I just wanted to check the thread for any updates...and boy howdy are there ever some spectacular updates! I know you’re quite possibly minimizing some of the lows you are experiencing (because the highs are so much better!!), but I so appreciate your candor and your positivity!
Know that your FRiends are continuing to think of you and pray for you, Lisa, your kids and parents, as well as your medical teams. God’s got this!
**And to all the other FReepers who’ve posted about their own (or their loved ones’) ongoing treatments: please know that your posts were noticed and prayed over as your FRiends have read through this thread. You are not alone or forgotten!
Merry Christmas, Jeff and Lisa!! Thanks for the updates...and keep them coming!! :)
Spent one whole morning at MD. Drove home Thursday.
The Good stuff is the Chemo knocked the cancer back 30%-50% after the second round of Chemo, so that was better news than we thought. Also from our conversation with THE Mesothelioma Doc at MD, the current treatment I'm getting is the best I could hope for right now.
We did get more information and a better understanding of what's going on in my abdomen and what may be ahead for us. The short stay was due to me having the second CT scan prior to coming down and the Doc thought it wasn't necessary at this point in time. What he wants me to do is finish out the last three Chemo treatments here and then head back down for a CT scan and a meeting with one of the surgeons and see where we are then.
What else we found out is the cancer is not what we initially understood it to be which was widespread patchiness around my abdominal cavity, a small tumor in my stomach and affected lymph nodes in the area. The Doc did walk us through the CT scan and pointed out various things to us. The difference we found out is that the cancer around my abdomen in actually like a thick slab of bacon from side to side and from my belt line to bottom of my ribs. Pounds of it. It is also attached itself (it may have been that way from day one) to my intestines and stomach and possibly my liver. That at this point makes it inoperable.The doc explained there are only 400 or so of these cases a year and he sees roughly 100 of them, but there is not enough data or history with this stuff to have any alternatives, and there are no trials going on at this time.
Also, it was explained that I will reach a point down the line where the Chemo will cease to be effective and/or will reach the point of diminishing returns where the side effects will be worse than the cancer. When we reach that point is anybody guess.
The proposed operation, if it is even feasible, is a brutal ten hour (or so) procedure followed by 20 days or so in the hospital recovering. They split you wide open and scrape/cut out all the cancer then douche everything with hot chemo.
So while we didn't know what we would find out at MD, Lisa and I were to say the least not very encouraged by what we found out. The day matched our mood: Cold, rainy and grey.
I do want to thank SeaHawkFan for offering to show us around and meet with us while we were there and apologize for not giving him a call, but we were not really up for that after the morning.
So Lisa and I have come to grips that the clock MAY be ticking here for Doomonyou. But we will not despair! God's still got this and we are bolding heading to the Throne with prayers that these next three chemo treatments Continue to shrink the cancer to the point that an operation is possible. Miracles do happen. Typically, with earlier stage cancer it is curative, for me not so much, but it could give me an extended period of time here on planet Erf. So that's what's happening.
Another good note is I had the last Chemo a week ago Wednesday and experienced pretty lightweight side effects as far as pain, fatigue, or any of the other things that were bothersome after the earlier treatments, if fact, the four or five days prior to that were the best I've felt in probably three months! I did spend six hours at the hospital on Chemo day that actually wasn't too bad. Had Blood work, met with the oncologist, went and had 4.5 liters of toxic waste drained off, and then had the chemo after that.
So thank you and Bless You for all the continued prayers!
PS. Lisa's brother is coming out in March and he's taking me out on a helicopter hog hunt! There will be video. :)