09.09.2009 - The End of IV Chemo

Yes, it is real this time...it is the end of intravenous chemotherapy for me. I had a MRI scan of my brain this morning, as I usually do every eight weeks and the scan showed no new growth or activity in the residual tumor tissue. After I have the scan each time, I always see my neurooncologist and we discuss treatment and where to go from here.

He invited me to do eight more weeks of chemo to bring me to the end of October, but I declined. He invited me to try etopicide in oral form, but I declined. I said I was willing to continue taking temodar and he was perfectly alright with that. The present plan is to do my five-day temodar regimen every three weeks accompanied by one 30-minute avastin session at his office. Avastin is not chemotherapy. It doesn't make me sick, it doesn't make me drowsy, it just helps slow the growth of rapid growth cells.

I was doing five-day temodar sessions each time I had intravenous chemotherapy, which was usually every four to six weeks. Temodar is taken orally before bed. I will need to go into his office to have my blood counts checked every week and a half and we'll see if doing it at three-week intervals works out.

Both Carissa and I carefully considered this decision and prayed a lot about it and we feel it is the right decision. Haven't I done enough chemotherapy? I think so. I should miss less work, feel better, be able to grow my hair back, and spend less time with a needle in my arm.