Pneumonia

Had a fever of 103F on Saturday and went to the ER as suggested by the Oncologist on call. I was diagnosed with "pockets of pneumonia" and was admitted. They gave me an IV antibiotic (Levaquin again) on both Saturday and Sunday then released me with tablets to finish the dose.

Dr. Hwang called me on Tuesday and said that, because my case was unconventional, she discussed it with colleagues at the medical college. They covered 3 possible paths: 1 - Proceed as planned and irradiate the small area of activity at the bottom of the pleural cavity; 2 - In addition to the active area irradiate the areas where the cancer used to be; 3 - Do nothing for several weeks and watch the cancer to see if it grows. She said they would do 1 or 2 depending on the results of my lung function test. Because I'm an ex-smoker my lung capacity has probably been diminished. The radiation will reduce it further and she does not want to treat a larger area if my capacity is already low.

I told her about the pneumonia and that the test, scheduled for Thursday (4/9), would probably not be accurate because I was still congested and short of breath. We rescheduled the test to Tuesday (4/14). This will also delay the start of radiation by a week.

She also wanted me to have another brain scan (MRI, which I don't enjoy). The radiation treatment would be a wasted effort if the cancer has already spread to the brain. My last MRI, in January, was clear and it should still be. My next MRI is scheduled for Tuesday (4/13).