bunchofheather

Category: nsclc

  • April 25, 2019 – Still kicking

    I realized I hadn’t updated in six months. Not much to update when life is just chugging along! It will be three YEARS since his diagnosis in two weeks. He’s really been lucky is the course of his disease.

    M had his CT scan in January. His oncologist, Dr. K, told him there was nothing he sees as concerning on his scan. I read the radiologist’s report and that’s not the full truth as he noted a few concerning spots. M goes back at the end of May for his next CT and then has a MRI the week after that.

    Now, it hasn’t been all rainbows and unicorns. The multiple MRIs seem to have side effects that worsen his pain. The neuropathy has not faded in the least but he’s added on full body joint and bone pain that seems to be tied to gadolinium toxicity from the contrast dye. M does NOT have a good track record with side effects.

    One thing that happened recently, M almost looks like he had a small stroke. His mouth has a small droopy twist on one side. I suggested we go in to Dr. L early but nope, he doesn’t want to do that. His memory issues definitely seem worse as well. So many conversations happen again and again and I’ll think he’s got it and then, nope, next day he’s either forgotten or has details all twisted.

    But all in all, M is as fine as someone with Stage 4 lung cancer can be. He continues to be “the healthiest sick person I know.”

  • November 24, 2018 – Another Clear MRI

    If you knew M, you’d know he’s the last person you’d expect to be a healthy sick person! But, he is! Wednesday he saw Dr. L for an MRI and his brain was clean!

    January he’ll have a CT scan for the lungs. So, continually monitoring but nothing needing done.

  • August 20, 2018 – Surprisingly Good News

    M had his CT scan last week and we got the results today. No change in his lungs. We are 2.25 years out from diagnosis and M is still damn healthy! Dr. K says the lab report indicates some increase and lymph node activity but that he sees nothing when he looks at it. We got a referral to palliative care so maybe we can make some inroads on better pain management.

  • January 16, 2018 – M’s Brain’s Been Zapped Again

    Last Thursday was Gamma Knife #4 treating brain tumors #16 & #17… all went well. M got tired Friday – Sunday but is back to pretty much normal again. Now we’re on reprieve until at least April / May barring any bumps in the road. May will be TWO years since diagnosis!

  • December 18, 2017 – Results

    No change in the lungs, one new brain tumor. Gamma Knife in January, we’ll hit our out of pocket max on Jan 11, two days earlier than last year. Last year he had his scan in December and had one and when we went back in January there were ten. Hopefully we don’t have that again.

  • December 9, 2017

    M had a CT scan on the 28th. We get the results Monday to find out what’s going on in his lungs. Waiting two weeks is torture. The wait is my fault, as an accountant it’s next to impossible to get time off for the first five days of the month so I had to change his appointment from the 4th to the 11th. Then he has an MRI on the 18th to check up on his brain.

    We’re at 19 months since his diagnosis. He’s still seeming relatively healthy but there are chinks showing in his armor… it’s worrisome but what can you do…

  • Fuck you and your opioid crisis

    I get so irritated when I see yet another story about the misuse of opiods and how access is going to be further restricted. M beats himself up about taking pain meds because he feels like a criminal. Watch your husband crumple in pain because he’s trying not to take another pain pill so he doesn’t run out before he’s “supposed” to and see how you feel about limiting access.

    I used to tell him, don’t worry, they aren’t talking about stage four, terminal cancer patients, they aren’t going to limit access for people like you… but now it looks like that isn’t going to remain true.

    So fuck you addicts, fuck you for making it so terminal patients have to live in pain for the limited life they get… your deaths should be as pain filled as your addiction has caused their lives to be.

  • May 7, 2017 – Happy Birthday to M

    As he says, he’s one year old today.  

    One year ago today we were getting the news that M didn’t have another stroke,  but rather there were multiple tumors in his brain and a mass in his lungs… I didn’t think he’d make Christmas let alone the full year but he’s a fighter!  I often refer to him as “the healthiest sick person I know.”

    The last Gamma Knife went smoothly, M doesn’t have any doctor appointments until August so the summer is his! I’m sure there will be more brain mets at that point but we’ll worry about that then.

  • April 19, 2017 – M’s Cancer is Weird

    Weird is how Dr. K described M’s cancer last week since the CT scan shows nothing significant happening in the lung but yet M continues to have new brain mets. This week’s appointment with Dr. L shows only one new brain tumor. Gamma Knife again next Tuesday. Since there’s only the one, M doesn’t have to have the whole screwed on frame… instead it will be a mask formed to his face and a pillow formed to his head.

    I have to vent: I really don’t like Dr. K. He never gives facts or details just superlatives that remind me of a snake oil salesman.  Another thing that irritates me is that he doesn’t wear anything “doctor-y”, rather he has on an expensive suit which just seems to rub me the wrong way… 

  • March 5, 2017 – Just an update

    I haven’t updated in a while so…

    No new appointments, we’re really just waiting and seeing how things go.

    M fell about 2 1/2 weeks ago. I wasn’t home but surprisingly he told me.  Last week he went to stand up and fell back down into the chair. Both times he said the pain just shot through his legs so intense that he couldn’t stand.  I worry that this is some type of progression. 

    It’s been 10 months since diagnosis and six months since the end of chemo.