Monday, July 20, 2009

My last treatment on July 16th was a bit more rough on me than the previous ones have been. It started with the usual routine of having my blood drawn and meeting with the doctor. She discussed with us that the direct chemo into my liver might not even be used on me, but if we did need to cross that bridge it wouldn't be for a few months. It was tough after hearing the good news of the previous visit that I'd be doing this regiment of chemo for probably another 6-9 months. After that my body would get a little break from it for a few weeks then go right back on it. We'll just have to wait and see what happens which is tough, but one way or another I have to keep going even if there isn't an end in sight. This round of treatment left me exhausted which was not fun because I pretty much rotated from my bed, to my chair, to the couch, back to my bed for about two and a half days. It was frustrating being so tired because the weather was so nice and I wanted to get out and do things, but small tasks like going to the kitchen to make a meal was like climbing a small mountain. On Sunday I finally felt better and went for a long ride on my motorcycle up to Orange County Choppers who was putting on a car show. It was a good day and finally nice to get outside and enjoy riding through the back roads with their beautiful scenery...This Wednesday we'll be meeting with the people at the genetics clinic to discuss the results and suggestions for the rest of my family so I'll be keeping my fingers crossed that they were able to identify what is causing all of this mess. I hope everyone is doing well...LIVESTRONG

Monday, July 6, 2009

My last trip to the doctor at Sloan Kettering was one that I was pretty nervous about since I would find out the results from my CT scans. Getting the scans done was no problem and I did not throw up the dye that they make you drink, which I am pretty proud of myself for. I guess I was nervous simply because the only other time I went for a CT scan my whole life was turned upside down with the cancer diagnosis. Luckily this time was much different. I had my bloodwork done and was weighed in at 150lbs. which is a typical weight for me when I haven't been working out regularly. When we met with the doctor she informed us that everything in terms of function with my liver has returned to normal. The scans revealed that I am responding very well to the chemo and the focus for my treatment has now shifted to my liver. The doctor told us that she is no longer worried about my colon, and the tumor was barely visible on the scans. The original scans showed that I had a few spots on my lungs which were very small in size and of very little concern. Those spots have shown no changes which could mean they are of no threat to my health since every person has some sort of small spots on his/her lungs. The scans also showed evidence of the cells dying in the tumors on my liver, but there is still a long way to go. So now the plan of attack will be focused on the liver. My doctor is going to collaborate with one of her collegues about a type of chemo that would be pumped directly into my liver through my abdomen. This new treatment probably won't be for a few more months, and in the meantime, I'll still be receiving my regular chemotherapy treatments. I'll admit the routine does start to get old after a while, but there are no other alternatives and every bit of good news helps along the way. Well there's really nothing else too exciting to report, but I hope everyone is doing well and I love you all...LIVESTRONG.