Another clear CT scan!  I feel like my Huntsman team is super relieved every time I have a clear scan - almost like they are expecting each time to have to give me bad news.  So I will keep praying and crossing my fingers that something I am doing is working and that the cancer won't come back.  We had a talk about the radiation from the CT scans and they keep saying that the radiologists agree that the amount that I am receiving is acceptable.  My doctor said that she has yet to see anyone present themselves with cancer that was caused by radiation - although how she would know that it was not radiation that caused it, I'm not sure...  She also said though that in the field of radiology they are constantly improving their methods and the technology so that the amount of radiation that the body is exposed to is significantly less than it was even a few years ago.  She also said that any studies that she could pull up on radiation exposure would most likely be out of date already.  I guess that part of it makes me feel better.  Also, since Huntsman specializes in cancer treatments, they use the absolute minimum amount of radiation needed for each scan.  Apparently other facilities that don't specialize in cancer may use more.  I asked if they would have me doing this many scans if I was not on the study and she said that we would probably do them twice a year because of the advanced stage of my cancer when I was diagnosed.  She also said that she had talked with my surgeon about her concerns for the number of scans.  My doctor is hesitant to have me quit the study that I am on because then I would lose the Avastin which appears to be doing what they want it to - keeping the cancer away.  They said that they have other patients in similar situations that they can't get the Avastin for because it is not approved by the FDA for ovarian cancer.

After my appointment was over I went to the infusion room for my Avastin infusion.  While I was there the counselor that works with my doctor's group came over and had a talk with me to see how I am doing.  We talked some about my Avastin treatments and my concerns over the study that I am on.  I think that my biggest concern is that we really don't know if the Avastin is really doing any good or if it is maybe causing some other problems that will present themselves later on in my life.  I am still young and want to be as healthy as I can for as long as I can be!

Pretty routine CT scan today - if I can even call it that.  I decided to do the alternative to the barium drink again - that stuff just does not agree with my digestive system.  It's something that they mix with sterile water and I haven't had the same problems that I have had with the barium.  It does have quite a nasty taste though so I'm glad that they allow you to mix some Crystal Light with it.  I have to get there a little earlier though so that I can get the drink there and start drinking it.  I decided to have them keep my port accessed since I will have an infusion tomorrow.

Well, yesterday I had a dentist appointment and things are not looking good with my mouth...  I have been very good about brushing and flossing since a few years ago when I had to have some extensive dental work done and I have been going to the dentist regularly - at least twice a year.  Well, yesterday the dentist found 5 cavities on my teeth and he said that I had more plaque build-up than he has ever seen on my teeth...  He kept making comments on how damaging to the mouth a lot of these cancer drugs are.  This is making me question even more if I want to stay on the Avastin or not...  I have to go back in to get the cavities drilled out and filled and the dentist is putting me on a prescription fluoride toothpaste.  He said that if that doesn't work at keeping the cavities at bay then we may have to switch to me sleeping with fluoride trays on my teeth at night.  He said that he has several other patients who have had dental problems while undergoing cancer treatments and a couple of them he has had to switch to the fluoride trays.  Definitely more to think about now...

I contacted my Huntsman group through email today asking about my upcoming CT scan next Tuesday.  I'm a little concerned with all of the scans that my body has been through over the last year and I know that my surgeon is concerned with the frequency of the abdominal CT scans right now.  The nurse called me back and we discussed it a little.  If I decide that I don't want to have the scans every three months then I will have to drop out of the study that I am in - which means no more IV infusions of the Avastin every 3 weeks (at least not paid for by the study).  Right now it is something that I am considering.  Every time I talk to any kind of doctor and mention how often my scans are, the response is universal:  That's a lot of radiation...  I was at the kids' pediatrician yesterday and she said the same thing, which is making me question the frequency as well.  My other question for my oncologist was that if I wasn't in this study, would she recommend the same frequency of scans.  Unfortunately the nurse did not give me a satisfactory answer.  It was something to the effect of she might, but it would all depend on the status of the cancer of the body - which for me is non-detectible - if there is any...  My gut feeling is that my doctor would not prescribe this many scans for me if I wasn't in the study - the nurse is just trying to give a non-committal answer.  A few visits ago when I was at my surgeon's office I asked her what the standard treatment would be if I was at her office alone and she said that it would maybe be scans once a year at the most.  Most likely they would only order a scan if there was some other indication that the cancer was coming back - such as abdominal pain or bloating or my CA-125 number rising.

I asked the nurse what the protocol is for scans for the study I am on.  She talked to the study coordinator and found out that it is abdominal scans every 3 months for the first two years (from the date of my last chemo session).  Then it is every 6 months for the 3 years following that and then it goes to yearly.  I am free to drop out of the study at any time.  I guess the question I need to think about and decide is if I think the benefits of the tests and the Avastin outweigh any possible side-effects that may come my way.