More Good News (I hope this is a trend)

I saw my oncologist, Dr. G, today and I got two pieces of good news:

1. I gained four pounds; I now weigh 139 pounds

2. My CEA (from two weeks ago) is/was 55. This is down from 75 about a month ago.

Hopefully this means the new treatment is working and I don't have to go urn shopping just yet.

A few bits of Good News (for a change)

I saw my oncologist, Dr. G, on Monday, 16 November 2009, and actually got a few pieces of good news:

1. My weight has held steady at 135 pounds.

2. The MIR of my brain came back negative for cancer.

3. I do not have Lynch Syndrome. Lynch Syndrome is a defective gene that increases your risk for colon cancer from ~7% to 70%. Knowing that I don't have Lynch Syndrome doesn't actually do much for me, but it means my son, Kyle, has a slightly improved chance of living a cancer free life. And that my friends, is good news.

Insert Raspberry noise here

This morning Marjorie and I met with Dr. G, my oncologist, to get the results from last week's PET scan.

But first, the good news:

1. my weight held steady at 135 pounds
2. all of the tests from the hospital came back negative for infection

(Okay, it's all downhill from here. Way downhill.)

The "everything including the kitchen sink" treatment is not working. The lesions in my liver and lungs have increased in size and number.

So, starting soon, I will be taking an oral chemotherapy drug called Xeloda and a blood vessel growth inhibitor called Avastin. I took Xeloda when I was getting radiation and I've had Avastin before also.

We're gonna try this treatment for two or three months and if it doesn't work then, "we are running out of treatment options," according to Dr. G.

I think we have two options: one is to sign-up for Phase 1 Testing of some new cancer drug; we've started the ball rolling on this. The other option is to give-up. If I do this, Dr. G says I will die in, "a matter of months." I've started my Bucket List and cried - a lot.

Either way, things are not looking so good and I'll probably be doing a lot more crying. Mind you, I'm not giving up, but the prospect of my death is somehow more real now and it depresses the hell out of me. But, no pity please. I will continue to fight this (even if I'm blubbering at the same time.)

Free at last

I escaped from the hospital on Saturday, 31 October 2009, after I literally begged my oncologist, Dr. G, to let me go home. The results from my CT scan were not all in yet and he was thinking about keeping me in another day.

But now I'm home and it's where I need/want to stay.

return of the Hospital Food

First of all, I apologize in the delay on posting this.
Doug got admitted into the hospital 11pm on Wednesday evening with a temp of 101.4 F.
By the time they finished with his vitals and hooking him up to an IV, it was 2am and time for me to head home.
I talked to Doug this morning and they are keeping him for an extra day so a doctor from dangerous diseases can check him out before releasing him.

If you wish to go see him, he's at the Florida Hospital Orlando:

601 East Rollins Street
Orlando, Florida 32803

He's on the 10th floor, room 238

If you wish to contact him directly, use this number or you will be told that he has been discharged...I kid you not.

Number to contact Doug directly:

(407) 303 5600

then press 1

then 1410238


I will post another entry tomorrow as soon as I know about the status of his discharge.

- Marjorie

Death of a Hero

My friend Robert Mudge finished his fight against cancer on Tuesday, 6 October 2009.

About two weeks before he died, Robert posted this message on Facebook:

To My Dear Family and Friends, I am getting ready to make one last journey. I have had a great life and you all made it the best a man could hope for. I wish I could spend more time here with everyone, but know I will still be watching and caring for you, just from a different place. Thanks for sharing your life with me. Love always, Robert

Memorial contributions can be made to the Hospice of the Comforter, 480 W. Central Parkway, Altamonte Springs, FL 32714.

Weasel Boy

So I managed to weasel out of treatment on 5 October 2009. This was partly because I weighed in at 138 pounds, but mostly because I had a fever of 101 degrees.

Normally, the doctors and nurses tell you that you need to call in immediately if your temperature gets over 100.5. (The implication is that they will then send your butt to the hospital.)

Luckily for me, Dr. G (my oncologist) asked me if I wanted to go the hospital or just have my blood drawn at the treatment center and then go home. I picked "draw blood and go home". So the very nice nurses proceeded to draw my blood - lots of it. I ended up "giving" four bottles of blood that looked a lot like Tabasco bottles (especially when they were full).

Later that week they called to say all of the tests came back negative for infection and that the cancer in my liver may be what is causing my fever.

So, now I have yet another symptom/side-effect to deal with. Fun!