Setbacks and false starts

Today was one of those days. 

The past two Mondays I've gone to Richmond to get evaluations in preparation for the stem cell transplant. Also, for the past couple of weeks I've been a little sore. My chest and back and neck have felt really strange. Quite painful, actually. When I talked to the transplant doc, his best guess was that it had something to do with muscles reconfiguring themselves and moving around to accommodate the newly formed hole where the tumor used to be. All in all, quite good news - to be sure. I don't mind a little pain from the healing process. But just to be sure that this pain wasn't related to some kind of heart trouble or pneumonia, the transplant group ordered another CAT scan, full blood work, and X-rays.

This past Monday I saw the results. All good to go. Thumbs up, ready to launch.

However, the acheyness, especially over the past week, had turned to pain. At first, it was nothing bad, certainly nothing I couldn't handle. But during the past 3 or 4 days it became ridiculous. I started taking pain meds during the day (something I've tried to avoid). At night, I'd wake up from the pain. Well, yesterday, it got to the point that the pain meds just didn't work well enough to do the trick.

Today, we contacted m primary oncologist to see if there was anything we could do. I had a pretty good idea where this would lead. I'd make a visit to the doc's office, consult with the doc, and I feel dumb for asking about the pain. After all, it's natural that everyone has a little pain. Maybe I'd get some more pain meds, maybe I'd need to tough it out, but we resolve it somehow. Right?

Well, not exactly. From the physician's perspective, this kind of thing falls squarely in the 'You will go to the emergency room protocol. Having gone there once before and wasted the better part of a Sunday afternoon, I was not happy. But the pain in my back and chest was a powerful motivator. I figured that at least at the emergency room that I'd get a sympathetic ear. What I got was a new CAT scan, and a few armfuls of morphine. Oh, and some news. It looks like there is new tumor activity. It's still small, but it's enough to be picked up on the latest CAT (it has only appeared in the last week).   

The upshot of this is that I won't be going for the transplant right away, and that I'll need another regimen of chemo.  I'll meet with Dr. Cirenza on Monday to discuss treatment options, and what our next steps will be.

In secret, I'm hoping that further review of the scan results will reveal this to be due to some bad data,  an undigested bit of beef, a blot of mustard, or a crumb of cheese. Such hopes have proven futile in the past, but hey -it never hurts to keep your fingers crossed.

I am just glad we know what's going on right now, and that I have my family by my side to help.  Little bumps in the road like this are what keep life interesting.

TBI 4 ME

Hola amigos,

It's been awhile since I've rapped at ya, but I have news. I apologize to my loyal readers who haven't had news in weeks. We went to MCV yesterday for the final update on my status as an autologous stem cell transplant patient. It looks like I'm in the program. Barring any trouble in the next week or so, I begin the process next Friday, 06-Feb-09. We met with the doc and staff to work out the details. 

A new bit of information came up yesterday. Part of the treatment will include not only the high dose chemo, but also something called TBI.  I love acronyms, and in my line of work, I get more than my share. So, of course, I welcomed yet another one to add to my lexicon. TBI is Total Body Irradiation, and is pretty much like what you'd think. I'll get zapped in an effort to remove every last cancer cell. Twice daily for three days during my treatment. The side effects will, hopefully, be minimal. We'll see - I've always been a little sketchy on the radiation thing. I'll let you know how it goes.

I'm going to be taking a little time off of work on short term disability while going through this whole process. I've been promised a Wii to help me pass the the time, though, and that's enough to keep me interested.

I'm a little nervous, but things are going well otherwise. I'm looking forward to keeping you all updated as to my progress in the hospital.

Thanks again for all of your many good wishes, prayers, and kind words. I'm truly lucky to have so many good friends.

10 mile

Wow, it's been a couple of weeks since my last post. Not a whole lot to report in that time. I'm feeling pretty good - a little nervous, but I think that's understandable. This coming Monday, we'll go to VCU for a battery of tests to determine whether I'm fit enough to get through the transplant. Lots of fun, for sure.

I had a chance to get a good 10 mile run in last weekend. My speed wasn't great, but at least I got out there. The weather was great, though cold. I think I underestimated exactly how cold it was, because about a mile into the run, I took off the sweatshirt and hat I'd been wearing, and ran in my standard warm weather gear - t-shirt and shorts.  It was so cold I turned pink. :) All in all, a good run though.

One thing I've neglected to mention is that I'm finally getting my hair back. It was just fuzz at first, but now it's grown to the length that it's actually providing a bit of warmth. It's nice, and with eyebrows, I feel a more like a real person again. Sometimes you take the little things for granted.