August 2009 Update

Just after the trip to Costa Rica and before the 197 mile CowaLUNGa bike ride I was going to have chemo in Louisville. I have been going to Louisville for over a year and I was pretty sure I was going to go, so I bought airline tickets for my next 2 sessions. Usually they have patients only do 4-6 round of that type of chemo. I have done way, way more than that, probably around 17 rounds.

Well I had an MRI in Chicago because I was going to leave the next day for Louisville.  I brought up my old scanned images for a pathologist compare.

Turns out, there was a new tumor by/in my liver. To be honest, I was a little upset. Bahar & I left everything at her house and walked about 8 miles on the lakeshore after we received the news. After the walk, I was fine and I talked to my Dad & BJ to give them the news.

The next thing was to call up Dr. Rushing in Indy to see what he thought. He wanted me to do an insulin growth factor receptor chemo.  Well I remembered a doctor at the University of Chicago, Dr. Undevia that actually was doing the hands on study for the insulin growth factor.  So I called him up and he called me that day or the very next day.

He told me that he may have a drug that is even better than the insulin growth factor and the chemotherapy was in a pill form. I immediately said, “I love you”. I was really excited to hear a oral/pill form chemotherapy!

I met with him and he told me that the insulin growth factor study is closed at the time and maybe open again back in September. There is no way that I could wait until September for chemo. Then he told me about a new study that he is “excited” about. The oral drug is called Bravanib. It’s just like the Yondelis in Louisville, the drug tries to cut off the blood going to the tumors. But this drug was in a pill form and I would take 4 pills a day.

On August 11, 2009 I started daily taking the Bravanib pills.  I have to take the pills in the morning so I can feel any of the side effects and write them down in my diary. Yes, I have a diary of when I took the pills and the side effects.

The first few days, I was hazy (I call it “drunk”) for about an hour or less. Then I feel perfectly normal. A lot of people who have been on this drug have felt tired.  I am not tired at all, I feel perfectly fine.

I actually started to get back in the water at Northwestern University. I have been swimming alone and a daily basis. I’m planning on racing the 2.5k for Big Shoulders on September 12, 2009. I have never swum anything that long (2.5k converts into 1.55miles.) before, but I know I can do it no problem. As long as all my wounds are healed up from the old and new port. I do have a stitch still hanging outside my new port, but no infection. I would like to get it covered before I jump in Lake Michigan.

I will be posting on Teamschmult.com more events that I plan to do soon. (e.g. City Chase on August 22, 2009).

It looks like I’m just going to have to kill these tumors by working out and getting back into shape, however I KNOW these pills are going to work too. Thank you JESUS! And God, well same thing.. and everyone who still prays for me, well just everyone THANK YOU!