More and More Chemo

Since the last post, I've had two more chemotherapy infusions: one on March 4th and another on March 11th.  I also saw the doctor on March 4th.  I asked the doctor if he thought the ache in my side would subside and the cough would go away with the chemotherapy and he said it definitely should. He expects I'll notice a difference when this cycle is done. We're scheduled for cycles into May now. We'll do another CT scan in a few weeks.

Also on the 4th, I signed paperwork to get the gene mapping started.  That is supposed to take about two weeks so we'll know that information by the next doctor appointment. At the end of the day, we were approved for 100% funding -- that big bill is going to be covered by Medicare, the supplemental insurance, or by "Foundation Medicine".  If you're interested in the details of why we are doing this gene mapping, the website for Foundation Medicine has more details on that.  In general it will give us the targeted options for exactly the type of cancer that I have.  It's like moving from a shotgun to a rifle shot.

The chemo side effects are a bit different this time compared with a year ago.  Last time, the cancer fatigue slowly built up over the 19 separate infusions.  This time, it all came back at once after the very first infusion.  I'm just tired, with a kind of fatigue I have never experienced from just being busy.  It just never really goes away, no matter how much rest I get.  Oh well -- the time gained is worth it.

I continue to be amazed and thankful for my strong and broad support system.  Of course Kath and my kids lead that group.  Friends and family from across the country and neighbors here are also a big part of it.  A text, e-mail, phone call, drop by visit, or other thoughtful gesture means a lot and I am humbled by your support.  Thanks again.

Some Chemo

Since the last post, I've done a needle biopsy from my lung on February 10th and had two chemotherapy infusions on the 12th and the 19th.

The biopsy was done under CT so they could be sure to include one of the lesions that have now shown up in my lungs. They were there previously but had gone away during the previous rounds of chemo. They're really tiny, but lots of them. The belief is that they are the cause of the coughing I've had and likely the ache in my abdomen. The plan is to also do gene mapping on them, so we can have better options when choosing a clinical trial.

We got the pathology results of the biopsy and they are indeed the cause of the coughing and are related to the cancer. You'll recall that I've been at Stage IV since the early detection so this is really no surprise. The gene mapping is not yet done.

The chemo infusions were the same as earlier. Bloodwork was good so I got the full doses of the drugs. We had several visitors during infusion on the 12th. First the University of Utah cheerleaders came by talking to each chair with valentine wishes. There are forty chairs and beds so it took a while.  A little later a couple of room mothers (I assume) from an elementary school in West Valley City brought everyone some handmade valentines and a roll of mints or candy. Later the Spirit Team from the University brought valentines to each chair.

On the 19th, a therapy dog training handler brought her dog and went to each chair asking if we wanted to pet her dog. Most people did. At the end of the infusion they gave me an on-body-injector for a shot of neulasta. It saves an extra trip to get a 30 second shot of the drug that stimulates the bone marrow to produce more white blood cells so I'm good to go again for more chemo again in two weeks. The injector is just stick to my upper arm and 27 hours later it gives me the shot. You peel it off when it's done and throw it away. I can just imagine all the engineering that went into this gizmo with the timers, clickers, flashing lights, and completion indicators.

I really appreciate all the prayers, e-mails, texts, phone calls from so many people. It really helps me to keep a positive attitude about all this.

I'll end with the text from "Will," an elementary student who wrote the following on his valentine to me. The first letter on each line spells SUCCESS. He'll be president some day.

See your goal.
Understand the obstacles.
Create positive mental picture.
Clear your mind of all self doubts.
Embrace the challenge.
Stay on track.
Show the world you can Do It. 

Chemo Again

After ten months since the last chemo treatment, I've started having an ache in my side and have been coughing now for several weeks.  We did a CT scan in late December and, of course, the accompanying blood work.  The tumor marker was up to 47 -- higher than it was but not extremely high.  The CT scan showed some nodules in my lungs and a new growth on my left adrenal gland.  We repeated the blood work for the tumor marker this week and it is now in the 90's.  When we saw Dr. Gilcrease yesterday, we decided to restart chemotherapy infusions next week.

The doctor is pretty sure the cough and the ache in my side is related to these new nodules in the lungs. I must say that I am not looking forward to more chemo, but it's lots better than all the coughing and constant aching in my side.  We will do a few cycles (two weeks on and one off).  He said that since it worked well for me last time, he expects the same good effect again.

We're also going to do a biopsy from the lungs so they can do gene mapping, which will make sure it is not something new but is just related to the original cancer.  It will also help when we run out of options and have to go to the clinical trial route.

I know many have been praying for me and our family through all this ordeal, and we hope you will keep it up.  I know that it really helps.  Thanks for all your thoughts, prayers, texts, e-mails and all you do in our behalf.