Still doing well....

It has been three and a half weeks since Phil's last chemo, and he seems to be doing very well. He's taking walks, going to lunch with friends, and generally feeling better. His speech is holding steady, and his mind seems sharper. He's processing information more quickly and has a lot of ideas and initiative to do things. So good to see him feeling better.

His next MRI is scheduled for April 30th. We plan to drive down to UCSF taking the coastal route from the California/Oregon border down to the Golden Gate Bridge. Woo Hoo! We'll go through the giant redwoods and see alot of beautiful views of the Pacific coast.

For now, we both feel relaxed and are enjoying how well he is doing. We hope this finds you well, too.

Love,
Phil and Elizabeth.

Posted by Phil and Elizabeth

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Basic Timeline....

  • 11/10/2006: First seizure followed by a week or two of testing. Diagnosis of brain tumor followed.
  • 2/19/2007: A follow-up MRI scan showed rapid progression of the tumor, necessitating surgery.
  • 2/27/07: Brain surgery at UCSF Medical Center with Dr. Mitchel Berger. Good surgery and good recovery.
  • 3/28 - 5/10/07: Started clinical trial of daily oral chemo (Temozolomide) and Enzastaurin (an experimental drug).
  • 5/10/07: Phil completed his radiation cycle. Stopped chemo. Continued Enzastaurin.
  • 6/4/07: Started Temozolomide on 5/23 schedule (5 days on/23 days off.)
  • 7/24/07: MRI showed significant tumor progression. Stopped clinical trial and temozolomide.
  • 7/31/07: Began another chemo protocol with CPT11 and Avastin with infusions every 2 weeks.
  • 9/4/07: MRI showed the tumor shrinking considerably!
  • 10/17/07: MRI showed stable tumor. No progression. Speech and vision worse. Avastin dose halved to slow damage to healthy brain tissue.
  • 11/26/07: MRI showed more shrinkage in one area, and no growth in other parts of the tumor. Clinical improvement. Continue CPT11/Avastin at same dose and frequency.
  • 1/25/08: MRI-Stable. All tumor progression is gone. One small area left that continues to shrink. YAY! Continue CPT11/Avastin.
  • Next MRI scheduled for March 26th.
  • 3/26/08: MRI "pretty much clear;" Stopping tx for one month; then scan again.
  • July/08: Restarted avastin because of possible tumor regrowth, or other effects of stopping avastin. Infusion every 2 weeks. Scan in one month.
  • Sept/08: Scan improved. Change frequency of avastin infustion to every 3 weeks. Scan in early October.
  • 10/6/2008: Scan showed some vague changes but tumor seems "stable." Phil feels some pressure in his head, though the scan does not show evidence of this. Will increase avastin to every 2 weeks to see if that will generate improvements. Next scan will be early November.

    One of Phil's friends sent this beautiful quote:

    “When we honestly ask ourselves which person in our lives means the most to us, we often find that it is those who, instead of giving advice, solutions, or cures, have chosen rather to share our pain and touch our wounds with a warm and tender hand, the friend who can be silent with us in a moment of despair or confusion, who can stay with us in an hour of grief, who can tolerate not knowing, not curing, not healing and face with us the reality of our powerlessness, that is a friend who cares.” -Henri Nouwen