CA-19 numbers continuing downward

You're very welcome, and that's awesome news!

Wasn't this after a switch from Folfirinox to a Gem (+Abraxane?) regimen?

Any luck yet getting a continuous glucose monitor?

yes it was, after his port got infected and they had to remove it they switched him from the Folfirinox to the gemzar/abraxane and its working and no luck yet...mainly because he's being uncooperative about testing etc...so for the time being...thanks to all the advice from everyone, i've decided i'm not going to fight that battle any longer with him...he can do what he wants in regards to that and after we meet with the surgeon in 2 weeks...then we'll revisit that...

Well Got this months numbers!!!! and we're down to 67!!!! met with the surgeon last week, he wants 2 more cycles of chemo before reevaluating since he's responding to the chemo so well.. the tumor has shrunk to 1.5 cm x 1.4 cm according to the CT scan...from a high of 6.2 cm x 3.1 cm in Sept on the MRI...
decided the battle about his blood sugar still isn't worth fighting over...but just wanted to share the good news with you kind folks who have helped me learn...chemo brain is horrible for him and the fatigue is getting worse but i'll take what wins i can get 🙂
thank you all and MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!!

Two amazing results (tumor shrinkage and CA19-9). Congrats and Merry Christmas to you and your patient as well!

Regarding the sugar battle: All things in moderation, maybe?
https://letswinpc.org/research/higher-glucose-improve-chemotherapy/
At least I keep telling myself that. 😉

As mentioned in a different thread: I got an Rx for Ritalin to fight the fatigue and chemo brain, and it seems to be helping.

Wow! @mommacandy , that drop in the CA 19-9 is remarkable. Fabulous news! Hope things remain as positive as they look right now.

@markymarkfl , glad all is going well for you. Ritalin? Hm. I hadn't thought about that. I have a little chemo brain these days. Mostly, I word-search; it takes me a while to retrieve the word or phrase I'm looking for. Hopefully the med continues to help you!

@ncteacher , (un?)fortunately, I'm still working full-time, and 3 mugs of coffee were no longer getting me through the day. A neurologist and a palliative oncologist both told me Ritalan could help. They said Ritalin didn't require the steady blood levels other ADD/ADHD meds do, so I could just take it on days I need it and it wouldn't keep me awake all night if I take it before noon. Seems about right so far. I might have been a straight-A student if this stuff existed 45 years ago!

thank you @markymarkfl for that link!!! i actually think its interesting and wondering if that is what is contributing to his chemo working so well ... btw i sent that to his oncologist 🙂

CA 19-9 decline for 10 sessions then increase on 11th….

CA 19-9 declined from 1,100 at first Abrax/Gem treatment to 175 on the 10th treatment. On the next treatment, CA 19-9 INCREASED to 215. White blood cell results was high as well. No indication of infection so far (only 4 days from last session). Waiting for the next blood test results….. any thoughts?

How often are you getting chemo and the CA19-9 tests? It sounds like you're a good responder to Abrax/Gem, as is @mommacandy 's patient. It took me about 6-7 treatments w/ GA + cisplatin to go from ~700 to under 200. I've hovered around the mid 40's (since my 20th treatment) but have bounced from low 30's to low 50's. I get treated and tested every 2 weeks.

Once the numbers start getting small, fluctuations are more noticeable, but the trend is what's important. There are lots of factors that can throw your result off by "several" percent on any given test. My general algorithm for all abnormal blood tests is to test more frequently if the data is out of range twice or more, and to test even more frequently if it's out of range and continuing in the wrong direction. But even that can give misleading results, for example, if the readings aren't taken the same amount of time after a chemo infusion (because of the body's response pattern, cell cycles, etc...)

But definitely stay on top of it. I'm not sure if adding a platinum agent would do any good for you, but it's a question you could ask your oncologist to "pre-consider" in case the CA19-9 trend does continue upward.

Thanks for your response…. very helpful info. Blood tests and treatments are every two weeks. Next one is early January. CT scans are every 2 months. Jump in white blood cells and possible infection is a concern, but no symptoms so far.