I had my first appointment with my oncologist this afternoon since the hospital stay. They gave me a week off my Tagrisso to fully recover from all my nausea, diarrhea, lung congestion, etc. all the stuff I was dealing with during my hospital stay. They were concerned Tagrisso was adding to those side affects so they took me off it to be eliminate some variables. I had to confess I started back on Tagrisso as soon as I got home “against” doctor’s orders. I was feeling well enough and I wasn’t going to give cancer another week to work against me. I told him he was allowed to be mad at me, but he didn’t, he said he was happy I stayed on it. Whew! I am not in trouble… like  I am not already in enough trouble! lol!

He said the start of the treatments could be rough sometimes as we adjust to every individuals’ responses to medications, so I had a rough start especially with radiation. The treatment goal of reducing pain in my spine through radiation has been achieved. I am no longer in extreme back pain, so we agreed radiation is officially done.

Going forward, we will only do Tagrisso for the next couple of months to see if we could get to a stable period where the medicine can take effect. I will get blood tests every two weeks and stay on a good and easy routine. 

Tagrisso is the pill that blocks the gene mutation that produces cancer cells. During the hospital stay, with all the complications going on, they put me through several CT scans. Although they were not meant to measure the effectively of Tagrisso, the report did comment on slight shrinking of the tumor in my lungs and improvement on my nodules. Hopeful signs there.

My energy level has been up and down since my week long hospital stay. I am adjusting my activity levels as I can. Some days I am up, some days I am down. Generally speaking, I am getting better overall. I was able to do a slow set of tai chi here and there. It feels good to be able to get in touch with my body again through tai chi.

Met with the oncologist today. He is very personable and very knowledgeable. He went through all my charts and test results with me. I have what’s called non-small cell lung cancer. It has spread all throughout my lungs and a few ribs as shown in the CT scan. Therefore it’s considered stage 4. The good news is my tumor tested positive for a very specific mutation called EGFR genes. There is a very effective drug specifically target this gene to block cancer cell growth. If my body responds very well, it could even shrink my tumor!

The drug is not something I could get from a local pharmacy, it has to be first approved by my insurance company and then mailed to me. With any luck, I could probably start the treatment in about 2 weeks.

They will retest me after 3 months being on this drug to know if my body responds to it or not. It is something I will be dealing with for the rest of my life. 

There are side affects to this powerful drug, but relatively minor compare to chemo and radiation therapy. Common side affects are tiredness, decreased appetite, diarrhea, rash and dry skin, change in nail color, soreness of mouth and throat… we will see how I respond once I get started. 

For those of you that have serious insomnia, here is a site that gives all the information. 🙂

Targrisso

I had assumed chemo. My son, David, had offered to shave his head to support me. He would be so disappointed. LOL!

While we wait for my drugs to arrive, they are ordering a pet scan to make sure there are no cancer cells in other parts of the body we don’t yet know about. Also a brain MRI to make sure it has not metastasized to my brain. 

For the ribs that are showing signs of lesions, they are giving me an IV injection monthly that normally gives to people with osteoporosis to strengthen their bones. I think I also know a very good exercise that could strengthen my bones!!! 🙂

My MRI shows no cancer cells in my spine. (Thank God!) My back pain is due to a herniated disc which I am referred to a back doctor. I think I see more donyu’s in my future! lol! Thank you, Tony! Your work on me is paying big dividends. 🙂

As far as diet goes, the doctor wants me to eat a balanced diet focused on high calories intake. Helloooo, food!! Finally something I am truly excited about! Ha! 

All and all, I feel very lucky even with stage 4 cancer diganosis that I could have some chance of quality of life while we wait to see how I respond to this treatment. I feel good about this path and feel the medical staff is taking very good care of me in a very timely fashion.

Thank you all for your well wishes and prayers! I feel so lucky the prayers are answered and a relatively gentle and effective treatment plan is in place. I just have to eat well, rest well to help the drug to be effective.

Next medical appointments:

Thursday, 6:45am, pet scan.
Friday, 2:30pm, brain MRI.
Monday, 8:45am, pulmonary specialist.
Monday, 1:30pm, back doctor.

Whew, I think I should rent a room and live in the hospital to save all the driving back and forth! 🙂