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Highlights of our trip:
* CT scan was clear - no visible cancer. I am so thankful for this good result.
* CEA (cancer blood marker) was up to 4.6 (normal is below 3-4). This is "some concern" to my oncologist, but not alarm. It has gone up due to chemo in the past, so it is possible that the elevation does not indicate microscopic cancer. I pray not.
* Radiation/chemo is next to reduce chances of recurrence in the area of the last surgery. I decided to have this done in Houston at MD Anderson with the team of doctors I've grown to respect and who know my case well. External radiation treatments will be daily from 5/31 until 7/12. I will take chemo (Xeloda) at 75% level during this time to make radiation work better. It's not looking to be pleasant, and long term side effects include a small possibility of getting another cancer. But all doctors involved seem to be in agreement that it is best to go ahead with this treatment. It's funny - the chemo oncologist told me the radiation will be worse than chemo. The radiation oncologist said, no, chemo is worse. I guess I'll find out.
* After radiation treatments, the plan is for 8 more weeks of chemo. So, that puts me at a end-of-treatment date around mid September.
* The hernia repair during last surgery turned out not to last very long. A new hernia has developed several inches long in my ab wall. This will require surgery, although it can wait a year or two. Funny how cancer changes perspective. Before diagnosis, if I were told I had to have gut-opening surgery to repair a hernia, it would have been a pretty big deal. Now, it's like, "is anybody going to die? ...no prob." Seriously, this is disappointing, but doesn't strike fear down deep the way cancer news does. You think maybe I could sell my ab on ebay and just get a new one?