It has been a while!

Looking at the blog, it is apparent we did not post an update after our July visit to MD Anderson.  Now here we are in early October with another visit under our belts.  So, here is an update...

Results of CT scans in both July and October showed no disease progression, meaning the tumors in both of my lungs have not grown, nor have any new ones become evident.  The cancer, in fact, is responding to the chemotherapy.  We are now counting around 6-8 visible tumors, all of which have either shrunk in size or have cavitated.  Cavitation means the tumor is coming apart on the inside - not necessarily going away, but losing viability.  When you look at a cavitated tumor on a scan, it looks like a ring - you can see the round edge but the center is empty.

Our doctor in Houston is great.  He is always 1-2 hours late, but it is obviously because he spends whatever time a patient needs.  He took the time to pull up four sets of images, from CT scans dating back to 2017 to the the most recent one, and took the time to show us the progression of each of several tumors.

So what does this mean for the longer haul?  I could stay on treatment, perhaps for a long time, but we are intent on exploring other options.  One that we discussed with our oncologist is cryoablation, where they insert a large needle, locate the tumors, then "ablate" (freeze) them.  There are other possible options that we will be researching

Our oncologist wants to go another three months on chemo to see if the cancer stays in its current state.  If that becomes the case, then he feels that cryoablation is a viable treatment.  Once performed, I would go off chemo treatment but continue quarterly scans to monitor and see if any other tumors manifest.  This isn't expected to be a cure, but patients have been known to go for years without any additional treatment.  Should spots begin to appear again, I would go back on treatment.

As always, we wish to thank everyone for the great support we have received.  We hope in some small way that our cancer journey has positively affected someone along the way.  We have certainly learned to live life a little differently, understanding how fragile it can be.

With October being breast cancer awareness month, I am grateful to still have Arvonne by my side, fighting along with me, after her fight with breast cancer.  She keeps me going!  She has been a great inspiration, a patient caregiver, and a very understanding partner in my chemo brain moments.

Remember, if you haven't been checked, get checked. I know we say this often but we are in the trenches of this disease and would hate to see anyone go through this journey.  Did you know that diagnoses of colon cancer in people 50 and older has gone down, but for people under the age of 50 it has gone up, substantially. We know of two young girls, one 17 that just lost her battle to colon cancer and another who is 11 and battling stage 4 colon cancer.  Arvonne had a colonoscopy two and a half years ago and another about a month ago.  She had two polyps that were pre-cancerous.  Enough said.  As always, GO FIGHT WIN.

Cliff

May You Find Joy

Another trip to Houston is in the books, and we are on our way back home!  My Mom (Mikell here), was gracious enough to take on a few days of babysitting duty, and let me come with my Dad to his appointment this time around.  My Dad will be visiting MD Anderson Cancer Center every 3 months for follow up CT scans, and doctors visits.  It was nice to be able to see where he will be spending some of his time, and meet his oncology team.  We were lucky enough to stumble upon an amazing, and very informative colon cancer community on Facebook called Colontown, which in turn led us to find Dr. Scott Kopetz, my Dad’s oncologist.  I was beyond impressed with the whole team, and feel that we have made a very wise decision choosing to involve him in my Dad’s care, as does my Dad, which is most important!  It takes a village, and we feel very fortunate to have all of you on our team as well!  I personally, could never thank all of you enough, on behalf of my family, for all the wonderful and kind things you have done throughout my Dad’s cancer journey. 

Today, the day after scan day, we met with Dr. Kopetz to go over the results of his CT scan.  “Scanxiety” is a word used quite frequently in the cancer community when it comes time for these appointments, and oh is it so real!  Perhaps this should really be considered a temporary medical diagnosis when a cancer patient enters the office of his or her oncologist.  My Dad’s blood pressure before he received his results was 157/74.  His nurse replied, “Well, it’s high, but not uncommon around these parts.”  Just a week ago, his blood pressure was 110/70.  Scan results this time around were GOOD!  For those of you that don’t know, my Dad started back up on chemo again in January, due to a recurrence/ growth of tumors in his lungs.  There are multiple, enough to not count/follow them all, so basically the radiologist picks a few of the largest/most measurable, and decides to follow those as a means to see how he is responding to treatment.  One has become hard to see (almost gone), and another is showing signs of cavitation (think of the tumor as a donut) and is starting to die from the center out!  It’s a great day when your cancer team can tell you that some of your tumors are basically dying!  Yes!  Overall, there are fewer “spots” on my Dad’s lungs compared to his prior CT. 

As of now, the general consensus is to continue with the current treatment plan…chemo infusions every 3 weeks, since we are seeing a positive response.  The hope (unless something better comes along) is for the current chemo (Folfox + Avastin) to work as long as possible!  More and more stories of promising immunotherapies are coming to surface, some of which were discussed today with Dr. Kopetz.  We hope that one day, my Dad as well as many others, will be fortunate enough to be a part of a successful trial, or even better, a cure!  It is truly amazing to see (literally just the surface) all the advancements and research going on in the cancer community.  You can’t help but wonder, when you walk into a place like MD Anderson, what is everyone’s story.  You see people of all walks of life.  From incredibly young, to old, and anything and everything in between.  Cancer knows no one face.  Sometimes you can sense one’s triumph, and another’s defeat.  Sometimes you would have no way of knowing, if it weren’t for all the little white bands around each patient’s wrist.  It reminds me, that cancer or not, at one point, likely multiple times in our lives, we will be fighting a battle whether it be our own, or someone that we love.  It reminds me to be kind, to be patient with others, to listen and to help each other!  Some of the things I saw at the hospital make me wish I could make everything better for that one person, someone I don’t even know.  I need to remember that simple acts of kindness can be carried out in my daily life, and are so important to not only my own well-being but to others!  Although cancer can be very depressing and defeating some days, it is you and so many others that help carry us through the peaks and valleys of this journey.  Today we are so happy to be able to celebrate a “VICTORY”!  I came across a quote today while anxiously scrolling through Instagram, waiting for my Dad to get called back…

“You find joy.  Sometimes you have to search under the rug and in the closet, but there’s something to be happy about every day.”  -Bonnie Lloyd aka Mrs. Clean, multiple myeloma patient.

Thanks for following our story, we love you all!  GO FIGHT WIN!!!

Also, Public Service Announcement.  

As we near the end of March, which is Colorectal Cancer awareness month…  We want to remind you that if you are 50 or older, are experiencing GI symptoms out of the norm, or have a family history of Colorectal disease, please consider scheduling a colonoscopy with your local GI doc.  It could save your life!  Have a wonderful and happy Easter weekend!