Monday, July 16, 2007
July 16, 2007
Well, I had my consultation with the radiation oncologist today. I really liked him. He was very confident that they will be able to shrink this tumor. It was very positive, and it looks like the radiation will be much easier on me than chemo, except for the fact that it will be every day. He said that he could condense the treatment into two weeks, but they would get better results with fewer side effects for me if they spread it out over 5-6 weeks, so I’m ok with that. Tomorrow I will go in for the pre-appointment where they do a CT scan and make ink marks on me. They will then meet with other specialists to customize my treatment plan (that takes 2-3 days). I’ll probably go back on Friday for the tattoo marks and then start the actual radiation after that. He said I should not get sick, will not lose my hair and will only feel a little tired (but not like when I was on chemo). It will be a bit of a pain to drive to Castro Valley each day, but it will not take long, so I should be ok. I remain positive. I will keep you up to date on how things go. I thank God for all of you and the prayers & support you have given (and continue to give) to me. It is a huge help to me every day!
Saturday, July 14, 2007
test results
Ok, technically it is now Saturday, but since I just got home from seeing my student Andy Surrena play "Chris" in Miss Saigon (beautifully), for me it is still Friday night.
This afternoon my oncologist called with my PET/CT scan results, saying that the chemo has not worked and the main tumor and three spots on my lungs are still growing. He did not seem sure that this was where the pain was coming from, but we decided to do radiation on the main tumor. He seemed quite sure that we could stop the tumor from growing with radiation, so I have a consultation with the radiation specialist on Monday morning. I'm not sure of what it will entail, but I guess I'll know much more after talking with him on Monday. The oncologist did say that the usual radiation cycle is every day for 2-6 weeks. He felt like my case would be closer to 2 weeks, but he wasn't sure. The place is in Castro Valley. The best part of the news is that it has not spread anywhere. It has remained contained to the main tumor and the lung spots. I remain hopeful and thank you all so much for the prayers, because that is where the hope comes from. I will update again on Monday after my appointment.
This afternoon my oncologist called with my PET/CT scan results, saying that the chemo has not worked and the main tumor and three spots on my lungs are still growing. He did not seem sure that this was where the pain was coming from, but we decided to do radiation on the main tumor. He seemed quite sure that we could stop the tumor from growing with radiation, so I have a consultation with the radiation specialist on Monday morning. I'm not sure of what it will entail, but I guess I'll know much more after talking with him on Monday. The oncologist did say that the usual radiation cycle is every day for 2-6 weeks. He felt like my case would be closer to 2 weeks, but he wasn't sure. The place is in Castro Valley. The best part of the news is that it has not spread anywhere. It has remained contained to the main tumor and the lung spots. I remain hopeful and thank you all so much for the prayers, because that is where the hope comes from. I will update again on Monday after my appointment.
Wednesday, July 11, 2007
The latest update
Hi all,
Well I've had 2 treatments of this new chemo drug Alimta, and was supposed to have the third one on the 16th, but on Monday I started having pain in my chest. Today I called the oncologist and we decided to do a PET/CT scan tomorrow to see what is going on. I'm a little worried, so I need your prayers a little more than usual right now. If we find out this drug is not working, then I guess we will go from there. Maybe we will just go on to the next drug on the list. After all, this is like a big experiment with my life. I'm praying we will find the drug that works very soon. I have a great doc and I trust that my life is in God's hands, so I have to remain positive. Thank you all so much!
Well I've had 2 treatments of this new chemo drug Alimta, and was supposed to have the third one on the 16th, but on Monday I started having pain in my chest. Today I called the oncologist and we decided to do a PET/CT scan tomorrow to see what is going on. I'm a little worried, so I need your prayers a little more than usual right now. If we find out this drug is not working, then I guess we will go from there. Maybe we will just go on to the next drug on the list. After all, this is like a big experiment with my life. I'm praying we will find the drug that works very soon. I have a great doc and I trust that my life is in God's hands, so I have to remain positive. Thank you all so much!
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