Welcome to the fifth journal in the series of the Mighty Cancer Fighter!!
As I have learned, the fight against cancer is a series of hills and valleys, and I
have managed to cross through several valleys since the last journal. This is
inevitable due to the impact of putting poisons in your system at regular
intervals, but what really matters is handling and getting through them. It is
these valleys that have caused this latest entry to be so late. I know there has
been a greater time lapse between this journal and the others, and I extend my
thanks to all of you who have noticed and asked about it. It tells me that you car and enjoy
receiving them. I am heartened by hearing that they have been being received in the spirit
that I have sent them.
So, here are the main things that have happened since we last "spoke."
CAT SCAN - A CAT scan was taken to measure the progress of the chemo against the
cancer. We expected to find few, if any, cancers large enough to be detected, but instead
there were quite a number of "dime sized" cancers present. Another CAT scan taken a
month later, after two more chemo sessions, showed no further progress in shrinking those
cancers that were left. We are doing some additional tests now to show exactly where we
are in the battle, and will put together a new plan of attack to finish the little buggers off.
Actually, the only thing that bothered me is that stupid Money Scale - you know, dime
sized, nickel sized, quarter sized. I think that is just too darn descriptive. We need a scale
that allows the patient to walk away feeling good, so I am going to make a formal proposal
for a new scale - "The Politicians Brain" scale. With this new scale, every cancer would be
described as "Billions and Billions of Politicians Brains." That way, the oncologist can
think she is saying it is slightly larger than a small boar, but the patient can walk away
happy, thinking it is the size of the head of a pin. Helps the psyches all around, don't you
think?
Actually, it seems that the problem may be that parts of me are TOO healthy, in that my
liver may be cleaning out the chemicals so fast that they aren't having enough time to work
on the cancer. Hmmm, "Do you want the good news first, or the bad news?"
BLOOD SUGAR - One of the side effects that come with the extensive steroid intake turns
out to be steroid-induced diabetes. No one had mentioned THAT one before! I wouldn't say
that my glucose count of 326 was high, but if you put a string in me and cooled me down you
would be able to make rock candy. We are working on this problem now, especially since
the high blood glucose count prevents a test that provides critical information about how we
are to continue. I am sticking holes in my fingers every morning to test levels, avoiding
sugars and carbohydrates, doing almost everything I have to do short of eating tofu
(otherwise known as "I Can't Believe It's Not Food!"). It is still a battle, especially when I
am on the steroids, but the hospital and nutritionist are working with me on it. With LUCK,
it will go away once chemo and the steroid treatment are done. Here I was complaining
about how I was being stuck with needles every time I turned around, and now I have to
stick myself every day to measure my blood sugar. (Just need a few more holes to become
a sprinkler...) In terms of controlling the diabetes, I have my glucose meter, a dietician
working with me, will be going to diabetic classes, and as of now I have the number down to
the 140-160 range, aiming for the normal range of 90-120. Since cancers feed on blood
sugar, my high levels probably were working against us, I needed a positive result in order
to better fight the cancer...
INFECTIONS - ANOTHER side effect of chemotherapy is the appearance of infections in
my mouth - primarily in my teeth and jaw. The chemo suppresses your immune system so
much that it is ripe for infections to develop unchecked. For a period of about three weeks,
if I wasn't taking a Percoset, I was counting the minutes until I could take another one. The
abscesses were bad enough but the visit to an oral surgeon, The Honorable Dr. Markey
Desade, was worse. I knew I was in trouble when I went into the treatment room and saw
the whip and chain decorations on the walls. He had a good time cutting up my gums in six
places and cutting and filing on my jaw bone for an hour or so. Though I DO think that using
nautical rope for stitches was a bit much... There were about three weeks of unrelenting
pain, visits to the emergency room, dentists, and surgeons. Finally, though, all that seems to
be over, and I enjoy being pain free in a way I never have before.
After all the setbacks, we are now focused on moving ahead. A Positron Emission
Tomography (PET) test scheduled for the first of October will tell us where exactly we are
in the fight, and give us a better idea of where to go next. This test had been planned earlier
and had to be cancelled because of my high blood sugar.
In terms of where we go from here, another two months of chemo is probable, as is
radiation afterward. A change in the chemicals is also a remote possibility. At this stage,
there are multiple options remaining, and that is heartening.
On the positive side, we have made major inroads in the battle, with far less cancer
remaining than I started with. While I have had some downtime these last two months,
overall the process has been easier to handle than I expected. There has been no nausea
and few of the other potential side effects. I have been in good spirits. And I remain
confident that success is just a function of time, the expertise of the people fighting this with
me, and the prayers of all of you.
More to come!!!
As I have learned, the fight against cancer is a series of hills and valleys, and I
have managed to cross through several valleys since the last journal. This is
inevitable due to the impact of putting poisons in your system at regular
intervals, but what really matters is handling and getting through them. It is
these valleys that have caused this latest entry to be so late. I know there has
been a greater time lapse between this journal and the others, and I extend my
thanks to all of you who have noticed and asked about it. It tells me that you car and enjoy
receiving them. I am heartened by hearing that they have been being received in the spirit
that I have sent them.
So, here are the main things that have happened since we last "spoke."
CAT SCAN - A CAT scan was taken to measure the progress of the chemo against the
cancer. We expected to find few, if any, cancers large enough to be detected, but instead
there were quite a number of "dime sized" cancers present. Another CAT scan taken a
month later, after two more chemo sessions, showed no further progress in shrinking those
cancers that were left. We are doing some additional tests now to show exactly where we
are in the battle, and will put together a new plan of attack to finish the little buggers off.
Actually, the only thing that bothered me is that stupid Money Scale - you know, dime
sized, nickel sized, quarter sized. I think that is just too darn descriptive. We need a scale
that allows the patient to walk away feeling good, so I am going to make a formal proposal
for a new scale - "The Politicians Brain" scale. With this new scale, every cancer would be
described as "Billions and Billions of Politicians Brains." That way, the oncologist can
think she is saying it is slightly larger than a small boar, but the patient can walk away
happy, thinking it is the size of the head of a pin. Helps the psyches all around, don't you
think?
Actually, it seems that the problem may be that parts of me are TOO healthy, in that my
liver may be cleaning out the chemicals so fast that they aren't having enough time to work
on the cancer. Hmmm, "Do you want the good news first, or the bad news?"
BLOOD SUGAR - One of the side effects that come with the extensive steroid intake turns
out to be steroid-induced diabetes. No one had mentioned THAT one before! I wouldn't say
that my glucose count of 326 was high, but if you put a string in me and cooled me down you
would be able to make rock candy. We are working on this problem now, especially since
the high blood glucose count prevents a test that provides critical information about how we
are to continue. I am sticking holes in my fingers every morning to test levels, avoiding
sugars and carbohydrates, doing almost everything I have to do short of eating tofu
(otherwise known as "I Can't Believe It's Not Food!"). It is still a battle, especially when I
am on the steroids, but the hospital and nutritionist are working with me on it. With LUCK,
it will go away once chemo and the steroid treatment are done. Here I was complaining
about how I was being stuck with needles every time I turned around, and now I have to
stick myself every day to measure my blood sugar. (Just need a few more holes to become
a sprinkler...) In terms of controlling the diabetes, I have my glucose meter, a dietician
working with me, will be going to diabetic classes, and as of now I have the number down to
the 140-160 range, aiming for the normal range of 90-120. Since cancers feed on blood
sugar, my high levels probably were working against us, I needed a positive result in order
to better fight the cancer...
INFECTIONS - ANOTHER side effect of chemotherapy is the appearance of infections in
my mouth - primarily in my teeth and jaw. The chemo suppresses your immune system so
much that it is ripe for infections to develop unchecked. For a period of about three weeks,
if I wasn't taking a Percoset, I was counting the minutes until I could take another one. The
abscesses were bad enough but the visit to an oral surgeon, The Honorable Dr. Markey
Desade, was worse. I knew I was in trouble when I went into the treatment room and saw
the whip and chain decorations on the walls. He had a good time cutting up my gums in six
places and cutting and filing on my jaw bone for an hour or so. Though I DO think that using
nautical rope for stitches was a bit much... There were about three weeks of unrelenting
pain, visits to the emergency room, dentists, and surgeons. Finally, though, all that seems to
be over, and I enjoy being pain free in a way I never have before.
After all the setbacks, we are now focused on moving ahead. A Positron Emission
Tomography (PET) test scheduled for the first of October will tell us where exactly we are
in the fight, and give us a better idea of where to go next. This test had been planned earlier
and had to be cancelled because of my high blood sugar.
In terms of where we go from here, another two months of chemo is probable, as is
radiation afterward. A change in the chemicals is also a remote possibility. At this stage,
there are multiple options remaining, and that is heartening.
On the positive side, we have made major inroads in the battle, with far less cancer
remaining than I started with. While I have had some downtime these last two months,
overall the process has been easier to handle than I expected. There has been no nausea
and few of the other potential side effects. I have been in good spirits. And I remain
confident that success is just a function of time, the expertise of the people fighting this with
me, and the prayers of all of you.
More to come!!!
Journal Five - "Yea, though I walk through the valley...
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