We went down to UIC and met with the interventional radiologist there to find out about and be evaluated for treatment with SIR-Spheres. The treatment is similar to the chemoembolization in that it involves threading a catheter in through the femoral artery up to my liver, but instead of injecting chemo directly into the tumor, tiny resin microspheres (8 times the size of a red blood cell) infused with Yttrium-90 would be injected. They would lodge themselves in the capillaries inside the tumor, blocking off blood flow and access to oxygen and nutrients, and they give off radiation for about two weeks, killing the tumor from the inside. The doctor said that the side effects are less than the chemoembolization and that he has seen better results with this procedure. We were convinced that this would be the best option to try and are excited to get started, but first it has to be approved by our insurance. This could be a problem because the procedure is FDA approved for primary liver cancer and metastatic colorectal cancer only. It could take about a week to hear whether it is approved by our insurance. After it is approved (I'm being optimistic and assuming it will be!), I will have to have an angiogram first to map out the blood vessels in the liver and have a "test run" with a protein of a similar size to the microspheres to be sure that they will go where we want them to go and not anywhere else! Then a week later, I will have the procedure with the SIR-Spheres.
So now we are waiting as patiently as possible to hear back from our insurance. I'm still a little concerned about side effects (doctors always seem to minimize side effects ... I think so as not to put the idea into your head and have it be self-fulfilling), but I'm willing to suffer through some pain and nausea for something that holds some promise of reducing the size of this tumor. They said that if the tumor shrinks enough, we could then zap it with radio-frequency ablation, which *could* then get rid of the cancer in my liver. Wow!
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3 comments:
How exciting to have a plan of attack that sounds promising! We continue to think about you often and pray for your recovery.
Paige and Trey
Dear Sarah,
You are honestly in my prayers every day and though I am not part of your daily triumphs and struggles I hope it helps to know old Navy friends are thinking of you and wishing you well. You are living your life with such grace -- truly a gift to yourself and those who love you. I will keep praying for things to go your way ...
love Jen Schildge
Uncle Chale and I are praying for you and your family. We hope this new procedure works; I really think Sarah is the most couragious person I know. Good Luck and love from Uncle Chale and Aunt Mine in San Diego........
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