Chemotherapy Round VII (September 24, 2024)

I wanted to share an update on Ali’s appointments this past Tuesday. It was another long day at Vanderbilt Hospital.

Our day began at Vanderbilt Midtown with a scheduled CT scan at noon. The scan took about an hour. This time, they attached the port during the CT scan instead of during the bloodwork, using a different port connection than usual, which caused Ali some discomfort.

After the CT scan, we headed to the main Vanderbilt Hospital for bloodwork to check if Ali’s counts were good enough for chemotherapy. During this visit, Ali requested they switch out the uncomfortable port attachment for her usual one. Thankfully, they were able to make the change, providing her with some relief.

Next, we met with Dr. Michael Gibson. The moment we’d been waiting for came when he reviewed Ali’s CT scan results. The news brought a sense of relief: her cancer hasn’t spread to any new areas. While we know the journey is far from over, it’s comforting to know that the treatments are keeping the cancer stable. For the first time in what feels like forever, we could exhale. Our hope is that with continued chemotherapy, we’ll start to see the cancer shrink.

Given the favorable results, Dr. Gibson recommended continuing the same chemotherapy regimen for another four sessions, one every two weeks. After these treatments, they’ll perform another CT scan to assess progress.

We also discussed the possibility of extending the time between Ali’s abdominal paracentesis procedures. Thanks to the chemotherapy’s success in slowing the fluid buildup in her abdomen, we may be able to space the paracentesis from every two weeks to every three weeks. We’ll trial this new schedule to see if it keeps Ali comfortable. If she experiences any issues, we can easily revert to the two-week routine.

After our appointment with Dr. Gibson, we went to the infusion center for Ali’s chemotherapy. Since she didn’t need an iron infusion this time, the session was expected to take about four to five hours. Everything went smoothly, and Ali was able to rest and nap during the infusion.

Once the in-hospital chemotherapy was finished, they set Ali up with her take-home chemotherapy treatment, and we were finally able to head home, arriving just before 9:00 PM.

Tonight, we removed the take-home chemotherapy treatment, marking the end of another critical step in Ali’s battle.