Good Health Friday

My reports from the Oncologist are back and my blood works has improved, my red blood cells and white blood cells are still low below the norm, but my body seems to be dealing with the two types of immunotherapies that are being pushed into my body to fight Non-Hodgkin's Lymphoma and Melanoma.  My thyroid is not getting worse.  My nausea has all but disappeared.  My fatigue has all but disappeared as well.  I am on a routine of monthly IVIG which over a couple of months will assist in my improvements.  And, it appears that all my internal organs are functioning the way they should.  My sinus infections are gradually disappearing and the antibiotics are improving my facial skin infections.

I will continue to have a CT scan every three month but it will no longer be swapped out with a PET scan until some metabolic activity shows up on the CT scan...  The urgency there has been somewhat mitigated although it could worsen in time...  but, I don't think about that.

My heart monitor showed that I have no signs or any concern for afib returning so I am off of Xarelto and my bruise will begin to fade and my arms will look normal again.

My blotchy skin on my arms, face, neck, and shoulders is a sign that the drugs are killing the cancer and returning it to its normal pink color.

My cancer journey began in 2007 and in 2021 and after 13 years of treatment, I am beginning to show better than normal improvement, given where my Oncologist said I was 2 years ago from the standpoint that he was not sure he could stop what was happening to me.  At the end of 2021, I will end my 14th year and begin my 15th year...

Time flies when you are having fun...

Through Another Lens

A couple of days ago, I talked with my new Urologist about potential prostate cancer via video conference (like Skype I suppose) and while our sound did not work as was intended, we talked to each other on the telephone.  Interestingly, he said that of his 6 video calls that week, he experienced audio problems with 5 of them.

Our meeting lasted about 12-15 minutes and he patiently described the situation about having a high PSA number of 8+ as not being that alarming since it had only happened once, especially since I was not experience the other, more traditional, symptoms of prostate cancer.  He wanted to do another blood test in a couple of months to see if the PSA increased/decreased or stayed the same.

The next step was to do a biopsy of the prostate but because of COVID-19, no biopsies were being performed unless the patient had a PSA of 15 or higher.

He reassured me that prostate cancer was slow growing and since this was my first high PSA that there was nothing to worry about, since it was very early in the process and especially since prostate cancer typically was slow growing.  He also answered my question with a NO that there was no connection between prostate cancer and either Lymphoma or Melanoma; although there had been some evidence that treatment for Melanoma had helped prostate cancer patients.

What I liked about this video conference was that I did not have to leave my house and my first thought was that this is the way it should be normally for all FIRST TIME visits to keep patients from driving to the office and spending time with others in a waiting room for 60 minutes or so...   Perhaps, some follow-up visits could happen like this as well.

HOPEFULLY, this corona virus will change how we conduct future healthcare in this country.