I feel like singing the chorus from Alice Cooper’s “School’s Out for the Summer” because I have a six-week break from chemo. Three weeks ago I had raised the possibility of a break in therapy with my oncologist. My chemo is not particularly debilitating, but after seven rounds from December to the present I was ready for a break. It play havoc with my blood sugar levels for a few days each cycle, and I have days of feeling unwell and fatigued. My doctor was generally supportive. The idea was that I would have my periodic CT scan this week, and if the tumors had grown, I would probably start another chemo. If they remained stable, then I would take a break followed by another CT scan in six weeks to determine whether or not to continue the break.
I got the results of the CT scan yesterday, and surprisingly my tumors were smaller. That’s the first time they had shrunk. That kind of upset the logic of our original thinking. Who would have thought that the tumors would be smaller? (Assuming that the findings are not the result of the unreliability of the analysis of the scans.) What to do? Should I continue with the chemo because it seems to be having an effect, or should I take the break on the assumption that they would remain stable for six weeks? The break would give me a chance to become stronger and get my elevated blood sugar level under control. There is no research to suggest that one course of action would be better than the other. There are just too few people with mesothelioma and too much individual variation for such studies to be done. After a good discussion, I decided on the break. I’ve always felt that when faced with a decision for which no option is clearly best, then you should go with what makes you happy, so I’m taking a break.
I don’t expect to add any new posts for six weeks or so.
David
