Alice Arterburn

Welcome to our CaringBridge website. We are now using this site to keep our family and friends as up to date as possible on our journey with Alice's cancer treatments.  If you are just now finding out about Alice being diagnosed with cancer, let us bring you up to date.  Last January, while we were on our annual trip to Hawaii with friends, Alice began experiencing some problems that we addressed as soon as we got home.  Alice went to see an OBGYN and he told us he felt she had some endometrial cancer and that he needed to do a DNC.  We did that the middle of February and following that procedure, he recommended that we go and see a surgical oncologist. We met with one that he and our friend, Richard Presley, recommended.  Following consultations with him, Alice was scheduled for a complete hysterectomy.  Alice went through that the early part of March and what we were hoping to be stage 2 endometrial cancer ended up being stage 4 when he found cancer all throughout her abdomen. 


Following the surgery and healing from that procedure, Alice began her chemotherapy on April 11. The Dr's. plan was 6 rounds of chemo therapy and then do a Pet Scan, followed by some rounds of radiation.  Alice did well with chemo through April, May, and June, but then began to experience a lot of bloating in Late June.  On July 8, she was so uncomfortable that the Dr told us to go to the ER for some test and a scan.  The scan didn't show any cancer but showed her abdomen full of fluids.  On July 10th we went to the hospital to have abdominal fluid removed.  They took 7.6 liters (16+ lbs) of fluid.  Alice continued to have fluid drawn off almost every week following.  The most they've drawn off at any one time, was 9.4 litres.  


Alice finished her chemo on August 8.  The Dr. scheduled Alices Pet Scan on September 4th with a followup appointment with him on the 5th.  The results were not what we were hoping.  All indications showed the cancer cells were responding to the chemo, but the fluids did not stop with the end of chemo but rather seemed to get a little worse.  The scan results showed more cancer in Alices abdomen.  He discussed other chemo options that he had available but he shared concerns with us that the side effects were pretty scary.  He recommended that we go and see an oncology Dr that works with clinical trials.  We met with the clinical trial Dr. on Monday, September 16, and we have several options available.  We are waiting to hear back from her on the trial she thinks will work best..