I guess it's high time for me to file a report on how things are going. I have completed 3 two-week cycles in my QTX-3034 trial and things are going well overall. My first CT scans showed stable disease in my abdomen and peritoneum, and the small nodule under the skin of my abdomen has shrunk noticeably.

The side effects from the trial drug and cetuximab infusions has been a bit of a challenge, but things have improved and are manageable. The skin rash that most everyone gets from the cetuximab started out as moderate on my face and neck, but prophylactic Minocycline and triamcinolone cream have worked well, and at this point I have more dry skin to deal with from the cream than I do rash. My lips, nose, fingers and feet have also suffered a bit from dryness and cracking but that too has been well-controlled with moisturizer.

Digestion has also been an issue but again thanks to the flexibility and help from my trial doctor and APRN that has greatly improved and is under control. After my Whipple surgery a year ago I didn't seem to need pancreatic enzymes but after a couple weeks of the trial and bouts of moderate diarrhea and indigestion, adding Zenpep to the mix a couple weeks ago has straightened everything out for the most part.

The last two issues I am still battling a bit are appetite and fatigue. I am taking a low dose of Zyprexa daily and that seems to have made the most positive impact on my appetite. I have also tried Compazine and THC (both drinks and gummies) and neither have made a huge impact. At this point I pretty much just so with what tastes good at the moment even if it isn't the highest quality food. I have lost about 10 pounds but I have stopped that trend and am working at clawing back some weight. I have also found out that I don't process dairy well, so cutting back and watching that has helped. As far as fatigue goes, I am still able to get out and walk and ride my bike some, just not with the same regularity as usual and ironically not even at the same level as when I was deep in the Folfirinox hurt locker during my 22 rounds of chemo, pre-surgery.

So overall I'm pretty pleased with how this is going. I hope the trend continues; my next check-up CT scans will be in about four week and I'm crossing my fingers that the trends continues in a positive manner!