Today's Medical Reports

Lots of health news today. I'll be self-centred and go first.

I am relieved as all hell to report that I do not currently have Barrett's esophagus which I was afraid I might have. Barrett's esophagus is a relatively uncommon side effect of Acid Reflux (see multiple previous blog entries) that often leads to esophageal cancer, which is generally fatal. Anyway, I don't have it so enough of that. However, my Acid Reflux is acting up strongly again because a new granuloma has recurred (if you remember, I had a previous pair) and is also located on my vocal cords. As such, I'm going on a new regimen of drugs and dtronger dosages and frequencies thereof and expect more arguments from my shit-ass insurance company. I am confident in Dr. Arin H. Newman, the doctor in question, so we'll see what happens. I go back in six months unless I feel my granuloma is getting worse in which case I go back immediately. Those of you who have talked to me recently know how bad my voice has sounded.

My dad is not-cancer free, but he's almost cancer free and it has retreated to negligible levels. There's no such thing as "almost" or "negligible" in the cancer world, but he is no longer in any immediate danger of dying from his lung cancer (second hand smoke is bad which is what caused it). All good news has some bad news with it, and this is no exception. His bronchial passageways, which were already a mess because of his chronic and severe asthma, are in very, very bad shape due to damage caused by the cancer treatment, so he is going to a pulmonary specialist soon to see what, if anything, can be done.

And, for those concerned, Scooter has stopped gaining weight but she is at a relatively healthy weight for her advanced (20+) years -- having recovered from the 5-1/2 or so pounds she sunk to at the bottom of her illness. She's happy. She's not so playful any more -- probably because of the ligament that's torn which they can't operate on due to her age -- but she's happy to be petted. She's even jumping small distances again, though getting down still challenges her. Her hearing is definitely shot for good (cry) and she has dental issues which they also can't fix due to her age.

Shout Out to Tom O'Drain

This is just so Tom knows I'm thinking of him. I've e-mailed him already.

Tom's mother is dying despite everything they've done. I'm not going to go into it here, but you can read his blog here: http://ducky72.livejournal.com/ Being involved with a parent with cancer is draining beyond all measure. As you know I'm there now. My friends Kris and Thomas just went through that and now Tom. Life isn't always happy.

My sympathies go out to Tom, his brother Trent, and his father and the rest of his family as well. And of course prayers to his mother in her last moments.

Update on Dad III (Good News)

PET Scan: Lymph Nodes didn’t even show any cancer at all -- it's gone. That’s excellent news, of course. That's right: there is no trace of any cancer in the Lymph nodes. The tumour itself still has some activity, though. The doctor can’t be 100% sure it’s still cancerous due to residual radiation and scar tissue, though he's pretty certain it still is cancerous because he has no reason to believe otherwise.

The CT (cat) scan was still difficult to interpret due to lingering radiation. Different people dissipate radiation at different rates. There is still some lung collapse (hence his continued difficulty in breathing). The tumour is not well defined and the shadow is less solid. It is still possible that live cells could escape and go elsewhere, so we must be vigilant and he must be tested regularly.

Despite all of this, Dad has shown significant improvement and he is out of any immediate danger. However new spots of cancer are always bad because that means it’s spreading and we have to hope and pray that is never the case. We will retest in three months --- first week of November -- and see what’s happened then.

There will be no surgery, period. The doctor is confident no reputable doctor will perform any operation on Dad. With his lung partially collapsed, and the surgical risks he has due to his other conditions, the risks far outweigh any possible minor benefit and Dad’s chance of surviving the operation is very low.

His continued coughing is caused by radiation damage. It will eventually lessen and may even disappear, but it may just be a permanent, chronic cough. His tiredness is a combination of age and effects from his diminished lung capacity. There will be absolutely no radiation injections or even further radiation treatments at this time.

So, all in all, this was a very good day at the doctor. This was also significant for me, because this is the first time I've actually met the attending physician and talked to him in person. Dad's done his best to keep me out of the loop and given me his "sanitized" report so I don't worry -- apparently he thinks that will stop the worry process. So while I've been to the doctor's office with him before (see previous posts), it's been with the many other doctors involved in the process and not The Doctor.

It was a draining day, but generally a good day for Dad.

PS: No new news on Scooter. Several severe issues remain and spoke to the vet and she said to give it another week and bring Scooter in next week. If there is any noticeable change, of course, she said to rush her over. Scooter is not getting worse but she's not getting better either. I think a big problem is she isn't drinking enough.

Update on Dad II

A number of you have written asking for the latest update on dad. On the plus side, he's definitely doing better. There is no question of that. He is also definitely not cured. I'd love to tell you he's in remission, but he isn't.

However the news he got was good news. Only one mass is left and it's shrunk from 6cm to 4cm. He is no longer undergoing any treatment, and hasn't for about a month. In about four weeks he will have another series of PET and CAT scans to determine how much of the tumor is actually still alive, and what the next course of treatment is. It might be more radiation, or chemotherapy. It might be arthroscopic surgery, if possible. We just don't know.

I have no further available news at this time. Thank you for your continued support and concern.

Little fan's final joy sees Ottawa Senators off to Cup

Okay, I am rarely moved to tears. This one got me. What a fantastic piece, and it's a very sad story -- bittersweet and poignant. You've got a three-year old with a terminal illness and a bunch of hockey players. It proves some athletes can do good things for good people in unfortunate circumstances. A small excerpt follows, but read the whole article.

OTTAWA -- In the end, it was a hockey game Elgin-Alexander Fraser was not going to miss. The three-year-old spent his last hours at home, nestled between family and friends on a mattress on the living-room floor in front of the television watching the Ottawa Senators reach the Stanley Cup finals.

His right lung had collapsed and he breathed loudly, wheezing. When it became too hard to keep his heavy-lidded eyes open, because of the morphine, his family whispered the play-by-plays to him.

"Go if you want to go now bud," said his father, Hamish Fraser to his wee son, who weighed just over 30 pounds. "You don't have to hang on."

But that night, Elgin saw the Senators win. Two hours later, as his mother and father tightly held his hands and told him they loved him, he softly closed his eyes.

Update on Dad.

Hi All:

There is an update on Dad. I want to thank those of you who have sent your support. He has gotten two opinions from two different doctors at two different hospitals and they concur on the diagnosis.

The cancer is stage 3. It has not responded to initial chemotherapy treatments. It has not shrunk. It is currently inoperable (a combination of the size of the cancer, his age, and his health). Starting next week he will begin much stronger chemo sessions and begin radiation treatment. This will be from four to eight weeks after which further tests will be performed and a further plan of action decided.

None of us are taking it very well.

Lung Cancer in the Family

Dad had his last full and complete physical in May 2006. This November, when I went to the Fastener show, Dad wasn’t feeling well and wasn’t sure if he would even go. He was having a little trouble breathing and we all gave him a bit of a hard time, telling him old age wasn’t curable. However it was getting worse, and we ended up thinking he might have pneumonia. Before we left, he got an x-ray and it wasn’t pneumonia and he was cleared to go by the doctor. When we came back, they said there was a small spot on the x-ray, and it was probably nothing but to come back in. He went in, and they did a second set of x-rays and numerous other tests.

As it turns out, it was something. Dad has stage IIIA lung cancer (Non-small cell lung cancer – NSCLC -- is the most common type of lung cancer. It usually grows and spreads more slowly than small cell lung cancer.) He’s never smoked, but before I came to work at Interstate, the office was full of smokers and he spent over 35 years around many chain-smokers in the same room as he was. That’s second-hand smoke, and the most likely cause – though we’ll probably never know for sure.

Yes, that’s bad news. It came real hard to the family, but obviously not nearly as bad as he took it. I can’t say that I blame him, either. He swore me to secrecy and only me, my step-mother, and he knew. He told my sister when she came home from college, as he didn’t want to ruin her first semester’s finals with the news, and I agree. He also didn’t want to tell the employees at Interstate until after the holidays.

The good news is they’ve caught it very early, and there’s over a 90% chance he’ll get better. He had his first chemotherapy session two weeks ago, and it went relatively well. His next one is after the first of the year. He’ll be missing a lot more work now, though the doctors have encouraged him to keep up some semblance of a routine, so he’s planning to work a few hours most days of the week. After the cancer shrinks a bit, he will be having two surgeries to remove the rest, so he’ll probably miss a few weeks then.

And for those of you who wondered why I’ve been non-committal and refusing to make travel plans or select specific dates to do things, now you know. I am needed at home and the office, and I will not be travelling anywhere unless it’s a very short weekend jaunt. Your forbearance for the next four moths will be appreciated.

Lastly, it’s very important he not get sick: quite simply it’s a matter of life and death. If he gets sick, that’s the worst thing that can happen to someone who has been weakened from chemotherapy – it can cause systemic infection and that’s 100% fatal. So, if you’re sick I am asking you to stay away from both him and me until you’re healthy. I’m one of the people who’s always around him, so I can’t get sick lest I pass it along to him. Austri has given me lots of good advice, because she went through this with her father, so special thanks to her for all of her support so far.

INFO FROM NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF HEALTH: http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/ency/article/007194.htm