Health update September 26, 2024

I haven't posted here in a while, and that's likely to be the case going forward.  So any posts I make from here on out will be short and informational.

I went through a rough patch between about February and June.  However, starting in June (and after a bit of a fight with the insurance company) I started on a new medication in addition to Tagrisso called Tabrecta.  Within a couple weeks of starting the additional medication, I felt significantly better.  I was able to get off the painkillers I was taking daily, and even better, the fluid that has been a constant presence in my right lung started drying up.  So as of now, I am doing well other than some edema in my hands, arms, feet and lower legs.  I get to wear compression socks and on my left arm a compression sleeve as well.  Both the medications can cause fatigue, and both of them together are definitely causing me to be tired by the end of every day.  In the mornings though, I am able to take my dog Daisy for a walk, usually between a mile and a mile and a half long.  This is something I was not able to do 6 months ago.

So for now things are going well again.

Health update December 22, 2023

 Been a little while since I posted one of these.

So, I had a scan on December 20, and got the results of the scan on the 21st.  The good news is that there is no sign of active cancer.  I do have a few things that are sort of secondary to the cancer that I'm dealing with, but everything seems easy to handle when the doctor tells you there's no sign of cancer.

I'll probably have a procedure or two over the coming months to deal with the perpetual fluid buildup in my right pleural space, and I need to start some physical therapy to deal with some of the injuries and insults my spine has taken over the last two and a half years, but overall my family and I have been given the best Christmas gift of all, more time!

So Happy Holidays to everyone!

Health update 07/08/2023

 This will be a short update.  I had an MRI the beginning of June, and a PET scan the end of June.  Both of them show that I am clean of active cancer.  So I will be staying on Tagrisso for at least another 3 months, when we'll do the scan dance all over again.  So, good news & I continue on!

A 2nd Anniversary

 Well now, on April 27, 2023 it will have been 2 years since I was officially diagnosed with Stage IV lung cancer.  I wasn't all that up for celebrating a year ago on the 1st anniversary of my diagnosis, but this time I'm a little more celebratory.  Or at least, happy to have another year gone as I live with this lovely disease.  As you may recall, initially I wasn't sure I would make it a year.  So to make it two years still in relatively good health and still taking Tagrisso as my main treatment feels pretty good.  There have been ups and downs, good days and bad days, hell good weeks and bad weeks, but overall I'm still doing pretty well.  The treatment is not without its downsides, but its still significantly more tolerable than most chemo regimes are.

So here's hoping I get many more years out of my current treatment regime!

Health Update September 8, 2022

 It'll be a short post this time.  Because the PET scan I had on Friday September 2nd shows that I remain free of any active cancer.  Still N.E.D. as they call it (no evidence of disease).  What else is there to say at this point?  Nothing, that's what.  My family and I are very happy with how things have gone.  

So since this post is so boring, here is some new music from my favorite artist to hold your attention for the next 6 minutes or so.

The Church - The Hypnogogue

Until next time! (that would be in December when they scan me all over again)

Health Update 07/21/2022

 On Monday July 18 I had an MRI on my brain.

As you may recall, when I was first diagnosed, I had a number of metastases in my brain, the largest of which was 6mm.  The report at the time said "Multifocal small rounded foci of enhancement in both the supratentorial and infratentorial brain indicative of brain metastases."  At the time, having metastases in my brain was the scariest part of having stage IV lung cancer.  The not being able to breathe and the pain from the tumors on my spine were both bad, but hearing that my brain was compromised was the worst.  I'm a knowledge worker (software), so if my cognition is compromised my ability to make a living is also compromised.  Additionally, brain injury can lead to personality changes, frequently in a negative way, so I was imagining the worst in terms of how I would change and what my family would have to put up with.  I read a lot, so I was afraid I would lose my ability to do that.  I'm prone to introspection and contemplation, and its hard to do either of those when the tool you use to do it is compromised.   The short version is I was afraid I would lose my self, and not in the good "I've achieved enlightenment" kind of way.

Luckily, Tagrisso was available, and is the first drug of its kind that crosses the blood brain barrier, and was extremely effective in cleaning up the brain metastases. Two months after I started with Tagrisso, the metastases were all gone.

That remains the case, as the most recent report reads "There is no evidence of malignancy".

Next up for me is a PET scan in early September to look in on the rest of my body.  But first, we will celebrate the continued good results.

Health Update 05/26/2022

 I had another PET scan on Monday May 23rd to take a peek into my body to see if the Tagrisso I'm taking is still working.

It is.

No sign of any active cancer, within the limits of medical science's ability to detect it.  So, in another 3-4 months I'll have another PET scan, and in the middle of July I'll have another MRI to check to make sure my brain is still there clear.

 In the meantime, WOOHOO!