90-day report is mostly good

After a CT scan of my lungs, gut and pelvis on Monday, today my cancer doctor said the cancer tumor on top of my pancreas appears to remain stable. While it's dimensions (width/length) changed slightly from the November scan the overall size is about the same. I have these scans of my innards taken with contrast dye every three months.

There was no sign of other tumors popping up elsewhere. Fine with me. While the ideal report would be "the tumor is gone" or "the tumor is now a shriveled relic", I am very pleased with the report that the cancer is still locally contained on top of the pancreas. The big artery and vein that pass right by the pancreas are still encased by the "ill-defined" mass which is 25.1mm x 35.6 mm (about 1 inch x 1.4 inches).

SOME BITTER PILLS TO SWALLOW

My blood test was a little less cheery news. My cancer tumor marker test has been escalating and, as I expected, Dr. Yee wants to take action. He said it indicates there is higher incidence of microscopic cancer cells traveling or lurking around in me that are looking for a place to park and start trouble. And we need kill 'em with higher doses of chemo. The CA19-9 marker went from 161 in January to 173 earlier this month to 192 on Monday, Feb. 17.

So ... in addition to my scheduled Abraxane infusion that I had today, I was handed a prescription for chemo pills — Xeloda — the same stuff I was taking orally last year. My new chemo regimen is:

TWO simultaneous 21-day cycles of Abraxane by infusion and Xeloda by mouth — two weeks on - one week off; Then repeat two weeks on - one week off — every 21 days. (I know most of you don't care about the drug names and schedules, but I include them for the benefit if any fellow cancer survivors that may be reading this)

Dr. Yee said this was an unconventional treatment, but based on my history should be effective. I am a little afraid of how I will handle the side effects. My hands and feet will need lots of lotion to fight the dreaded "hand-foot syndrome" and hopefully I won't get too fatigued. He recommended acupuncture to help deal with hand-foot syndrome, if needed. Insurance won't pay for that. I can look forward to taking more Imodium as well.

In a followup to my post about the dreadful winter, I failed to point out that when you have cancer the worries about weather are minuscule. Life is too short to fret over weather. I've got bigger fish to fry.

But the weather here has been warming and I want to share these pictures Barb took of the snow sliding like mini glaciers off the roofs of the Welcoming Place buildings at Mennonite Central Committee across the street from our house.

These over-hangers broke off today as we went up into the 40°s.

Barb has been watching these ice formations out her MCC office window which she faces from her new standing work station space. (It's no wonder she's always bringing work home! ... looking out the window all day)

This one reminds me of a surfer's frozen "tube" or "barrel" wave.

That's it for now. I must repeat that I am so very grateful for my support community at work, church, home, friends. family, doctors, nurses, infusionists,  (I don't think that's a word but you know who I mean). God bless you.
Ricky

Our winter of discontent

(apologies to John Steinbeck)

Barb and I have lived through yet another "storm" here in Lancaster County Pennsylvania. Two snow events yesterday left about 15 inches on top of the snow we had last week. I am pleased to report that our electricity service has been constant with only a one-second blip a few storms back. We haven't suffered too much .... except for listening to over-the-top TV weather broadcasters and listening to people exaggerate, whine and complain. We are fat and warm and the water runs and the plumbing works too. We have most all the creature comforts we could wish for.

With both our workplaces (Mennonite Central Committee and Smilebuilderz) closed, both of us enjoyed a "snow day" together on Thursday and are going back to work today. The forecast is for more snow Saturday. We enjoyed buttermilk waffles for breakfast and Barb broke out one of her thrift shop jigsaw puzzles.

While we have been spoiled by little snow the past few years (except for a big dump in Feb. 2010), this year is much different. Still we are not the "top 10" in terms of snow for the season. My guess is that if the present frequency and amounts keep up we will enter the "top 10".

I've probably mentioned before that until living on the East Coast, I hadn't realized how growing up and living in the Central Plains had made me such a hardy winter dweller. After living here five years I concede that I am weather "soft" and consider myself pretty much "sissified" by the much more temperate climate here.

But, that said, I still am amazed at how people here react to snowfall and "cold" (10°s and 20°s F). Or, the hate of impending snowfall. It weighs heavy. My co-workers of all ages were obsessed with the storm forecast and ever escalating snow depth rumors resulting from all the hype. I tried to tell them there was nothing we could do about what happens with the weather. Weather has been the dominant topic of conversation. I told them I hope the storm lives up to the hype so they aren't disappointed.

The snow yesterday, while copious, fell ever so softly and beautifully —like a picture out of Ideal magazine. Not a blizzard.

I must emphasize that with millions of people living here and the much more congested and tight living spaces and infrastructure these snowfalls are more critical. Also it's much hillier here and icey roads are much less drivable than in eastern SoDak.

I don't know how schools will make up all the cancellations. There is discussion of the state declaring some exception to the school year days requirement. The cost of the snow and cold is great in many ways all over the country this year including closed offices, lower production, lower paychecks, higher fuel bills. etc. Our PennDOT crews have been kept very busy. Going through many huge shedfuls of road deicer. In Lancaster city they have started hauling snow from the streets to business park parking lots for the first time this winter. Usually they let it melt in place.

So I have joined others here in grumbling about the weather. That's how it is. At least it gives me something else to complain about other than pancreatic cancer. Come to think of it, by far, it isn't the only thing I like to complain about. I also like to complain about NBC's coverage of the Olympics, Barack Obama, software programs and lots of other stuff.

One thing I DO NOT complain about is your following these scribblings and support in my fight to live. Next Monday I will have my 90-day [or tri-monthly, or quarterly — whichever term works for you] CT scan and meet with Dr. Yee on Wednesday with plans to start another cycle of chemo. I will post the scan results here next week. I have no reason to believe that anything has changed. But one never knows.

Happy Valentine's Day to everyone.