Chemo Update

In previous rounds of chemotherapy, Kara had been having problems with an allergic reaction to one of her chemotherapy drugs, Etoposide. Her doctor thought it may be that she is allergic to the carrier (what the drug is dissolved in), rather than the actual drug itself. Last night he gave her Etopophos instead, which is considered a "prodrug" of Etoposide. A prodrug is one that converts to the active drug once inside the body -- Etopophos rapidly converts into Etoposide when it hits the blood plasma. The advantages to a prodrug like Etopophos are that:
1) it is more water-soluble than the active drug, so rather than having to have the drug diluted in a lot of liquid (as required to administer Etoposide), Etopophos can be given in a small amount of liquid, in a shorter amount of time (Kara was having to get the Etoposide over five hours rather than the recommended two hours); and
2) there is no carrier required to dissolve Etopophos, so there should be no allergic reaction.

The administration of the Etopophos went very well, and Kara slept through it and has not had any complications or reactions yet. So far her veins have been holding out well, too.

Kara has enjoyed being able to visit with Emma and Luke over the computers. Emma is warming up to it and seems to get a kick out of checking in on Mommy. Luke got up this morning and pointed to the computer and said "Mama." We're glad it is working out so well!

Prayer Requests:
- Please pray for health and comfort for Kara during this her fourth round of chemotherapy -- that her veins stay strong, her blood count stays where it should be, and that she avoids any infections or allergic reactions.
- Please pray for the reduction and management of side effects following this round of chemotherapy.
- Please pray that the cancer be eradicated from Kara's body, permanently.

Thank you so very much.