Still Here
Hi Everyone! I am still here and alive! Sorry I have not posted for awhile. I have been quite out of it the first couple of days after surgery and then crazy busy with doctors! Yesterday, my room was a rotating door with docs and people from various specialties coming to see me. I remember at one point looking at the clock and it was 8:30 a.m. Next thing I know it is 6 p.m.! The day just seemed to breeze by.
A couple of updates:
1) Dr. Kukinoor had a conversation with us confirming in his opinion that the cancer is progressing and therefore we need to move to a second line therapy called Tarceva. This is a newer form of chemo called targeted chemotherapy and is in the form of a pill taken daily.
2) Even though there is progression of the cancer, there are no signs of the cancer in any major organs other than the lungs and bones.
3) I still need to schedule a PET scan, which will give a much more detailed overview on the progression and comparison to the baseline, but I cannot go to this until I am out of the hospital (these are done outpatient because of political reasons).
4) I was confirmed to have cellulitus in my left leg, which was causing the swelling and pain initially. From what I understand, this is kind of like a staff infection. I am taking antibiotics for this.
5) The vertebroplasty seemed to go well. I am still in major pain in my lower back, so I am not able to walk yet because the pain is radiating forward to my legs. I have a pain pump that allows me to administer heavy duty opiates directly to my port every 10 minutes to deal with the pain.
6) Because of the heavy duty opiates I am on, the docs are pushing me to look into a pain pump. I have discussed this in a previous blog with my feelings on this and how I have no desire to stick a huge hockey stick piece of metal in my body unless absolutely necessary.
7) I have plural effusion. Tomorrow I am scheduled to have a thoracentesis or “pleural tap” to remove fluid for testing.
The blood clot was confirmed to have grown larger, which is a concern to my oncologist. They have switched up to a new blood thinner medication that is a daily shot in the stomach.
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I really admire the way you are handling everything. What courage you demonstrate.
Anna