Minor Setback

This morning, BigD headed to his chemo appointment ready to take on Round 6 like a champ. He strolled into the Cancer Center like Norm from Cheers, smiling at all of the nurses and staff members, greeting each of them on a first name basis. If it was not for the fact that he is being treated for cancer, you might say that Derek actually enjoys going in for treatment.

For the first five rounds of chemotherapy, we have been incredibly fortunate that Derek could get the full chemo dose to attack his cancer. While his platelet levels had always been questionably low, our aggressive oncologist believes in forging ahead with the full chemo dose as long as the platelet levels do not drop below the 75-count threshold. Today, unfortunately, the number dipped too low to safely administer chemotherapy, and thus, the team decided to cancel treatment to give Derek time for his platelet count to rise.

With spring break plans on the horizon, the team adjusted the schedule to allow Derek to get his chemo the day after we return from spring break, which turns out to be a blessing in disguise. Now, he will travel without the dreaded chemo hangover and get to enjoy some rest and relaxation with our family. We feel confident that after a week off, Derek's platelet count will improve, and he will be ready to head back into battle for his sixth chemo round later next week.

Following this very minor setback today, we received some incredibly promising news with regards to the CA 19-9 tumor marker which is tested prior to each of his treatments. The CA 19-9 measures tumor-associated antigens released into the blood by pancreatic tumor cells. A healthy range is somewhere between 0-37, and we are thrilled to announce that Derek's numbers dropped within the last two weeks from 128 to 67.8! This is significant because it tells us that Derek's treatment is working!

Funny how one shrinking number can be a total disappointment, yet another can be a huge celebration. Even though the treatment schedule was slightly derailed this week, looking ahead, we believe that this unexpected week of rest will be good for Derek's mind, body and spirit. Every good fighter needs a physical and mental break, and we know BigD will come back even stronger next week; ready to take on Round 6!

Thanks for sending us your positive thoughts and platelet-rising vibes!

Stay the Course

Thank You, Aronson Team, for the shirts!

Today did not go exactly as we had expected, but then again, neither have these past two months. The range of emotions that we experienced seemed to mimic today's winter storm. This morning, fear and frustration pelted us along with the wind and snow, but as the winds died down tonight and the skies cleared, we were overcome with a deep sense of relief.

At 9:00 this morning, we arrived at the Wisconsin Medical College Cancer Center to meet with a surgeon specializing in pancreas tumor resections and vascular reconstruction. We expected the surgeon to tell us that Derek's treatment was working and that surgery would be on the horizon. Within minutes, we were devastated to learn that this surgeon was not convinced that Derek's treatment was working well enough at this point to discuss the possibility of surgery. He acknowledged that Derek's tumor has had a mixed response to the current chemotherapy. Though the tumor was shrinking, a tumor marker known as CA-19 was not dropping significantly enough for this surgeon to consider a surgery. We were basically told that we needed to work with the oncologist to consider alternative therapy.

Obviously, this was confusing news for us. Hearing that the tumor was shrinking but that the tumor marker was still elevated had us very worried. A lovely nurse that works with the surgeon at the Wisconsin Medical College told us not to worry and that his opinion was not bad news. We tried to believe her and feeling somewhat deflated, we headed south to the University of Chicago to meet with our lead oncologist, Dr. K.

Though we waited two hours for Dr. K, it was well worth the wait. She greeted us with an enormous hug and a smile. She asked us about our visit to Milwaukee, and when Derek told her that the surgeon was concerned that the chemo was not working, she reminded us that it has only been two months and that the CT scan showed that the tumor was shrinking! Additionally, from a clinical standpoint, Derek's pain has decreased tremendously. Dr. K felt that she had enough evidence to recommend that we stay the course with the current treatment of Folfirinox. This particular combination of drugs is the most aggressive treatment available for pancreatic cancer patients, and in her view, we should give the Folfirinox two more months before making any judgments.

Tonight, we feel confident in Dr. K's recommendation to continue with Derek's current treatment plan. We believe that his tumor will continue to shrink and that surgery will still be in Derek's future. Thank you for the outpouring of love, support, thoughts, and prayers. A friend of mine, who lost his mother-in-law to cancer, reminded me today that no one fights alone. Derek and I could not agree more and are thankful for every one of you for being part of our team.