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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