This week has been a pretty monumental week in Kolby’s treatment. It was significant for for a couple of reasons. First she underwent a very important series of body scans to restage her cancer and evaluate her future treatment protocol. The tests that she took this week were the PET/CT scan as well as an EKG/Echo scan for her heart. The PET/CT scan was to evaluate the effectiveness of the chemotherapy on her cancer and the EKG/Echo scan was to determine if there was any damage on her heart caused by the chemotherapy drugs.
PET/CT imaging is a type of nuclear medicine imaging. The PET/CT imaging scans use radioactive materials called radiotracers, which is injected into a vein and it eventually accumulates in organs or areas of your body being examined, where it gives off energy in the form of gamma rays. In this picture Kolby is waiting 1 hour while the radiotracers travel through her body. We can be in the room with her as long as we stand behind a lead shield. The radioactive ions leaving her body could potentially enter ours, and so we need to stay behind the lead curtain for our protection.
This energy is detected by a device called a PET scanner. These devices work together with a computer to measure the amount of radiotracer absorbed by your body and to produce special pictures with details on both the structure and function of organs and tissues. PET and PET/CT scans are performed to detect cancer, determine whether a cancer has spread in the body, determine the effectiveness of a treatment plan, and later on to determine if a cancer has returned after treatments. It also helps determine blood flow to the heart muscle. The scan lasts about 45 minutes, and you aren’t allowed to move a muscle…even if you need to scratch your nose. The EKG/Echo tests went pretty quick and most heart patients will tell you that there really is no discomfort in taking them. A few wires and some sticky gel from the ultrasound and then you’re done!
On Thursday we went in for Kolby’s scheduled chemo treatment along with a planned consultation with her doctor to review the results of her scans. If her scans came back “positive”…meaning that the cancer was still visible in the scans, then that would result in a significant shift in the treatment, to a more drastic treatment regimen. What also made this visit significant was that this was potentially the final dose of one particularly nasty chemotherapy drug…the dreaded Doxorubicin, or “Devils Juice” as Kolby calls it! This drug causes such destruction of tissues and organs that you reach a lifetime limit that you cannot go pass. A lifetime limit of 450ml squared can be given and that is it. If cancer returns in the future, you will not be able to use that drug and you will need some other form of treatment. In Kolby’s treatment protocol, she is stopping at 300ml squared, leaving only a lifetime potential available use of 150ml squared for any future battles. This particular drug rests in tissues and organs for up to 8 years causing havoc and destruction throughout your body. Because of that fact she will have regular EKG/Echo heart tests for the remainder of her life.
Here is a syringe of the Doxorubicin for Kolby’s treatment. If you look closely…it looks to be about the same size as my Thanksgiving turkey baster!!!!
After Kolby completes her chemotherapy treatment in May of next year, she will still need to have PET/CT scans every 3 months for the first 5 years, and then every 4 months for the next 3 years, and then 1-2 every year thereafter. That is the only way that we could potentially catch the cancer should it decide to return, before it gets to stage 4 like it did this time.
After Kolbys treatment we were able to discuss the results of her scans with the doctor. Doctor Rashid said that she was very pleased with the results of the scans. She indicated that all of the areas that lit up before on her scans indicating the pockets of tumors and cancer had all been “resolved”. (which in layman terms means that the cancer is no longer visible on any type of imagining device used to track it.) THAT IS INCREDIBLY GREAT NEWS!!!
As a parent I can’t tell you what a sense of relief it was to know that we are beating the battle with this cancer. We go to bed every night prayerful …but worried…that she was going to make it through this okay. I was nervous when I took my S.A.T. tests for college entrance. I was nervous when Dana took her first pregnancy test. But my hands sweat and my heart races every time we wait to find out all of the results on Kolby’s cancer tests. A never ending anxiety attack hopped up on steroids describes it best!!!
With that…we now know that Kolby can enter the next stage of treatment that switches to a drug called Methotrexate. It has many of the same nasty side effects as the Doxorubicin, except that it does not cause damage to the heart muscle. She will be on this drug along with her 4 other chemotherapy medications and her endless amounts of pills…until the end of May 2011.
As her family we believe in…the miracles of modern science working hand in hand with the miracles of faithful prayers…especially by all those working hard in Keeping Kolby with us. We appreciate all those prayers offered in her behalf and we know that because of them, we have this miracle daughter still with us. Just 4 and half months ago she was at the brink of death with stage 4 cancer. Just 10 years ago there was no treatment protocol for what she had, and the prognosis was terminal. Today we have hope that she is going to make it out of this terrible disease alive. We have faith that our Heavenly Father knows what is best for us, and that today he does work miracles!
PET/CT imaging is a type of nuclear medicine imaging. The PET/CT imaging scans use radioactive materials called radiotracers, which is injected into a vein and it eventually accumulates in organs or areas of your body being examined, where it gives off energy in the form of gamma rays. In this picture Kolby is waiting 1 hour while the radiotracers travel through her body. We can be in the room with her as long as we stand behind a lead shield. The radioactive ions leaving her body could potentially enter ours, and so we need to stay behind the lead curtain for our protection.
This energy is detected by a device called a PET scanner. These devices work together with a computer to measure the amount of radiotracer absorbed by your body and to produce special pictures with details on both the structure and function of organs and tissues. PET and PET/CT scans are performed to detect cancer, determine whether a cancer has spread in the body, determine the effectiveness of a treatment plan, and later on to determine if a cancer has returned after treatments. It also helps determine blood flow to the heart muscle. The scan lasts about 45 minutes, and you aren’t allowed to move a muscle…even if you need to scratch your nose. The EKG/Echo tests went pretty quick and most heart patients will tell you that there really is no discomfort in taking them. A few wires and some sticky gel from the ultrasound and then you’re done!
On Thursday we went in for Kolby’s scheduled chemo treatment along with a planned consultation with her doctor to review the results of her scans. If her scans came back “positive”…meaning that the cancer was still visible in the scans, then that would result in a significant shift in the treatment, to a more drastic treatment regimen. What also made this visit significant was that this was potentially the final dose of one particularly nasty chemotherapy drug…the dreaded Doxorubicin, or “Devils Juice” as Kolby calls it! This drug causes such destruction of tissues and organs that you reach a lifetime limit that you cannot go pass. A lifetime limit of 450ml squared can be given and that is it. If cancer returns in the future, you will not be able to use that drug and you will need some other form of treatment. In Kolby’s treatment protocol, she is stopping at 300ml squared, leaving only a lifetime potential available use of 150ml squared for any future battles. This particular drug rests in tissues and organs for up to 8 years causing havoc and destruction throughout your body. Because of that fact she will have regular EKG/Echo heart tests for the remainder of her life.
Here is a syringe of the Doxorubicin for Kolby’s treatment. If you look closely…it looks to be about the same size as my Thanksgiving turkey baster!!!!
After Kolby completes her chemotherapy treatment in May of next year, she will still need to have PET/CT scans every 3 months for the first 5 years, and then every 4 months for the next 3 years, and then 1-2 every year thereafter. That is the only way that we could potentially catch the cancer should it decide to return, before it gets to stage 4 like it did this time.
After Kolbys treatment we were able to discuss the results of her scans with the doctor. Doctor Rashid said that she was very pleased with the results of the scans. She indicated that all of the areas that lit up before on her scans indicating the pockets of tumors and cancer had all been “resolved”. (which in layman terms means that the cancer is no longer visible on any type of imagining device used to track it.) THAT IS INCREDIBLY GREAT NEWS!!!
As a parent I can’t tell you what a sense of relief it was to know that we are beating the battle with this cancer. We go to bed every night prayerful …but worried…that she was going to make it through this okay. I was nervous when I took my S.A.T. tests for college entrance. I was nervous when Dana took her first pregnancy test. But my hands sweat and my heart races every time we wait to find out all of the results on Kolby’s cancer tests. A never ending anxiety attack hopped up on steroids describes it best!!!
With that…we now know that Kolby can enter the next stage of treatment that switches to a drug called Methotrexate. It has many of the same nasty side effects as the Doxorubicin, except that it does not cause damage to the heart muscle. She will be on this drug along with her 4 other chemotherapy medications and her endless amounts of pills…until the end of May 2011.
As her family we believe in…the miracles of modern science working hand in hand with the miracles of faithful prayers…especially by all those working hard in Keeping Kolby with us. We appreciate all those prayers offered in her behalf and we know that because of them, we have this miracle daughter still with us. Just 4 and half months ago she was at the brink of death with stage 4 cancer. Just 10 years ago there was no treatment protocol for what she had, and the prognosis was terminal. Today we have hope that she is going to make it out of this terrible disease alive. We have faith that our Heavenly Father knows what is best for us, and that today he does work miracles!
OH MY GOSH!!!!! I'm SO happy to hear these results! I am so relieved, happy and most of all impressed by how well you're handling this. Kolby, your body is stronger than you probably ever realized, huh?! Thank goodness for miracles and prayer!!! Love you :) Hang in there.
ReplyDeleteYAY! I'm so glad to hear that you got good news! I bet it's such a relief!
ReplyDeleteI am "happy dancing" all over the place right now! LOL! PRAISE GOD!!!!!!!! I love you guys. This is awesome news. ♥♥♥
ReplyDeleteI am so overwhelmed with happiness that Kolby is on her way to being cancer-free. I am so grateful for a God of healing and of miracles.
ReplyDeleteThat is such wonderful news! Prayer is real, and Heavenly Father is listening :) Keep fighting, Kolby! Your body can fight this all the way!
ReplyDeleteI was on pins and needles reading this post. I love all of the detailed information and was so HAPPY to read that the treatments are working. Such great news!
ReplyDeleteI hope that the next few days pass quickly as you suffer the side effects of the latest round of "devil's juice." Hopefully, you're feeling better again soon!