Friday, 24 September 2010

Diary Update It's now ten days since the first injection of Avastin - long enough to have a mini-review of how it seems to have had an impact.  It is hard to say for sure though, because there are so many variables, and effects may be wrongly attributed to causes. I think the increase in Keppra to the maximum dose together with the tumour inhibiting function of Avastin have been responsible for the fact that there have been no seizures for the past 18 days. This is the longest period since the tumour was detected that there have been none, which is wonderful. Not only have the seizures stopped for the moment at least, the risk of seizure seems also to have fallen. This means that the physiotherapy on my arm can proceed with less risk, and even more importantly, remedial therapy for the right arm has begun - an attempt to recover limited use of the arm and not merely pain relief through manipulation of the shoulder joint. This is an important step both physically and psychologically. Right leg mobility has improved a little with the pause in seizures and perhaps a positive effect from Avastin. I'm not getting too excited about that yet. On the debit side, several tests with the monitor reveals that my blood pressure has increased significantly in the past week. This is a known side effect of Avastin but it could also have been aggravated by eating some ill-advised foods. Back to a sensible diet until the blood pressure is under control!

Musings While Tracey was resting up after her operation today, Sylvia made me a fruit salad, the contents of which were diced fresh: apple, pear, strawberry, blueberry, kiwifruit, papaw [papaya], red grapes, rock melon, and mango. Delicious, especially when steroid use makes me greedy! Several of these at least are often described as inhibitors of tumour growth, especially the red grapes and strawberries.  Such foods are described as natural anti-angiogenesis foods - ones that are reputed to starve the tumour naturally of its blood supply. There are plenty of sites on the web that discuss this process and of course their reliability may vary, but I rather like this one. Why? Because it advocates red wine and dark chocolate, as well as the usual suspects!! Disclaimer: I am not a medical doctor and what appears here is simply the product of my experience with my form of cancer. It carries no authority in terms of treatment and should be seen merely as a point of reference to medical advice from professional medical sources. Please tell me how you think this blog could be improved. I am open to suggestions, without surrendering the right to ignore them!