Love this picture that my brother Doug took of me back in the early days of this journey. I think it still applies.
Mary and I were back at Mayo Clinic this week for
imaging, consult, and treatment. Cancer
has shrunk slightly since the end of September based on imaging and my PSA
dropping from 2.6 to 2.0. This is a really
good reaction to the Xofigo (Radium 223) treatments. These treatments seek out cancer spots on my
bones and release radiation that targets the cancer while leaving surrounding
tissue mostly unaffected. Radiation
doesn’t kill cancer immediately; it changes cell DNA so that when the cancer
cells try to reproduce, they can’t. As a
result of this time lag, the halfway point of treatment doesn’t always show
positive results with this treatment. So
everyone is very pleased with these results.
Had my fourth treatment/infusion on Wednesday; the final two treatments
will take place later this month and at the end of February (4 week intervals).
On the flip side, since early October it seems like I am
dealing with one health challenge after another. I won’t go through the entire list, we’ll
just say I have spent way too much time in doctor’s offices, ER, and on the
couch. We did end use of one of my
cancer treatments, Zytiga and Prednisone.
I developed bone and muscle problems in my lower back, hips and legs
that were making standing and walking an adventure; had trouble depending on my
legs to support me. We had already cut
down dosage and I was feeling better when FDA came out with a recommendation to
not pair Zytiga/Prednisone with Radium 223 treatments due to risk of bones
breaking and other concerns.
Zytiga/Prednisone has now been discontinued. We are currently trying to figure out why my
liver numbers are up, why I am vomiting almost daily in the morning, running
low grade temps off and on (no flu currently, I have been tested for bugs), body aches, and
numbness in my shins/calf muscles, among other things. Mayo did an MRI of my liver and stomach this
week; found nothing to account for the high liver numbers. I see my family doctor on Monday and
hopefully we can come up with a game plan.
Part of the challenge is that all of the many treatments that I have had
are starting to have an accumulative effect; the body can only take so much
radiation, chemo, drugs, surgeries, etc.
Because my immune system is not at full strength as a
result of treatments, I had to end my volunteering at the local hospital, at
least temporarily. It was a tough phone
call; I really enjoy the volunteering but the risk to catch bugs is too great
at this point.
Hopefully we can get me feeling better so that I can
enjoy some of the benefits of the Radium 223 treatments. Our goal with any treatment at this point is
quality of life. That doesn’t mean we
are giving up. We’ll do what we can to
fight the cancer. But we don’t want to
do it at the expense of being able to live life because the side effects are
worse than the treatment benefits. Obviously
much effort is currently going into finding that balance. The treatment goal is also a result of the
fact that we know of no curative treatments available at this time. Frankly
we don’t even know what other treatments might still be available after Radium
223 treatments are completed. We are
okay with this as we continue to have faith in God’s plan and His love for us. Make no mistake, some days it is easier to
stay positive than others and the past few months have created their moments of
tears. We are human after all. Still, God’s love sustains us and look forward
to someday being in His loving embrace in heaven. Just not quite yet. J We keep praying for some more time to enjoy
on earth the people and beauty He has surrounded us with. He certainly has surrounded Mary and I with
the best!
With all of this in mind, I am hoping to use most of
March to take a driving trip to the southeast part of the country to visit
family and friends and take in the sites along the way. The little boy in me wants to come out and
play some more. J
“Life is not measured by the number of breaths we take
but by the moments that take our breath away.” Continue to appreciate those "moments"!
