July Update from Peter

Adjusting to this New Schedule

Adjusting to this new chemo schedule has been a bit more difficult for me. Unlike my previous treatment, which was every other week, this one is weekly for three weeks followed by a week off. It feels like just as I recover from one round of side effects, it’s time for the next infusion.

Scan and Labs

I’ve been meaning to write an update, but I wanted to wait until after my scheduled tests. Last week, I met with my oncologist following a CT scan and bloodwork. Waiting for the results is often somewhat stressful. Thankfully, it was good news: my tumors are stable or possibly even a bit smaller, and my cancer marker levels have significantly decreased to their lowest since my initial diagnosis. While the CT scan results are more significant, both pieces of news are encouraging.

It’s hard to determine whether this is the chemo alone or the combination with the trial drug that’s making the difference. The trial drug is designed to enhance the effectiveness of the chemo. My oncologist and I are hopeful that I will continue to respond well to my current treatment.

When my doctor first shared the results, I was so surprised I had to literally bite my tongue. I’m cautiously optimistic, understanding how quickly things can change in my situation. My oncologist echoed this sentiment, but added with a big smile, “All the more reason to celebrate when you do get good news!”

I greatly appreciated that reminder. Life with cancer is unpredictable, but I’ll celebrate this hopeful news and express my gratitude to God and everyone for their prayers and support.

Prayer Requests

I have two friends with pancreatic cancer who are going through some significant milestones. 

1. One friend is ending 4 cycles off his regimen of a new chemotherapy, and is in search of a new clinical trial or other treatment.
2. Another friend just had a significant surgery, and for the most part, her recovery was going well, but last I heard, she had to return to the hospital to address some issues.

For myself, if you could pray for…

1. continued good progress with this chemotherapy regimen,  and that I not build up a resistance to it,
2. my ongoing issues with neuropathy, and although it’s all manageable for now, I wish it would cease, and definitely don’t want it to worsen
3. my immune system stays strong so that my treatment doesn’t get interrupted.

Symposium Videos

Also, I attended the Hirshberg Foundation Symposium a few months ago, and they featured me in a little Instagram clip. Funny part is I don’t even remember getting up to speak:

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A post shared by Hirshberg Foundation (@hirshbergfoundation)

The Symposium videos are available here:

https://pancreatic.org/category/symposium-speaker-spotlight

This is an interesting panel discussion of survivors:

18th Annual Hirshberg Symposium – Panel Discussion

Thank you all for being there for me!

P