Chicago Marathon

My sister, Janet, is going to run the Chicago Marathon this October as a part of Team Livestrong. I really appreciate her doing this. It's a major committment and she is always very busy flying all over the world! If you'd like to support her and donate money for cancer research, you can click on the link above. Thank you to everyone who has generously given in support of her and me.

First Treatment Scheduled

I met with the chemotherapy nurses today. I will have my first treatment on Thursday, May 26 at 1 pm CDT. I am going to be on FOLFOX, which is really a combination of three drugs, and Avastin. FOLFOX is a combination of 3 drugs, Leucovorin (Folinic acid), 5-Fluorouracil (5-FU), and Oxaliplatin.

It sounds like there shouldn't be terrible nausea or much more than some hair thinning. The Oxaliplatin can cause sensitivity to cold and tingling in the hands and feet. I should know more once I have the first treatment and see how my body reacts to it.

Beyond the side effects, it's actually pretty interesting to read about how the drugs attack the cancer. Avastin actually goes after antigens on the cancer cells and targets them directly. Then, it stops to production of blood vessels to the tumors. The others attack different parts of the tumors as well. I've read some articles that have talked about the dramatic increase in the five-year survival rate for metastatic colorectal cancer over the last decade or so.

Unfortunately, there appears to be a shortage of Leucovorin that has been preventing a lot of people from getting the drug. Apparently, a similar drug was approved for importation from Italy to make up for the shortage, but it is a lot more expensive, and it's not entirely clear that it's any easier to get.

Installing Port

I went to the surgeon today. He's going to install the port on Monday. Simple like a pretty simple procedure.

I'll know more about when treatment starts tomorrow evening.

Type of cancer

I thought it might be worth posting quickly about the kind of cancer they found. According to my oncologist, the tumor looks more like my previous rectal cancer than normal lung cancer. That means that I have rectal cancer that has metasticized to my lungs, not lung cancer. They're two different kinds of cancer, and even when a cancer has spread to other organs it retains the characteristics of the original cancer.

CT Scan

I went to Delnor Hospital on Friday night to get a CT scan of my abdomen and pelvis. It's my seventh in three years, so I am pretty used to them by now...Or at least you'd think I would be! For some reason, I only removed the non-metallic things that were in my pocket and missed my keys! They did the scans, and then there was a short delay. Finally, one of them asked me, "Stephen, do you have something metallic in your pockets?" I felt pretty dumb, but it was good to laugh.

I still need to have a PET scan, but they needed more information from my doctor and insurance before they could do it. Also, on Tuesday I have a meeting with my surgeon to schedule installing a port. I keep telling people that I am looking forward to it, and they give me odd looks. I have had lots of blood tests over the years, and while I don't really mind it, the person drawing the blood is always annoyed at how hard it is to find my veins. The port will save a lot of frustration.

Then on Wednesday, I have a meeting at my oncologist's office to learn more about the chemotherapy treatment. I should know more about the schedule going forward at that point.

Thanks to everyone for their emails and prayers these last couple of days. I'll keep you posted.

News

Hi everyone,

I wanted to let you all know what's been going on the last couple of weeks.

A couple of weeks ago, along with a cough, I started getting a sharp pain when breathing. After a few scans, they did a lung biopsy of a mass they’d found. I learned yesterday that it is cancer. It looks like my old colorectal cancer has metastasized to my left lung. That was supposed to be extremely unlikely, but so was getting it so young in the first place.

We're going to start chemotherapy in a couple weeks and then go from there. I won't know much new for a few days, until I have a couple more scans and meet with the doctors again.

You were all so helpful and caring to me last time. I really am blessed to have such great friends and family. At the moment, I don’t have a lot of needs. However, I know that I can count on all of you for support and encouragement, as I experienced three years ago.

I’ll keep you updated as I learn more about how the next few weeks will go.

A year later...

Well, not to the day, but to the day of the week: I had my one-year check up colonoscopy today, and everything looks normal. Thank you for all your prayers and support this past year. They have meant a lot to me.

Love,

Steve