I think I've used that post title before. Sorry. Anyway, it's been a while since I posted, so I wanted to give everyone an update. Since the last post, Marye has been feeling ok, relatively speaking. She still suffers from fatigue and lethargy, but nothing concrete that she can put her finger on. That's good in a way, since she's not really having a lot pain. She had blood work done last week, and on Monday we found out that her tumor markers have increased to over 200. The last number we had was 160, so it's definitely moving in the wrong direction. This isn't exactly unexpected, since she hasn't had chemotherapy in about two months. However, she has been on an Aromatase Inhibitor, which stops the producution of estrogen in the body, hopefully starving the tumor of what it needs to grow, but the AI usually takes 4-6 weeks to have any effect. So the question is: do we go back on chemo or give the AI a chance to work?
We'll have an answer in the next week or so. More important than the tumor marker is a CT scan, so we can see exactly what the tumor is doing. We expect that to happen soon. After that, Dr. Riley will consult with Dr. Vitale to decide if Marye is strong enough to go back on chemo. Those conversations are forthcoming, so I expect the next week to fairly busy. One thing about cancer, it never lets you forget who's boss. Just when you get into a rhythm, it pokes you with a stick to get you moving in another direction.
So, that's it for now. Marye is fairly comfortable, aside from the aforementioned fatigue. She's eating well and her hair is actually growing back, much to her chagrin. Of course, that won't last much longer. I hope everyone is well, and you'll be hearing from me soon.
