Trials and choices....1 year after diagnosis

After a dissapointing last 6 mos of std therapies I am moving on to clinical trials. Today is my 1 year anniversary since my diagnosis.

Opdivo showed mixed results in my Pulminary nodules and shrinkage in my liver, but my lymphnodes exploded in the last 3 months, with most gowing 3-4cm in 2 mos.

Initally I showed good results on votrient, but after 4 months it stabilized and by 6 months I have progression.

As an intersting not I had a lot of feedback from doctors at the molecular tumor board. Upon questioning about my side effects the question of my severe diariah became a talking point. He theorized that due to the Votrient being a fat soluable absorbtion and my inability to digest and absorb properly that it wasn't that votrient failed in its chemical ability, but rather it wasn't being absorbed and thus not getting to where in needed to be.

This is not a proven fact just a theroy that was propsed to me, but even before this converstation I had began to think that if everything went through me how could my digestive absorbtion be working, I had also lost weight and been losing appetite.  You can see where my thinking is going..... I was so sick on Votrient for the last several months on it.

The trial I am looking at is another TKI , this time a combination of Ibrutinib and Everolimus in pretty agressive doses. This is a phase I/II trial basically testing the dosing tolerance. Initially I had good results on a TKI so I am leaning that way rather than another immuno like IL-15.

I had a biopsy friday on a lympnode next to my thyroid. This will be analized and compared to my original Kidney tumor to see if there is a mutation directly effecting my lymph nodes which is where 95% of my growth is occuring. So I will be at the tumor board again in the next few weeks for those results.

I have meetings regarding this in the next couple of weeks, I have stayed on opdivo for another cycle because it wasnt't all bad results and the side effects where non existant.

Wish me luck, I haven't had a lot lately in treatment, 2016 has been very rough for me.