Nanoparticles!

I saw my oncologist yesterday. He was amazed by how well I'm doing and how strong I am. He admitted that the first time he saw me after surgery he didn't know if I'd be able to handle the treatment. I went from being the weakest I've been since I was an infant to almost as strong as I was before the surgery in less then four months. I owe this to Cathy and to Jean. Everyone should have their own private yoga teachers!

He's looking into a clinical trial at City of Hope. He would like to find an alternative to using the same drug for the intraperitoneal chemo. His thinking is that it didn't work last time, so let's try something different. I love that he knows about current research, clinical trials, and he communicates with other oncologists in other areas. I trust him. I looked the trial up online and here's the purpose: "To determine the maximum tolerated dose of intraperitoneal paclitaxel albumin-stabilized nanoparticle formulation in patients with advanced malignancies primarily confined to the peritoneal cavity." My CA125 tells him that the treatment is working, but that there is still microscopic cancer in there. If I finish treatment with any spec of cancer left behind, I will have another recurrence. My doctor's goal is to find the treatment that works with my biology and will kill every last remnant of cancer. He's hoping he can get me into the trial and administer it here so I don't have to travel. I am so grateful to have a wonderful doctor who doesn't just go along with the status quo; he's out there searching for answers on my behalf.

The next big breakthroug in cancer treatment will be nanoparticles that target only the cancer cells, leaving the healthy cells intact. This would make the treatment much less toxic, people could keep their hair, and the death rate would decline. It may even cure cancer. I'm thinking this trial is a step in that direction. Oh...he also said if we go with this treatment I may not lose my hair. That would make me very happy!

In the meantime, there are lots of people working on fundraisers for me. My pay will be affected, starting in April. Queen Cathy and her yogaflirt princesses are planning the "Kick Cancer Carnival for Jill Pentoney" on March 26. They have a very fun day planned with yoga, an intro to yoga flirt class, and a carnival with lots of fun things to do, including demonstrations from the yoga flirt girls. They are really something to see! They are also setting up an online fundraiser. Chris and Sue Molina, along with the staff at AJHS, are also working on a fundraiser that will involve music, dinner, dancing...still in the planning stages. Wow. I know I have said before that I'm lucky that I get to know how many people care for me, but this is just humbling. I feel so very blessed that there are so many loving, giving, wonderful people in my life.

I already feel sick from yesterday's chemo. Chemo has a cumulative effect, so very time it's a little bit worse and I am ill a few more days. It's OK, because I know it's working, I have this enormous, loving community of people behind me, and I know I am going to be fine.

Namaste, Jill