Tomorrow marks two weeks of whole brain radiation for Bobbie to treat the five small tumors. We were told three originally, but the doctor told her yesterday that there were five small ones when they started. It hasn't been fun, but I don't think that it has been quite as bad as the Interferon was for her. The primary side effects thus far have been fairly constant nausea along with headaches, fatigue and dry, itchy scalp. They started her on steroids (dexamethasone) yesterday, which they say should alleviate the majority of the side effects. There's also a good probability that she will lose her hair, but it hasn't started falling out yet.
While undergoing radiation for her brain, she discovered a lump in her neck which the medical oncologist determined to be another melanoma tumor. They started radiation treatment to her neck last Thursday and it is slated to run 2x/week for 3 weeks. Her brain treatment should be complete as of tomorrow, but they say it continues to work for about a month following the treatment.
I can't honestly say where we go from here on the treatment front, but that will be decided at the completion of the radiation treatments. At the moment, they are leaning toward starting her on Temodar which will, as previously described unfortunately, exclude her from the studies that are currently available to her. It's a bit of a catch-22 because the brain metastases are excluding her otherwise as it stands. In any case, I will be sure to send out an update once the next path is confirmed. Just wanted to get something out there to let everyone know what's going on.
As always through this fight, we thank you for continued positive thoughts, prayers and good vibes. Also, a special thanks to those who have helped in many other aspects such as babysitting, meal contributions and the like. They are very much appreciated.
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