Journal entry by Maggie Cathey —
Hi everyone! Ryan is home after 3 weeks at Sanoviv in Mexico. He had an amazing time and we got some great results! Here’s the report from Ryan himself:
Lungs:
•My scan in December showed more than 10 nodules, that is now down to 7.
•The largest nodule in December was 1.3cm and it is now 1.1cm.
Liver:
•I still have 3 lesions plus 1 that was already ablated.
•The largest legion in December was 7.7cm, it is now 5.3cm.
•The other two are barely showing up on the scan which is a sign that they are dying since they are not taking up the contrast as much as before.
Tumor in Neck:
•Tumor has shrunk by 30%
Primary Tumor:
•No significant change in size. However, there is no sign that the tumor is invading my prostate or seminal vesicles, which was a concern on my scan in January.
•Also, the amount and frequency of bleeding during bowel movements has decreased considerably.
•Lymph node near rectum that was previously involved is no longer.
Bone Mets:
•My scan in January showed 1 met in my left 6th rib measuring 3.6cm. That is still there and has not changed in size.
•There are also mets in my 4th left rib and 2nd left rib, but these probably formed between January and before I got here. They are smaller than the other.
•The small Mets in my lumbar and thoracic spine are still present, but no significant changes.
•The met in my left hip bone is no longer there.
•Bone Mets take much longer to respond to treatment since there is much less blood flow, making it harder for the treatments to reach.
•I’m feeling stronger and better than I have since before Christmas.
I and my doctors here are very encouraged by these results. I will be going back to Sanoviv in August for about a week. The monoclonal antibodies, T-cell modulation, and NK cell modulation therapies continue to work for between 4 and 6 months, so getting another round in August will just boost them even more.
Ryan is happy to be home with our girls and we will continue fighting hard every day until he heads back down in 4 months. Thank you to everyone who made it possible for us to go down and everyone who has prayed unceasingly for him
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