Big #3

Today I’m getting my 3^rd Avastin treatment. This is the treatment after which Dr. Gore and Dr. Barnes say they will be able to tell if the treatments are working well enough to continue. I called Dr. Barnes about my stabbing pains and vomiting on Tuesday, and he had me come in to the hospital for a paracentesis (the radiologist drained 2 liters of fluid from my belly). He said that these were all bad signs when it comes to whether or not the Avastin is working. The initial fluid that drained out of me looked like just blood, which concerned me a lot until Dr. Barnes told me that bloody fluid is normal while receiving Avastin treatments and it is good for the chemo sensitivity test that the fluid is so cellular. I’m just worried because it wasn’t long ok that I had random pain that I could tolerate, and now the stabbing pains are so frequent and agonizing that I can’t go without taking a pain pill anymore. 

Dr. Huh called yesterday to check in on me. I told him about the pains, the vomiting, and the paracentesis, and he felt the Avastin was probably not effective. He suggested that I go ahead and get my 3 treatment today, but if I’m not feeling better by the end of next week, I should consider other options. I said something to Dr. Huh that I also said to Dr. Barnes, but both times I felt like I didn’t articulate myself very well. I told them both that at this point, with all the information they’ve given me, I don’t feel very optimistic about my changes of living a lot longer so if there is any procedure or test that can be done to me that might increase knowledge of this rare type of cancer so that someone in the future doesn’t have to go through this same nightmare…. well, that would make me happy. Dr. Huh mentioned a trial at UAB but said I only had about a 10% chance of being accepted. I didn’t ask him any questions about the trial but I’m sure I’ll have a lot if we find out the Avastin.  I’m also going to change my will and fill out some paperwork saying I want my body to be donated to science after I am gone, even though I have no idea how useful it will be. 

I took two steps in creating a foundation/fund. I attempted to set up a web address (not very successful there) and I went to the post office to get a P.O. Box:

Mary Scott Foundation

P.O. Box 9

Margaret, AL 35112

This is not an official non-profit organization yet. My hope is that it can become a scholarship fund for students who survived cancer or students battling cancer, but I’m not there yet.