On January 21, 2009, her birthday, Lois received Chemo Infusion #15. The IV drips and “fanny pack” pump delivered the drugs without any surprises. Lois continues to deal with the “chemo cold,” continuously dripping sinuses and a cough, and the neuropathy in her hands and feet but those are slight inconveniences compared to the side effects others experience.

The blood work on Wednesday did show an increase in the CEA number. (CEA stands for Carcinoembryonic Antigen and is a type of protein molecule that can be found in many different cells of the body, but is typically associated with certain cancers.) The CEA number has gone from 4.8 in November, to 7.9 on December 24 and is now 10.1. The result of this finding is that the next full exam, CT Scan, lab work, and consultation has been moved up a month to February 4. Hopefully we’ll find out what this means. Conventional wisdom indicates that something is changing with the tumors or in some lymph nodes.

Thanks for praying!