Scan results and treatment #13

They are in! The scan results are in! Thank you everyone for waiting patiently. We found out the results last week but had to wait a painstaking eight days to review them with the doctor. I think next time we will get the scan the day before we meet with the doctor. It's too much anxiety for me. A facebook post on a page I follow for colon cancer patients and caregivers affectionately coined the phrase as "scanxiety." Well, I definitely had that this week, let me tell you. I had the worst stomach ache a few nights ago and I couldn't sleep, the pain was so bad! I better not have cancer, I kept thinking! I was fine by the next day, a little sleep deprived, but my stomach felt a lot better.

Scott has had 12 treatments, and that's the end of treatment for stage 1-3 cancer. Since he has stage 4, there's not really an end date, but we can still decide how we want to proceed after this 12th treatment. We had the written and visual results of his scan, but couldn't decipher much of either, so we really had a lot of questions for the doctor. Today is also the day when we decide if we want to switch doctors, because we're a little frustrated with this one.

We sat down with the doctor, and he apologized for being late as usual, although today he wasn't as late. We got down to business and started reviewing results. He was VERY thorough and he showed us the visual results and went over the written results as we reviewed the visual results. He's not a radiologist and can't decipher everything, but to the best of his knowledge, pointed out the parts that corresponded to the written report. There are still multiple lesions/tumors/implants (apparently those words all mean the same thing) in the lungs but they are stable - meaning that they are not increasing in size and there are no new ones. The tumor(s) in the liver (this report said there were more than one, so we're a little confused because we thought there was only one) are shrinking and are also considered stable, and ..... drumroll, please .... there is no evidence of a tumor in the colon! 😲😁😀😊👏 WOW! Are you serious! Wahoo!

So the doctor explained it in this way. The tumor in the colon was the original tumor and that is like the barn. The other smaller tumors that have spread are like the cows who have escaped the barn. We need to kill off or contain the cows, which can still multiply and cause more baby cows (tumors). But for now, they all seem to be contained.

Then the doctor asked us how we wanted to proceed. Scott told him he's sick of the neuropathy and does not want to keep taking the drug that causes it. The doctor said he was going to suggest that anyway. Most people can't last through twelve treatments of it and he didn't think Scott should continue on that regimen any longer. So, after discussing several options, we decided that he would take a break from three chemo drugs together for at least a month, and we would eliminate the neuropathy one altogether. He will still take the other two chemo drugs, and in a month we will decide if he will take a different drug to replace the neuropathy-causing one. This one will cause hair loss, but Scott doesn't care. His hair has been thinning for a while now and he accepts that it's just eventually going to happen. He is such a good sport and has such a positive attitude. I love him so much.

We also asked the doctor if he could be put on a list for a new trial drug and he said he would refer him to the top cancer center in the state for a consult. They will discuss with us how they think his treatment should continue and if he qualifies to be put on a trial. Yay! I've wanted this from day one and am SO happy that THAT prayer has been answered. 

So, to recap quickly, we will not be changing doctors; we feel like he really took the time today to explain things and that he really cares about us and our situation and is doing all he can to help us. The CT scan could not find a tumor in the colon; if it's still there, the only way to know for sure is if he has another colonoscopy. We will consult with the doctors at the other cancer center and also with the original GI doc who did his colonoscopy to see when would be a good time to do that. We will also consult with new doctors to see if he qualifies for a clinical trial. The other tumors are stable. He won't take the neuropathy-causing drug anymore, but will still have chemo treatments every two weeks. We will meet with the doctor a month from now and decide to introduce the new chemo drug or not. The doctor also prescribed a drug that can help lessen the pain associated with the neouropathy that he is experiencing, and can continue to experience for some time. We've talked to several people who have experienced neuropathy due to chemo, and one person's lasted for a year and another one's has never gone away! 😥 We're hoping for the former.

Thank you everyone so much for all your thoughts and prayers. We can actually feel them! I can't really explain it, but just know they're helping us. We still have a long road ahead of us, but we are starting to see a light at the end. We are strong and getting stronger every day. We love each other so much and are strengthening our relationships every day. We are learning so much about things that we never thought we'd have to, but that's life, yah? You just have to roll with the punches. Love to all of you. Please keep reading.