Brand name for: Premetrexed.


Manufactured by: Eli Lilly & Co.




This anti-cancer chemotherapy medicine is in a class of drugs called antimetabolites. http://www.drugs.com/pro/alimta.html1

Alimta works by interfering with enzymes that the cancer cell needs to replicate.  It blocks folate (a B vitamin cancer cells use to make new genetic material) therefore disrupting the ability of cancer cells grow and reproduce.
Throughout treatment with Alimta, patients will need to take folic acid and vitamin B-12 to protect  stomach, blood cells, and bone marrow from the side effects of Alimta. The patient will need to start taking these supplements a week before receiving their first Alimta infusion, and will keep taking them for 3 weeks after treatment ends.

Vitamin B-12 and folic acid are available over the counter. Patients should take only the forms and strengths of these supplements that their doctor has recommended.
Alimta is usually given every 3 weeks.

Kim emailed me this note today...

Charlie's stitches came out this morning.!!

He will be getting chemotherapy tomorrow morning at 10:00.

I made the decision to have chemo done on Saturday, since Charlie will already been in the hospital
and his Oncology Doctor, is working the floor this weekend. Thought this was the perfect combination!!!!

According to Dr. Potz, Alimta is not like the other chemo drugs, and is very well tolerated.

If all goes according to plan, Charlie will be released on Monday.

Prayers are working!

Spoke with Kim the other night...she said Charlie may be coming home from the hospital by the end of this week. It seems that they finally are able to manage his post surgical pain with morphine. The plan is to start him back on chemo next week

Kim said that due to lack of physical activity over the past couple of weeks, Charlie seems to be pretty weak. She is also less than impressed with the PT Charlie has been receiving. The sessions are not that long when he does get to go to them. And Kim said that if there is a visitor or physician in the room, or even if Charlie is sleeping when PT comes to get him, then he doesn't get the therapy that day unless there is another opening before all the therapist leave!

So bottom line...Charlie needs to come home!!! It has been 20 days and enough is enough on both of them emotionally.

Please pray that Charlie is able to come home this weekend! I think his recuperation will definitely be sped up once he is in his own home.

Thank you for your prayers and God Bless!

As of today Charlie is still in the hospital. He was moved from the ICU to the oncology floor late Sunday afternoon. Charlie was feeling really good on Sunday...he even made the comment that "I feel like I could go to work right now."

Charlie's pain meds are being taken from the IV form to pill form. Unfortunately they are not translating well and Charlie has been out of it for the last day or so. Last night they weaned some of his medication doses back so hopefully he will be more alert today.

Charlie also had his rehab consult yesterday...once I know the recommendation I will post it. He may stay in the hospital and go to the rehab floor or he may be able to do it as an out patient. But Charlie is walking around so maybe there will be a minimal need for rehab or possibly none at all.

Once Charlie is recovered well enough from the surgery the docs plan on continuing the chemotherapy treatment.

Charlie's laminectomy was a success. the surgeon told us everything went as expected and he seemed to be very pleased to give us this good news.

The surgery was called "Thoracic laminectomy of T5 with a fusion of T2-T8", What this all means is that they removed the lamina (see previous entry for lamina explanation ) of the 5th thoracic vertebrae (we all have 12 thoracic vertebrae) and they placed 4 screws above T5 and 6 screws below. Then 2 rods were placed on either side of the spine, between these two levels, in order to fuse the vertebrae in-between together in an effort to stabilize T5 which has been weakened buy a tumor. The reason so many of Charlie's vertebrea were involved is because the surgeons wanted to anchor the rods in the healthy bones in Charlie's back.

Charlie's operation started at a little after 5pm yesterday and he was done in the OR by 8pm. He then was to go to recovery and from recovery to the ICU. He went to the unit is because anesthesia wanted to keep him on the ventilator due to the pain Charlie is expected to have post-op. This way they can manage his pain by keeping him asleep.

He will be in the hospital for an undetermined time at this point. Charlie will need to be evaluated to see if he needs rehab and what means they want to proceed with it. He may stay in the hospital and go to the rehab unit, or it is possible that he may be able to do rehab on an out patient basis.

Thank you so much for the prayers...we were all breathing a sigh of relief last night!

Although this picture shows the anchor pins in the lumbar vertebrae… it gives you a good idea of what the instrumentation looks like in Charlie’s back.

Thoracic laminectomy removes the small section of bone that covers the spinal cord, known as the lamina. Removal of this bone relieves pressure on the surrounding nerves as a result of spinal stenosis or disc degeneration. A fusion procedure can be performed with this surgery to join the remaining bones together.

                            The arrows are pointing to the lamina

Thoracic fusion surgery stabilizes the spine and allows for correction of spinal deformities. Fluoroscopy (live x-rays) and infrared image guidance systems can be used to allow for proper placement of the spinal implants.

The name derives from the Latin word "lāmina," which refers to a thin plate, sheet, or layer.

Sorry it has been awhile since my last post...here is what has been going on with Charlie.

Last Thursday Charlie and Kim and Charlie's mom went down to the University of Pennsylvania for another opinion regarding treatment options. They met with a very well noted pulmonary oncologist specialist, Dr. Cory Langer. He seemed to be very confident in the recommendations he prescribed for Charlie. He in fact is now working with the Abington doc on Charlie’s care. Charlie did start back on a new chemo drug last Friday.

Unfortunately, last Saturday evening Charlie's pain got so bad that Kim had to call 911 and got him down to Abington Hospital. Initially, base on x-ray results, they diagnosed Charlie with pneumonia. But upon further test they felt that it was not pneumonia but something that mimicked the appearance of pneumonia on x-rays.

On Sunday Charlie was sent for an MRI to check the disease progression. What was revealed was that his thoracic vertebra at levels T4-T5 (approximately directly between his shoulder blades) part of the bone is collapsing thus putting him at risk for a cord compression injury. If this should happen Charlie, will loose the ability to walk. So the decision was made yesterday that he will have to have surgery on that area in order to preserve the spinal cord.

The laminectomy surgery is tentatively, but most likely, be done tomorrow sometime around 2pm. Then his post op hospital stay will be approximately 5 days...then he will have to go to rehab. At this point not sure if rehab will be done on an inpatient or outpatient basis. Fortunately they will be able to continue with Charlie’s chemo this Friday as scheduled

Today my parents, kids and I will be traveling down to see Charlie and my parents are staying at Kim’s so they can be at the hospital early to support Kim. I will head back down in the early afternoon to see Charlie before surgery.

Please continue your prayers for Charlie...these complications can be so frustrating and disheartening for him. Pray that he keep his will to go on fighting...and for Kim the stamina needed for her to endure.

On Friday the Currans headed down to PA to celebrate Michael's 6th Birthday with Aunt Kim and Uncle Charlie. (This was at Uncle Charlie's request!)

We spent the afternoon at Charlie's parent's pool watching the kids swim and enjoying long chats with both Charlie's parents and his brother Pete. Charlie even put on the old swim trunks and ventured into the water to hang with Michael and Grace!

That evening we went back to Kim and Charlie's to indulge in some well deserved pizzas. Then we sang Happy Birthday to Michael and watched him blow out the 6 candles which were standing in a yummy ice cream cake from Carvels!

Charlie headed to bed by 8pm...I think the whole day: as good as it was, turned out to be a bit tiring for him.

Charlie finished his last round of radiation about a week ago, so now he is just trying to regain some strength so he can enjoy some of his daily activities with more ease. As far as resuming chemo...nothing has been really said by the docs about if, when, or what drug will be used. Charlie is trying to be positive but is this so very hard when he has been weak for so long.

Please continue your prayers for Charlie...I know God hears them.

Pray for more good days like this past Friday!

"The Oak Tree"







A mighty wind blew both night and day,
It stole the oak trees leaves away.
Then it snapped its boughs and pulled off its bark,
Until the oak was tired and stark.
But still this oak tree maintained its ground,
While the other trees fell all around.
Then the weary wind gave up and spoke,
“How is it that you are still standing oak?”

The oak tree replied, “I know that you
Can break every branch of mine in two.
You can shake my limbs and make me sway,
And carry every one of my leafs away.
But I have roots stretched into the earth,
Growing strong each day since my birth.
You will never touch them, for you see,
They are the deepest part of me.
Until now I was not sure,
Just how much I could endure.
But I have found, with thanks to you

I am much stronger than I ever knew.”

Spoke with Kim this am...Charlie is getting a little in the way of pain relief from his treatments, although it is very hard for him to make it down the steps, so much of his time is spent in his room. Kim plans on putting a small refrigerater in his room so he can get his Ensure and other food independently. I am going to dig out the old baby monitor and give it to Kim so they can communicate without having to yell when Kim is downstairs.

Kim also said Charlie had a nice visit with his father yesterday. Charlie did get the chance to sit outside for a little during the visit, although he couldn't stay out too long because it became uncomfortable for him rather quickly. Charlie did say how good it felt to get outside.

So this will be another week of radiation, then, according to Dr. Potz, Charlie will get a 4 week break from treatments before restarting his chemo again.

I dropped Michael and Grace off at bible camp today and took a moment to go inside the church, say a prayer and light a candle for Charlie. I think tomorrow I will do the same...only this time I am going to light every unlit candle in the church!

Please keep Charlie and Kim in your prayers...I know God hears them. Today I ask that we all pray for one of His miracles to intervene.