Well… shit. Sorry it’s been radio silent. As usual, no news is good news. I think my last update was in February. How interesting, since it feels like February outside right NOW!!! Coincidence….

I’ve been on the same chemo regimen since February. I have been getting vectiBITCH (vectibix or panitumumab for the intellects) every other week at South County Siteman. It has been keeping things at bay, so that’s fantastic. I have maintained my patient status with Sarah Cannon Tennessee Oncology (Nashville). I continue to see them every 4-6 months. They keep tabs on my current treatment, scans and test results. A molecular team reviews everything and looks for possible clinical trials or drug development matches. It is my way of keeping my options open and a sort of backup plan. We really just like to go to Nashville to eat and drink… even the Canadians come to see us there.

Over the summer Kim and I drove an RV up to Montana for a week and then carried on up to Banff, Alberta. We spent some time with my family. I got to do a little fly fishing and we were very happy to squeeze in some golf where we could (as often as possible). When I am cured of cancer I will join the LPGA.

Hmm, what else can I report.

Things have remained pretty consistent on my end. I get chemo. I get infections. I get fevers. I get my bile duct stent changed (more often than I’d like to). I’ve spent a few nights in the hospital. It’s really just the same old story. Luckily, I can tell pretty quickly when things are going awry and I have such excellent care here. As long as Kim doesn’t take a sleeping pill on the same night I am about to spike a ridiculous fever, I’m okay. LOL. My bile duct stent is a bit of a pain, hoping to figure out a longer term solution in future.

My most recent scans (MRI/CT) have looked similar to how they have in past, not much to see or mention. We usually compare these to my liquid biopsy results (Guardant360) in order to decide our next course. Unfortunately, my most recent Guardant revealed three previous mutations have returned (see below if you’re a nerd). This simply indicates that “something is going on”. This will now prompt a PET scan and hopefully we can figure out the what and where. I’ll likely be having drugs added back into my current regimen. We’ll see.

For the wizards in the group, here’s what my Guardant360 Report looks like now… Good luck interpreting this. And good luck with the Wordle today.

Detected Alteration(s) / Biomarker(s) / % cfDNA or Amp

APC R876* 0.6%

TP53 R248Q 0.5%

TP53 P128fs 0.3%

FGFR2 P700P 0.2% Synonymous Alteration

TP53 K132M ND (Not Detected)

Anywho, I’ll get back to you when I know more about what is going on. Cheers!! Be well. Happy Halloween.

ILMMEZ

ILMCT