Shawn and I met with Dr NP on Tuesday and then flew down to Nashville to see Dr Cantrell on Friday - flying in the face of coronavirus fears with two flights (up and back), two uber rides, and a visit to a doctor's office. Just for the sake of clarity, the chemotherapy I take for colon cancer does not affect my immune system the way chemo for breast cancer or leukemia would. I do not have a compromised immune system, so it was not incredibly dangerous for me to fly.
After the "chemo break" scans, it was important to us to get an update on where I stand regarding the cancer. Dr NP was calm but recommended getting back onto to chemo immediately and adding in radiation to my hip. Shawn and I found it interesting that radiation does not "kill" cancer or even get rid of it fully...it is used to slow the growth of cancer.
A few days later in Nashville, Dr. Cantrell explained that "according to the scans, there is not new cancer spreading...all of the places that grew during the chemo break were spots that appeared even in my first scans." Dr. C was very positive about using the repurposed drugs with the chemo. He explained that this is when he has gotten the best results. He has had a number of patience reach "no evidence of disease" with the repurposed drugs and chemo together. I have not put both things together yet, so this will be a third path - chemo plus the repurposed drugs. Dt C was very positive and explained that "beginning from a very healthy place is the most important thing and you are very healthy right now." Dr C was incredibly positive about moving into the next phase. The one difference is that he definitely did not think I should have radiation because radiation would "make it impossible for you to have future surgeries on your hip." I can't believe that my hip is still the big thing.
Today, I am prepping for tomorrow's surgery where my ostomy bag will be removed/reversed. I should be in the hospital for at least two days and then home. I am incredibly excited about the surgery even as the hip pain is making for a bit of a struggle. A clear liquid diet today and then a 7:30am surgery tomorrow.
The plan is for the doctors to monitor my recovery and then begin chemo ASAP (probably next week). Never a dull moment!!
In wonderful news, D was in an all-day Academic decathlon competition on Saturday and he came in first for his section, religion. His team did very well and came in 2nd place overall (with a first place ini the logic quiz). It was an exciting weekend !
No comments:
Post a Comment