The lead in this story is that the proton therapy is working. I’m 15 days in now (5 to go!). Dr Simone said I probably wouldn’t notice improvements in breathing and heart function for two weeks, but things started getting better after five days. My heart rate used to cap out at about 117 during…
Chapter II
In September of 2013, doctors diagnosed me with a malignant 5cm mass, discovered during a regularly-scheduled MRI (which I have as part of my follow-up from a 2001-2002 breast cancer battle). After surgery and tests, I learned that I had thymic carcinoma -- a rare and fast-growing cancer of the Thymus gland. Usually, it’s not diagnosed until it’s already spread to the lungs, heart, or other places, because it can be fairly symptomless. I was blessed, as my oncologist said, that my regular MRIs helped catch it early. My outlook would have been much worse if this had been discovered months later.
I am documenting my journey through Cancer Part II in the hopes that it will educate and inspire others who are facing a difficult diagnosis. In the days after I left the hospital, I sat down with my colleagues at Growing Bolder to share my thoughts on this new challenge. As we say -- I am Surviving & Thriving.
A Bit of Reality, then things got unBELIZEable (and now, I can’t Belize it, but I’m in the hospital)
“Well, your disease is stable. In a couple of places, we could say there’s a small amount of shrinkage.” Everyone stares at everyone until I say, “Well, that complicates things doesn’t it?” I’d added on one more month of the CRLX101 trial, just to keep that option open after my last CT scan showed growth,…
A Change Would Do You Good
Allow me to pilfer Sheryl Crow lyrics to head up this post. The song has been bouncing around in my head for a couple of weeks now. That and David Bowie’s Ch-ch-changes. Guess what: Changes in my protocol are looming. And that’s a good thing. I haven’t altered my lifestyle much except for the intensity…
Dogleg Left, Dogleg Right**
There hasn’t been much straightforward with my treatments or trials. We forge down one path, and when it starts getting too gnarly to pass through, we find another. That’s about where we are right now. My CT scan shows growth of 16%, but Dr Thomas says some areas have more growth than that. 20% is…
Yes, You Can or YES, YOU CAN!
You can pick up doses of inspiration where you least expect it. I was suffering through an Orangetheory Fitness class about a year ago with a coach I had decided I wasn’t going to like. I thought she was too serious and kind of stern… I thought she was exactly what I didn’t want at…
Just Zigzagging my Way Through All of It
The subtitle could read: Vein Procedure-Pearl Jam. Another Surgery Ahead-Tour of Utah. Less Stable Tumor Stability-A Perfect Bike Picture. In other words, like the intention in my hot yoga class today, we are focusing on opposites, yin-yang, pushme-pullyou, Oscar and Felix. I’ll start with some less-than-awesome medical stuff first, so I can end with a…