Background
I am undergoing
treatment for Stage 4 Mesothelioma Lung Cancer. The problem started
with chest pains on 2 January 2017 after I returned from my workout
at the gym. A trip to the emergency room resulted in a CT (computed
tomography) scan that revealed a mass in my right lung. A later
biopsy indicated it was mesothelioma; a sample was sent to the Mayo
Clinic for a second opinion; Mayo concurred in that diagnosis and I
was sent for a PET (positron emission tomography) scan at the Verde
Valley Medical Center clinic in Sedona, the nearest facility with a
PET machine. Following the PET scan I was referred to the Arizona
Oncology Center Sedona facility in the same building. I saw Dr
Anthony at the oncology center who discussed treatment options and
recommended chemotherapy consisting of the following two drugs:
Pemetrexed and Carboplatin, treatment which I am now
undergoing.
Previous
posts touch on this subject are shown at:
and
and
Current
Status
On
6 June we went to Sedona and saw Dr Lindquist (Dr Anthony has
accepted a research position at an institute in California) for a
scheduled chemotherapy visit; however my platelet count was too low
and she rescheduled it for next Tuesday, 13 June (my 85th
birthday; she noted that and offered another date but I declined
because I like the Tuesday schedule). She also changed me from a
three-week schedule to a 4-week schedule and scheduled a PET Scan for
22 June. Dr Lindquist prescribed temazepam to help me sleep while
taking dexamethasone (steroid) tablets for the three-day period
surrounding each chemo treatment. It seems to work as I slept for
almost 8 hours the 0n 12 June, the night before today's chemotherapy
session. I usually have a couple of down days following chemo.
Perhaps some of that has been caused by sleeplessness.
Additionally,
she referred me “to Dr David Sugarbaker at Baylor College of
Medicine for an opinion on surgery for mesothelioma.” I fly to
Houston on 25 June and expect to return home on 1 July. At my
advanced age, I am an unlikely candidate for surgery, but if there is
a chance that surgery could be performed, possibly resulting in
remission, I am willing to consider it. After all, the chemo
treatment I am now undergoing is only intended to keep the cancer
under control, possibly prolonging my life for another couple of
years and I suspect that my quality of life would deteriorate
significantly over that time.
Meanwhile
I am still holding up quite well. I did my usual 2.5-mile walk
yesterday and would have aimed for the 4.7 mile “big block” walk
today had not the chemo treatment interfered. I will see how I feel
tomorrow and perhaps go for a walk after Julia leaves for the
airport. She has been a very welcome and most helpful visitor for
the past ten days.
Both
she and Diana will meet us in Houston for the evaluation with Dr
Sugarbaker's team. Hopefully, Julia's husband, Rick, will also be
able to come. I have not seen him for some time.
My
next update will likely be sometime in early July
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