Ipi #3

So, another quick update from the homefront. As expected, Tuesday we went to Emory and I was given my third infusion. This is the long and short of it. But, allow me to get into a few details along the way.

First: Since the colonoscopy came back with a "clean as a whistle" status, there was no reason to keep me from proceeding with my treatment. The main reason the 3rd infusion was initially put off was because the doctors thought I might have had something more serious than what it turned out to be. In the week from when I started taking steroids to the procedure, whatever was bothering me had cleared up. With everything coming back in the clear, it was on to the infusion. They don't even want to do a reduced dosage, which is a good sign.

Second: They want to completely take me off the steroids. I thought they would at least consider keeping me on a low dosage to combat any ill side effects later on down the road, but they want to begin weaning me off it completely. I'll still be taking my steroids for the next month still, but in reduced dosages each week. I can't just stop taking them or my body will be thrown into all kinds of hormonal unbalance. Right now, I already feel like I'm pregnant with the way I'm eating, sleeping and generally overall feeling. The tapering process will at least take me through the fourth infusion in 3 weeks. If for some reason I begin to have bowel issues again, they said to call immediately so they can work something out.

So yeah, everything is back on track. In 3 more weeks I'll have my "final" infusion, with a CT scan to check the size of the tumors 2 weeks after that. Then, I move into what is called a maintenance phase, where I'll do an infusion/CT scan every 3 months as a check up.