TERRIFIC NEWS !!!

Today started with some very excellent news from the respiratory physician at the Royal Brisbane hospital. The oxygen exchange rate in my lungs has decreased over the period of having chemotherapy, starting from a low baseline of 70% gas exchange, dropping to near 50% by the beginning of June. At that time the chemotherapy drug responsible for lung problems (called bleomycin) was dropped from the formula I have been taking. Since then my lungs have continued to feel better.

The respiratory physician felt that the initial low 70% baseline reading was due solely to fluid on the lungs and residual fluid around the heart after the pericardial drainage. He did not think my history of bronchitis or mild asthma had any impact on the gas exchange levels. Further, the xrays, CT scan data, the lung function tests results and my own experience of how my lungs were functioning pointed to the decreased gas exchange most likely being from toxicity to the bleomycin, but that no permanent damage had been done to the lungs. He further recommended the most conservative course of continuing to not take the bleomycin, since the different between including or not including this drug on overall cure-rate was the difference between a 91% and a 90% cure rate.

This is excellent news and Denali was so excited she started to sing.... :)


After leaving the hospital Rod, Arlene and I made our way over to the graduation for the Faculty of Behavioural Sciences, to see my students graduate. I wore the lovely hand-made sterling silver necklace Rod made for me, of a bird perched on a branch. It was a really nice day...