Latest Doc Visit

"In the midst of winter, I found there was, within me, an invincible summer."
- Albert Camus

Here it is, Friday and nearly December. As rough as the treatment and recovery process has been, it's amazing how quickly time passes. I am very thankful for this, because I know that every day that passes is another day closer to my being able to eat, speak, and live fully again.

Yesterday, for the first time in 3 weeks, I left my house. Not only that, I drove . . . to two appointments that I had. It was great getting out of the house, and while my weak muscles reminded me how hard this battle has been, the throaty sound of my GTI's engine reminded me how great life is.

My first appointment was at 9.15am at my local dentists. While the Penn dentist was great, it just seems too far to go and the office staff there were unpleasant. So, I chose to go to my local dentist office. They, unfortunately, see a lot of head/neck cancer patients and survivors and are too familiar with radiation effects on dental hygiene. Dr. Walker looked at my teeth, and I was abit afraid because I haven't been able to tolerate daily fluoride tray placements at home for weeks. They would make me sick, so I have relied only on brushing. I remembered my Penn dentist warning that people who usually see a cavity every other dental visit often get as many as 40 cavitites after radiation each visit. I wasn't sure what to expect. Well, my dentist took a good look and told me she was very impressed. Not only did I have no new cavities, but there was not even any calculus/tartar on my teeth. The good news is that she said my dental care was great, but even better is that there's enough saliva production to help my teeth! My production is among the best she's ever seen!

My second appointment was with Dr. Dougherty at Doylestown Hospital for my next three chemo treatments/hospitalizations. As you remember, Dr. Sherman at Penn was kind enough to refer a colleague of his here in Bucks, so that I would not have to spend 4=5 nights down in the city in the hospital for my treatment. I would prefer to stay closer to home and Doylestown is only 15-20 minutes away.

It was such a pleasure not having to drive all the way into the City for my appointment. The country setting of the hospital is so much more relaxing, the cleanliness and spirit of the place was much more calming than Penn. I felt pretty good going in.

Dr. Dougherty herself seemed very nice and knowledgeable. More importantly, we talked about my treatment and she sees no reason for me to be hospitalized at my age and level of health. They will install a PICC, a catheter line, into my arm through which the cisplatin and then 5FU will pass. They'll give me the cisplatin in the hospital, but then i'll spend the next few nights at home receiving the continuous 5FU dose. Then I'll return to the hospital for a check, and they'll remove the PICC line. So, I'll be able to do this from home! Fantastic!

We scheduled my PICC line insertion procedure for Dec 6 and my chemo begins Dec 10.

The other bit of good news is that I actually gained 10 pounds over the last 3 weeks. I'm at 189, which is only 10 pounds below my normal weight. I expected to weigh in around 175.

Things weren't all positive though. Dr. Dougherty examined my neck and still feels a small lump in my neck. She estimates about 1cm x 1cm. She said the chemo may elminate it, and if not, surgery would be needed. So, please keep praying for the chemo to work on the lump in my neck. If we can avoid surgery, it will really improve the quality of my life and chances for survival.

When I go for my MRI next week, we'll know exactly what's left in there.

I'm upbeat, and no longer dreading the chemo. Bring it on. It's the next step in getting and keeping me better.