Conflicting Oncological Opinions

ONLY TWICE in my Cancer Pilgrimage have there been conflicting opinions as to how my cancer treatments should proceed.  The first conflict, was not really a conflict I suppose as much as it was different approaches.  I had temporarily relocated (for work) to KY from TN and the Oncologist in KY decided to give me a cocktail of 3 drugs instead of the 1 drug my TN Oncologist had been ordering.  This new cocktail was:  Rituxan, Fludara, and Cytoxin that I was given two days in a row, every month.  I experienced severe nausea and vomiting and had to be taken to the ER two day after my last day of treatment to get my vomiting under control.

When I returned to TN, my former Oncologist was rather annoyed at what had taken place in KY but since he could do nothing about it, simply proceeded with giving me monthly infusions of Rituxan only.  A couple of years after returning to TN, we discovered Melanoma on the bottom of my left foot which seemed like an odd place.  At first, we thought it was simply a wart.

From the research that my wife and I conducted, there was a possibility but it was not conclusive that the infusions of Fludara or Cytoxin that I had been given in KY could have caused my body to become more susceptible to Melanoma.

Our first thoughts were these:  Would you not have thought that Oncologist would have know about this risk and if so, why did the Oncologist in KY bring it to my attention?

This brings me to my SECOND CONFLICT OF OPINIONS when after my Melanoma had moved from my foot to my groin (four years later) and that it was inoperable because of its location and extensiveness, it was decided to have Opdivo/Radiation treatments simultaneously AND CONTINUE taking my IMBRUVICA pills daily for my Lymphoma.

The opposition's opinion was that the two treatments would conflict with one another.  At the time that this was being discussed, I did not know that my Lymphoma had turned aggressive and that my Oncologist really had no other choice but to treat both cancers at the same time and HOPE FOR THE BEST.

Fortunately for me, the best happened as the two treatments worked in harmony and did not conflict with each other and both my cancers were halted from their continued growth.  Today, I can feel the dead cancer cells in my groin with my fingers and sometimes if I drive for long periods of time or just sit, I can feel them pressing against something even though the pressing is in way hurting.