Update

I just spoke to the doctor who presented my case at the meeting this morning. She said that the tumor is close enough to the pulmonary artery that the surgeons felt it would be iffy to try and remove it at this point.

So their recommendation is to continue chemotherapy for a couple more sessions, without the Avastin, which may have contributed to the bleeding. Then, we would assess whether radiation was needed to further shrink the tumor before surgery. This is similar to the plan we had prior to this incident, though my doctor was skeptical about surgery.

Thanks again for your prayers. I will let you know when I have an idea when I might get out of here.

Well-timed side effect

Yesterday afternoon, I was feeling great for the first time since the chemo started on Thursday. Then out of nowhere, I started coughing blood. A couple of trips to the ER later, I was admitted to the Central DuPage Hospital ICU early this morning. The symptoms have lessened since this morning, but they want to hold me at least overnight for observation.

This was a rather shocking and scary development to say the least. It appears that the tumor is what caused the bleeding, but it was probably helped along by the Avastin. It seems to be under control now, and they did look at my lungs on CT and endoscopy.

The well-timed part is that tomorrow morning at CDH a group of pulmonologists, thorasic surgeons, oncologists, etc. are meeting for a conference. Because I was admitted to the ICU, they are going to discuss my case and what might be the best course of action now. There is some optimism that it might be possible to surgically remove the tumor.

The hand of God is clear to me in this unfortunate side effect, that has lead to an impressive collaboration about my condition. His timing is perfect, even when it is frustrating to have a good day devolve into a medical emergency. Thank you all for your continued prayers.

I will update with more information tomorrow about what they discussed and how long before I will be able to go home.

First treatment finished

I just got back from the hospital where they removed the pump. I'm feeling tired and a little nauseated, but overall okay. Now, I have a week and a half to recover before my next treatment on June 8th.

This weekend I will get to spend time with my brother who flew in from Maine. Then, I will finish the school year before starting the process again.

One day down...

So, I slept well and had a pretty good day at school. I was a little nauseated during the day, but the medicine they gave me seemed to help. So far, so good, I guess.I have about 24 hours on the 5-FU, then I get a two week break!

I forgot to mention that the scans I had last week (CT and PET) came up clean. At the moment there are no other areas of cancer visible. The plan right now is to do two or three months of chemotherapy and then repeat the scans. If there still is no other trace of cancer, then we'll probably do radiation to get rid of the tumor on my lung. That would likely be followed by another round of chemotherapy with hopes of preventing any microscopic areas of cancer from growing.

My brother, Mark is coming in town this weekend, so it will be a good holiday weekend. Thanks to everyone who continues to support me in many ways, and for keeping me in your prayers.

Back Home

My sister, Janet, just dropped me back off at home. It was a bit of an ordeal trying to get the needle into the port, because it wasn't in the usual place. In fact, I found out why the port had been giving me so much discomfort was because they needle they had left in me wasn't actually in the port, but floating around in my chest! Eventually, they found it and we were able to start  the treatment.

While at the office, I received an hour and a half of the Oxaliplatin and an hour of the Avastin. Unfortunately, the Leucovorin was still out of stock. I spent the time talking to my sister, playing on the IPad that my generous colleagues at Norton Creek bought me, and talking to the nurses. Now I am on the pump for 45 more hours with the 5-FU.

So far, I am feeling pretty good. I haven't had any significant nausea or side effects yet. Thanks to everyone for their thoughts and prayers. I really appreciate them.

Chemotherapy begun

After a delay inserting the needle into the port, I just began the first of my chemotherapy drugs. After an hour and a half of Oxaliplatin, then I will get the Avastin. Then, I will have an injection of 5-FU, and then get it for two more days through the pump. More to come soon.

Port Installed

I just got home from having a Power Port installed. The port will help with the chemotherapy treatments, which includes two days with a pump. Everything went great. I'm a little sore, but have some medicine to help. Thanks to my surgeon, Dr. Tomasik, for doing a great job!

This means that everything is now in place for chemotherapy to begin on Thursday afternoon at 1 pm CDT.

Thanks for all your prayers and support. I am continually amazed at how generous and caring all my friends and family members are!