Happy 2009!!! and a quick update...

Hello everyone: For those of you who don't know me, I was Dx'd November 2005 with a genetic form of colorectal cancer (FAP) when I was 8 months pregnant. Colectomy (01/2006) Liver mets (liver resection - 07/2007), lung mets (lung resection - 08/2008), one bone met (radiation and Exablate), and now retroperitoneal mets. You can read the full story on my webpage.

Just wanted to give you a quick update as a lot has happened in the last couple of months. Last I posted I mentioned that I was part of a clinical trial for my one bone met using the Exablate 2000. The pain is getting better, although it is not all gone. Apparently it can take up to three months to feel the full advantages of the procedure. Of course, I will keep you all posted.

In the middle of December I went on a trip to Argentina to see my oncologist and liver surgeon. I also had a PET scan done. The scan showed that the inaccessible lung met (behind the lung, near the heart) was gone (my doctors are scratching their heads at that one), although a new small nodule did appear in a very accessible, operable area. I will deal with that later on. The liver mets are the same, but there is some retroperitoneal mets. My surgeon is very willing to do the surgery to remove the liver and retriperitoneal mets, but wants me to do further therapy to attempt to shrink one lesion close to the portal vein. He says he wants really good, clear margins so that I have a better chance at success. Therefore, I had some radioimmunotherapy in Argentina, and am now back in Canada on Folfox and Erbitux. Hopefully this will get me to another resection by March 2009.

I am taking it one step at a time, and am grateful that we just celebrated my son's 3rd birthday (who would've thought?), and am on my way to watching the next Superbowl. Faith and patience has become the motto I live by. Happy New Years everyone!!! Monica