A New Start

Tonight my dad had a brain MRI and a CT scan. He wasn't supposed to meet with Dr. Wolchok until next Monday, but we were able to get in to see him after the scans were completed.

First, Ruthie, Dr. Wolchok's research nurse came in to ask my dad a few follow up questions about how he was feeling. After running through the list of questions, we nervously began to ask about the results of the test. Ruthie let us know that the brain scan showed no lesions of any kind, which was a big relief.

Next, she indicated that the CT scan showed some good news - that some of the tumors had gotten smaller, while others have stayed the same. The lesions in his liver had grown a bit, which explained the horrible nausea he's been having the past several days. She told us that the results were a mixed bag, but thought that he should remain on the AZD6244. While we weren't overjoyed, we were quietly hopeful that the medicine was working.

Only a few moments later, Dr. Wolchok came in to meet with us. Unfortunately, he presented us with a different scenario - that the tumors had not gotten smaller, in fact , some had gotten a little larger. He suggested that we stop with the experimental AZD6244 and pursue a different course of action.

His recommendation was to begin chemotherapy next week. A combination of three different drugs - Cisplatin, Vinblastine, and Temodar. (I'll get into the details of this treatment at a later date.) This would have been the treatment for stage iv melanoma had my father not decided to participate in the clinical trial.

Postscript:
Today was a roller coaster ride. I do not blame Ruthie for her initial diagnosis, I actually took it as a positive that the growth of the tumors was so limited that she actually though they had gotten smaller. But it was a painful evening, and my parents were stunned...

But, tomorrow is a new start - we'll take a deep breath, focus on a new treatment, and continue to fight, believe, and survive.