another update

[Derek12]

no problem Dadmo,i actually talked to one of his doctors while visiting and she seemed hopeful/optimistic so maybe its not time to panic yet like ive been thinking,anyways i seriously appreciate everyone's input and remarks,ill post everything as i find out

[dadmo]

Derek12:
Thanks for checking in again. It's good to know that everything seems to be going as planned.

[Derek12]

friend Scott had stem cell reinfusion on Friday.literally no complaints except for the scent of corn in the room and the taste of it in his mouth.stem cells have a very strong odor,unpleasant,really a once in a lifetime kind of odor.anyways that smell is gone now by Monday so no big deal.they reinfused them thru his port,after harvesting them from his arm.his blood cell counts are back up,anything over a 100.4 fever and he has to go back but so far so good.thanks everyone

[Derek12]

my friend is now doing his High Dose treatment,he started today with Carboplatin and Etoposide,over 9-14 days depending on his blood counts.Beta HCG initially was 363,760.It went down to 30,000,back up to 70,000,and now its down again to 15,000.The taxol and ifosfamide he has taken already,its cumulative,so hes just getting carbo platin and etoposide three more times maximum.they have to get his beta hcg under 100 to be a candidate for his RPLND at sloan.just to keep everyone informed,no stem cell transfusions yet guys,thanks

[dadmo]

Derek:
I'm sorry to hear that your friend is in such a tough situation. Just be assured that he is being treated by the best which should make the chances of recovery better then the national average. Stay close to your friend and please do keep us up to date on his progress.

[Derek12]

thanks scott,i hope the news gets better too.i will post everything as i find out,even if its pretty grim.if i can help anyone any way who is going thru this,then i will at least feel sucessful by giving them an idea of the procedures and side effects from the clinical trial he is particpating in.

[Scott]

Ouch. I'm sorry to hear that and hope that the news gets better.

[Derek12]

my best friend was just released from the hospital today,after undergoing his seventh cycle of chemotherapy.he has underwent 4x BEP and now 3 cycles of high dose TICE chemotherapy(Taxol,ifosfamide,carboplatin,and etoposide).it seems the BEP chemo made him more physically sick then the high dose so far.he didnt get nautious at all,his only complaint is fatigue and mild neuropathy.in all honesty,things are looking bleek for him.he is still going to undergo chemo for a few more cycles,as outpatient,where he goes for 3 days then rests 3 days and back for 3 more.i dont know the specifics yet,but he is being treated by Yale New Haven Hospital and Sloan Kettering.the doctors at sloan have said Yale is doing EVERYTHING correct,and that they fully trust Yale for administering the chemo.he is considered absolutely platinum refractory.he got a blood transfusion last night,his third so far.the oncologists at sloan have given him a 20-30 percent chance of survival,over a two year period.he hasnt needed a stem cell transplant yet,although they have already harvested 15 million stem cells from him.i will continue to keep everyone updated
p.s. im relatively certain he has been hiding the results of his last serum marker tests from me and the rest of his friends,which is a bad thing(im sure he has his reasons)...how often do they regularly check the markers?