving!
Love you - Craig0 -
good to see you LisaSundanceh said:Way to Go Sunshine
Hi Lisa
I can feel the warmth in your post and you sound so good and confident!
You're a trendsetter - but you have always been so!
You are provididng hope and inspiration to so many people here - as you always have.
I loved your story about the lady recognizing you from the Cancer board - now you're famous too! How interesting that the new Dr. is getting "referral" patients from you.
YOU are the Gift that keeps on giving!
Love you - Craig
that all sounds good Lisa. thank you so much for checking in.
Good Luck
mags0 -
Great
So glad that you made it there ok and things are going well with Dr. Cantrell. Good luck in this new journey of yours and I'm glad that you are being so proactive and searching out other means of curing. Let us know how your first treatment goes. I am anxious to hear what their procedure is in all this. Thinking of you always.
Kim0 -
hey lisaAnnabelle41415 said:Great
So glad that you made it there ok and things are going well with Dr. Cantrell. Good luck in this new journey of yours and I'm glad that you are being so proactive and searching out other means of curing. Let us know how your first treatment goes. I am anxious to hear what their procedure is in all this. Thinking of you always.
Kim
glad to hear the news and to see you are excited about it.i am only 80 miles north of you in ky.to bad i dont have the gas money to come visit you.if you get a chance go to the opryland hotel it is awsome around the holidays.sorry i missed you and Godbless....johnnybegood0 -
How will you pay?johnnybegood said:hey lisa
glad to hear the news and to see you are excited about it.i am only 80 miles north of you in ky.to bad i dont have the gas money to come visit you.if you get a chance go to the opryland hotel it is awsome around the holidays.sorry i missed you and Godbless....johnnybegood
I've been doing some research on the interferon he's using. If I've been told correctly it is interferon-2a. I was also told that it was very expensive. Will your insurance cover it? If not, does he get some kind of discount. I was told that one treatment for me would be 7000. I hope this is incorrect, did he say which interfeon he's using?0 -
Lisa, you are making me so
Lisa, you are making me so excited about future treatments if needed. I also have the question on how to pay for this? I know John was asking this question. Will he take medicaid? I will be seeing an Interventional Radiologist Tues.again, he wanted me to come back if the first line of treatment stopped working. He had mentioned Sir spheres. I will see where that takes me for now. I am so proud of you Lisa for your courage and kindness to keep us all informed. I have a really good feeling about this treatment.Keep us posted on how you are feeling with this medicine. God Bless you, Patti0 -
dr cantrellsnommintj said:How will you pay?
I've been doing some research on the interferon he's using. If I've been told correctly it is interferon-2a. I was also told that it was very expensive. Will your insurance cover it? If not, does he get some kind of discount. I was told that one treatment for me would be 7000. I hope this is incorrect, did he say which interfeon he's using?
hi the inteferon cost about $1200 a month. if your insurance doesn't cover it and you can't afford it, the drug company that makes it has a commit to care program that will give it to you. you have to be within certain finincial guidelines, about $50,000 for a family of 2. i just got a month of the drug while i was waiting for my insurance to approve me.0 -
The only thing I can say
Yes, Santa! We Believe!!!
You are a survivor, a fighter, a friend and I can say a lover because you have shown your fears, your hopes, your anger you have shared it all with this board wide open that my friend is true love and compassion. God Bless you, Make it a great Day!!!
Goofyladie aka (Cass)0 -
neoplas
Lisa, thanks for your report. Sorry the weather was so cold for your visit! As I posted in another thread, Dr. Cantrell is indeed a warm and caring doctor and person. Good luck with the treatment; my wife is one of the small minority who have muscle and liver issues with statin drugs. She had surgery two weeks ago to remove a malignant brain metastisis and will probably try irinotecan again in a few weeks, but we are keeping Dr. Cantrell's treatment (at a lower dose) as an option down the road.
FWIW, our insurance covered the interferon-alpha except for a small co-pay. Many states (including our state, TN) have insurance laws requiring coverage of off-label use of certain drugs for cancer treatment, if there is scientific literature supporting it and other treatments have not worked.0 -
Be Blessed
Dearest Lisa,
I was so happy to see your post today. I have been praying for you and was watching for your post. I'm so glad that everything is going so well. I so appreciate you sharing with us, you are amazing... Thank you, thank you. I will continue to lift you in prayer and think of you often.
God Bess You,
Debbie (gramma)0
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