2nd Erbitux Treatment
We traveled to Birmingham yesterday for our 2nd treatment with Erbitux. It was pretty much an uneventful day. Sam looks like Rudolph with his red nose; the infusion nurse said that it is a good sign when you have a rash - that is an indication that the chemo is doing some good. We will do four more treatments and then have a CT on May 4th to get the results. He lost 2 1/2 lbs. since last week so they stressed the importance of the ProSure. We asked Dr. Posey about Sam taking Megace for his appetite (he took it after his liver surgery). Dr. Posey is not a component of Megace because it does not help retain muscle, just adds fat, so scratch that idea.

We did stop in Birmingham and looked for Sam a leather recliner. I have held out as long as I can (I don't like them) but he really wants one so I am telling them to deliver it today. I will just have to camouflage it with a pretty pillow!! We use to have two several years ago and he has never forgiven me for selling them.

He is back at work today and and maybe feeling just a tiny bit better. I'll post again when I have some more news. Our prayers are with everyone.

Bad News/Good News/1st Erbitux Treatment
Yesterday was a very mixed day - another roller coaster ride when dealing with cancer; there are certainly more downs than ups. Sam had his first treatment of Erbitux; they gave him Benadryl and he slept for several hours. He even trusted me to do the two-hour drive from Birmingham to Demopolis in an unbelievable rain storm so I know he was out of it.

The bad news was the results of the chest CT which showed extensive adenopathy in the right internal mammary; new nodules in both lungs and a new lesion in the sternum. The previous nodules in the lungs appear to be somewhat larger than shown on the previous CT in January.
If there is any good news, it was the results of the CT of the pelvis and abdomen. For the most part, the adenopathy appeared unchanged and the RFA (radio frequency ablation of the liver tumor) was stable. His blood work was also very good - almost nothing out of the ordinary.

Dr. Posey was not in the office yesterday but we will see him on the 30th. His nurse mentioned the possibility of doing some radiation on the area in the sternum but that is not a definite.

Guess where he is today - BACK AT WORK!!

Erbitux Treatment
We are scheduled for six weekly treatments of Erbitux starting on Monday, March 20th and also a CT. I "think" plans are to give the Erbitux by itself and then add the Camptosar later if the Erbitux does any good. Sam is so weak and feels so bad that I'm not sure he can tolerate the Camptosar side effects. Anyway those are the plans today; they will probably change by Monday. It has been eight weeks since he has had any kind of treatment and I am really concerned as to what the CT is going to show. We really need everyone's prayers right now. It is just unbelievable how much he has gone down within the last three weeks but he managed to drag himself to work again this morning. I don't know how he does it.

We took a day of vacation yesterday to be with Cindy, S.E. and A.K.; they have been here since Friday from Brooksville, FL and we really had a good visit. I taught A.K. (Anna Katherine) how to paint with water colors and she did a fantastic job. It really turned out good since I paint with oils and I didn't have a clue as to what I was doing!! I still didn't get a picture for our blog taken; Sam just felt too bad - maybe later.

Latest News on Next Treatment
We finally heard the results of the retests on Sam's liver biopsy. The liver tested positive (2+) for EGFR and (1+) for HER2. Depending on whether or not UAB can get approval from Blue Cross Blue Shield, plans are to start Sam on six weekly treatments of Erbitux. Sam got the impression from Dr. Posey's nurse that he would be given the Erbitux by itself. We should know something next week as to the details of the treatment. They are filling out the request to BCBS today; please keep your fingers crossed that the insurance company will approve the drug.

Sam has really gone downhill since he had the flu; just hates the idea of eating anything at all. He is losing weight but still trying to work everyday. Our daughter and two granddaughters from Brooksville, FL are coming this afternoon so I know that will perk him up a little. We haven't seen them since Thanksgiving. Sarah Elizabeth is 15 and Anna Katherine is 11. Hopefully we can get a picture of the whole gang while they are here and I will post it on our blog. Hope everyone has a good weekend!!!!

Brief Update
Not much news to report concerning Sam's treatment. Still waiting to hear from UAB. We should be a pro at the waiting game by now. Unfortunately Sam has come down with a flu bug that has been going around at work and he has been really sick since Monday afternoon - running a temp of 103. I think I noticed a little improvement this morning so hopefully he is getting better. It is really a challenge to keep any weight on him right now; he just doesn't want anything at all to eat - not even chocolate and I never thought that day would come.