Deb walking along the Left Bank of the Seine during our long weekend in Paris
Visited QE on 15 March for blood tests and monthly appointment with oncologist. Saw Dr Sanghera. Blood test results were excellent (all within the normal range).
Chemotherapy
As discussed at last visit it was decided that Deb should stop taking the chemotherapy (temozolomide). Although we were expecting this it was still unsettling. Deb will no longer need to go to the Cancer Centre once a month and have blood tests. She will now only see Dr Sanghera once every 3 months after her MRI scan. She will no longer need to take her preventative antibiotic.
The stopping of chemotherapy seems such a big step. Isn't it this drug which has been holding the tumour in check all this time? I asked Dr Sanghera if this was good news or bad news. He said it is good news. A year ago, when the tumour looked as though it was progressing , things looked really bad. At that time Deb's prognosis was poor. But here we are a year later, Deb has done really well and is looking good. We should be positive. I still feel anxious. I couldn't get to sleep after the hospital visit. Dark thoughts about what the future holds.
Steroids
At the last visit Deb was on a dose of dexamethasone of 1 mg per day. Before we went to Paris she reduced to 0.5mg. This reduction caused her to have: 1) extreme fatigue and spend a lot of time in bed, 2) increased dizzy spells, 3) feeling of nausea for most of the day. She therefore went back up to 1mg and these symptoms largely disappeared. I read on the Internet that if you take dexamethasone for more than 2 weeks (Deb has been on it for nearly 2 years) it knocks out the body's own system for producing steroids. (The thyroid gland produces a natural steroid which is essential to ensure adequate activity levels in the body. 0.75 mg per day of dexamethasone is approximately equivalent to the level of steroid produced by the body.) To allow time for Deb's own glands to kick in it was agreed that she should try reducing her steroid dose more slowly. So she will reduce by 0.2mg per day every 10 days. We will monitor the position.
MRI scan of back
Dr Sanghera said he had seen the report on the scan of Deb's back and that everything was OK.
Next visit to QE is on 15 April for another MRI scan of Deb's head. We shall see Dr Sanghera the week after on the 26 April.
