On Monday we received encouraging news -- my mom's CT scan showed stable disease (and somewhat less of it) and her CA-125 blood test was well within the normal range.
Her oncologist said she should return in two months for another blood test and if her CA-125 level remains normal, then she won't need to be scanned again until December. This means no treatment for at least another two months! Given the news, we postponed our trip to Boston for a second opinion until a treatment decision is needed.
In June, we were told that my mom's chemo regiment had grown resistant to her cancer since there were remaining nodules. This was completely devastating as that chemo is considered the best drug combination available, and since her body was no longer responding to it, we would have to look to second-line therapies for her next round of treatment.
Well, the best news of all (and surprising) is that if my mom is able to remain off chemo for another three months (six months total), then her oncologist will consider the previous chemo a success (even if it didn't get rid of all the cancer). This is important because it means that she can return to the same chemo regiment, instead of moving to second-line therapies, and we know her body responds well to it. We want to delay having to use second and third-line therapies for as long as possible because their response rate is much lower. So now we wait and hope she hits the six month mark.
The only issue remaining is my mom's back, which has been bothering her for the past few months. The pain has been quite debilitating and she is unable to walk for more than ten minutes, even after receiving two spine injections. Thus, we are shifting focus to her back, and she is getting an MRI this week and we'll see the ortho specialist on Monday.
I want her to get some pain relief because Europe is awaiting her arrival! Now that my mom has more treatment-free time, she is eager to pack her bags and head to my uncle's in Geneva, Switzerland.
So, we continue to unpack my mom's new apartment in Chicago and digest the news. Personally, I had planned for the worst, so now I have to absorb the idea that we received good news and we have another two months of freedom. I feel incredibly grateful for more time with my mom while she feels well...this is more than I could have hoped for.
Happy fall.
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