Win

Brian McKnight - Win 

Please take a listen. The song I selected for the title of this post is truly inspirational and will be a staple for me when things are not where I want them to be .... like now.

If you've read the last post, you know that the overall news from my recent blood work (tumor markers) and my PET is good, but we do have concerns. I met with Dr. Kocs on Friday. I came prepared with a half page of typed out questions. Here is a summary of our conversation:

Dr. Kocs:  Bishop!

Me:  Kocs!

Dr. Kocs: Did you see the PET?

Me: Yes, I have a list of questions

And so it starts. This is our "thing" and how we start all of our conversations. First we discussed the PET. No major shrinkage across the board (some but not major); metabolic activity went down almost across the board. One of the spots on my liver grew slightly, but the metabolic rate went down. Between size and metabolic activity, we get more excited about reduced activity than we do about size; this means the cancer is dying.  Note: I never wish death on anything, but I do have my exceptions; cancer is one of them! 

The one new node that showed up is concerning. It is the left side hilar lymph node with a metabolic rate of 21.5 this time; two months earlier it was 5.3, not even worth a mention on the write up. The hilar lymph node is in the lungs. A little background; we've seen stuff on and off in the lungs for months but nothing really concerning. For example, August scan indicated partially groundglass opacity in the left lung shows improvement compared to prior exam and an indication it is responding to treatment. 

This is the first time we've seen metabolic activity. The lungs always appeared to be an afterthought. In previous conversations, we discussed that it may be cancer, it may not, but we seem to be keeping it in check, so we aren't sweating it. Here is a picture I found of some of the lymph nodes.  #10 is the hilar lymph nodes; my bad boy is on the left side. 

So .... what's the plan? Stay the course. Other than this one stinker, everything else is stable and tumor markers are within normal range for the first time in six months. That is a huge win!! We do three more rounds on this chemo, do another PET in early December and go from there. Of course, we will continue to monitor tumor markers. If they start to rise, we may move the PET up. It could be an indication that, once again, my cancer is getting wise to the treatment and it may be time to switch. Honestly, I would be surprised if we don't switch treatments by Christmas. Dr. Kocs knows my feelings on treatment options - strong enough to kill the cancer but not strong enough to kill me in the process.

I have the green light to do standard non-cancer preventative stuff that normal people do every year; my well woman, colonoscopy time (the test is okay; the prep is killer), and flu shot. I meant to get the flu shot while I was in the office. I will do it next chemo session.

The biggest news? I have the green light to travel to Virginia to see my son during Thanksgiving - not by plane; planes are out. We are driving. Hubby and I will self quarantine for two weeks before we go; our son will do the same. We will only use the huge travel stops for potty breaks along the way ... they have way more room plus they get cleaned on a regular basis. To be honest, I was expecting a resounding "no", but Dr. Kocs says if we take necessary precautions, the list is relatively low because we are driving. Flying is another story ... not the planes, but the airports and long layovers.

Basic rule of thumb for those wondering, masks are a must, social distance, keep time indoors with strangers to no more than 15 minutes, use travel stops for restroom breaks because they are spacious and are cleaned frequently.

Schedulers were freaking out about my travel plans during Thanksgiving. What is funny, with Friday being my normal chemo day, it would have been messed up anyway, cuz their office is going to be closed. Anyway, we'll work it out. 

Let's Win!!