daveclark
14-01-2012, 12:16
Hi everyone -- Bob posted the following update on his medical condition via email and facebook - I don't think he will mind if I repost it here.
I think Bob is reading the forum occasionally, if you want to contact him you can do that by a personal message here or by his or Barb's email:
bob@reimer.biz or barb@reimer.biz
Bob if you don't want this here I will take it down - hope Barb made it back safely and not too exhausted - dave
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Hi folks!
Bob here ... Barb is back in UAE for now.
As may of you were aware, today was the end of my first 28 day cycle
for vemurafenib and time for my assessment. Initial assessment by the
dermatologist was good. From a skin prescriptive I was fine. Many of
the physical tests Dr. Hogg carried out also looked good. So I am in
better shape than 4 weeks ago.
Unfortunately, there is a big but ... I'd noticed some older tumours
growing in the past few days and some apparent new ones appearing over
the last ten days or so. Dr. Hogg assessed that I had had a two to
three week transient response to the drug. As was expected, the
tumours have mutated to protect themselves from the drug, although we
hoped it wouldn't happen so quickly. Dr. Hogg has taken me off the
drug. There are no chemotherapy options left. While his colleague
has some phase 1 trials, my brain metastases exclude me from them
because none of them cross the blood/brain barrier.
At this point Dr. Hogg is consulting with his colleagues in radiation
oncology to see what options there are for prophylactic radiation
therapy for the brain metastases.. The reason for that is to try to
keep the tumours from causing brain swelling which could lead to a lot
of uncomfortable side effects. He is also investigating palliative
care options in Markham. Barb has also contacted her niece in
Peterborough who is a palliative care doctor and could have people she
could recommend in this area.
Barb has talked to her program head (who called back in the middle of
the night), and she will flyin back to Toronto on Emirates Friday.
With the speed melanoma spreads, and the heavy tumour load I had
already, Dr. Hogg's prognosis is that I have 4-8 weeks.
We again have to thank you for the outpouring of love and support to
Barb and I through this difficult time which will soon be over for me,
but not for Barb. Please support her in the future as you have the
two of us over the past year and longer.
Love,
Barb & Bob
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
I think Bob is reading the forum occasionally, if you want to contact him you can do that by a personal message here or by his or Barb's email:
bob@reimer.biz or barb@reimer.biz
Bob if you don't want this here I will take it down - hope Barb made it back safely and not too exhausted - dave
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Hi folks!
Bob here ... Barb is back in UAE for now.
As may of you were aware, today was the end of my first 28 day cycle
for vemurafenib and time for my assessment. Initial assessment by the
dermatologist was good. From a skin prescriptive I was fine. Many of
the physical tests Dr. Hogg carried out also looked good. So I am in
better shape than 4 weeks ago.
Unfortunately, there is a big but ... I'd noticed some older tumours
growing in the past few days and some apparent new ones appearing over
the last ten days or so. Dr. Hogg assessed that I had had a two to
three week transient response to the drug. As was expected, the
tumours have mutated to protect themselves from the drug, although we
hoped it wouldn't happen so quickly. Dr. Hogg has taken me off the
drug. There are no chemotherapy options left. While his colleague
has some phase 1 trials, my brain metastases exclude me from them
because none of them cross the blood/brain barrier.
At this point Dr. Hogg is consulting with his colleagues in radiation
oncology to see what options there are for prophylactic radiation
therapy for the brain metastases.. The reason for that is to try to
keep the tumours from causing brain swelling which could lead to a lot
of uncomfortable side effects. He is also investigating palliative
care options in Markham. Barb has also contacted her niece in
Peterborough who is a palliative care doctor and could have people she
could recommend in this area.
Barb has talked to her program head (who called back in the middle of
the night), and she will flyin back to Toronto on Emirates Friday.
With the speed melanoma spreads, and the heavy tumour load I had
already, Dr. Hogg's prognosis is that I have 4-8 weeks.
We again have to thank you for the outpouring of love and support to
Barb and I through this difficult time which will soon be over for me,
but not for Barb. Please support her in the future as you have the
two of us over the past year and longer.
Love,
Barb & Bob
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------