25 Down

I've been getting a lot of flack for not posting to my blog recently. I guess people assume I'm in bad shape or dead. I'm not.

Today is my 69th birthday. On Friday I received my 25th radiation treatment and have only 8 more to go (ending 6/4 because of the holiday). My side effects have been limited to difficulty swallowing, indigestion and tiredness. If that's it I'll consider myself lucky.

Our kids have been great. They've been eliminating a lot of items from our To-Do list involving replacing, repairing, painting and gardening. Todd was her on Saturday (5/7) and rebuilt our outhouse (yep we decided to keep it). Nathan came in from N.C. on Saturday (5/16) and stayed the week to repair our bathroom floor and help out. Mary, Matt, and Todd also came while he was here (that's Will in the picture). Thanks guys.

If you look closely you can see some hair starting to emerge.

10 Down

Yesterday I got my 10th radiation treatment. Only 23 more to go. I haven't noticed any side-effect yet and I'm hoping it will stay that way.

The week started with a flooded basement. The floor drains weren't swallowing so I decided to rent the rodding equipment and clear it myself. I under-estimated the work and over-estimated my abilities. Luckily, my brother-in-law, John, stopped by and ended up doing most of the work. The blockage was 146' from the clean-out (in the barn). Thank you John.

We're almost back to normal now with just a little more cleanup to do.

1st Zap

Had a brain MRI on Monday (4/13) and it showed that my brain was still clear. The results from the lung function test on Tuesday (4/14) were "great". So plan 2 (irradiate both the former and current areas of cancer) is in effect.

On Friday, using the radiation equipment, they took "pictures" of my right lung at may different angles. A program was then written to cover the areas in question with the required radiation dose.

This morning I went for my first treatment as I will be doing for 15 minutes every weekday for the next 6 1/2 weeks (until 6/3). It took longer to get me lined up on the table in the right location than it did to zap me.

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).

Radiation

Dr. Akgulian canceled our appointments for Monday because he thought he might be getting a cold and that I should avoid him. I ended up getting a cold anyhow.

Dr. Haider said that the scans looked good and the tumor has not grown and my blood tests look good. He thought that I might be a candidate for radiation therapy even though its not used for my type of cancer (cells in the pleural fluid). He said he would consult with a radiologist.

Today I met with Dr. Hwang who is a Radiation Oncologist. She said that even though she could find no information regarding the use of radiation for my type of cancer she agreed with Dr. Haider. Its primarily because my response to chemo was "excellent" and the cancer "nodules" are bunched together in a small area on the bottom, of my right pleural cavity near the chest wall.

I agreed to the procedure. I was then given another CT scan so they could tattoo reference marks for aiming the radiation. On Thursday I'm going for a lung function test and on Friday for a test run of the radiation treatment. They will start on the following Monday (4/13). I'll have to go for 15 minutes every weekday morning for either 3 or 6 weeks depending on the dose.

It looks like a Florida trip isn't going to happen this year.

Busy

We went to Madison last weekend and once again Matt and his family were in town for a basketball game. We were all together at Todd's on both Saturday and Sunday. It was fun.

I had my blood tested on Tuesday and the results still look good.

Yesterday we went to the monthly lunch with my siblings and cousins. Today I went for a PET scan and tomorrow I'll be getting a CT scan.

Saturday we're going to the Opera (last one) and on Sunday we're going to Madison for Oscar's 1st birthday.

Lois and I both have appointments with our family doctor (Dr. Akgulian) on Monday and on Tuesday I get an Avastin treatment and find out what further treatments are planned.

Stable

Had my weekly blood test on Wednesday instead of Tuesday (I screwed up). The test results were good and I'm feeling fine.

We're going up to Madison for the weekend again and that should be fun.