Skip to main content

All of the Above

Image
Written By

    All of the Above - how my cancer grew out of control in a short period of time and how I'm aggressively back in chemo and radiation to regain control.  

    July 2023, I stated to develop a wheeze in my breathing and then by mid July a cough and on July 18, 2023 I had my routine follow up scans (CT and Bone Scan).  First off, bone scan showed no additional new growth and a stable T4 from previous Feb 2021 cancer, so that was a win.  CT unfortunately showed a new large tumor in right lung with several new tumors growing in between lung sacks. 

Left - March 2023 of right lung  Right - July 2023 of right lung

    The image on the right is pretty telling as the new large tumor was at the base of my lung surrounding the wind pipe which was likely causing my symptoms.  There was also a medium plural effusion at the base of my lung.  These together were starting to press the air space of my lung.  My oncologist and I decided to stop my current cancer oral meds of Verzino and begin a new treatment, but there was a 4-week Wash Out Period which is the time it takes for current meds to wash out of your system and in the back of your mind one can easily think that your cancer might be returning...

July 18, 2023 - CT and Bone Scan, found tumor in right lung
Aug 04, 2023 - Biopsy of Lung
Aug 15, 2023 - Biopsy confirmed breast cancer cells in lung and Tumor Genomic Findings
Aug 17, 2023 - Wash Out Period Ends

Aug 22, 2023 - Started Piqray a targeted oral drug for the PIK3CA mutation

As soon as I stated the Piqray, I had severe nausea and struggled with keeping food and liquids down.  We tried multiple combinations of nausea meds that would work for days and then not.  I would go in for IV Hydration multiple times to get better.  But then, hospital visits led to more questions perhaps there was something else causing the nausea and that is when the scans started.  I kept telling myself that we just had to give the Piqray meds a chance, but it was becoming clear that my body was under attack.

Sep 05, 2023 - MRI of spine, interval progression of multiple enhancing bone lesions 👎
Sep 21, 2023 - Hospitalized
                        Brain MRI, numerous scattered enhancing lesions 👎

Sep 25, 2023 - Piqray is stopped, I've lost 40 lbs in a month 👎
Sep 29, 2023 - Hospitalized
                        Spine MRI, 24 new tumors in my spine (7 cervical, 12 thoracic, 5 lumbar) 👎
                        Thoracentesis, drained 0.9 liters of fluid from my lung (felt allot better)
Oct 03, 2023 - Oncologist puts in motion a plan to start Chemo and Radiation of my brain  

So in what felt like a short time, well it was, 2 months my cancer got out of control and I dealt with All of the Above everyday.  A true Fuck Cancer moment and somehow I did HammerOn!









Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

ONJ

Written By
     ONJ  - What is ONJ -  Osteonecrosis of the jaw is a condition where  the jawbone is exposed and not covered by gums..... and that is what I had.  Um ok, what?        So this all started back in the beginning of April of 2022 when I ate some starburst candy and a few days later, started feeling pain in my lower left jaw area.  At first, I went to my family dentist, the normal found some cavities in the area and filled them.  However, the pain still was there, in the same area, but below my left jaw, a dull pain.  So I went again for a checkup and dentist said well you might need a root canal (in which they didn't do... but dentists in the 90s used to.... whatever).  That lead me to another dentist who did root canals and they took an pano image of my jaw, in which I commented, "I am a Stage 4 Cancer patient, how does that work with what your are doing" and I got a deer in the headlights look from the Dentist, my confidence fell at this point.  Another $600 and was tol
Post a Comment
Read more

3 Sentences

Written By
            Sunday, February 07. 2021 - Super Bowl Sunday, I went to the ER for a pain in my right lower abdomen under my rib cage, thinking I might have a pulmonary embolism.  So to check that out, I underwent a CT (scan #1) of my chest and top abdomen and ultrasound (scan #2) to rule out PE or gallbladder.  After a couple of hours, I got the results: no PE and nothing wrong with the gallbladder.  What I got instead was three sentences on a discharge document:     ER Report 02-07-21  Impression "3 Sentences"   Osseous metastatic disease with new T5 vertebral body lesion demonstrating epidural tumor extension. New lung nodules consistent with metastatic disease. Small right pleural effusion. Nodularity along the major fissure.  Findings concerning for malignant effusion , What followed was a TIDAL WAVE of EMOTION - WHAT? - YOU HAVE TO BE KIDDING ME.  After several choice cuss words and a few hours of not being able to comprehend these 3 sentences, I sat down and wrote an ema
2 comments
Read more