I had a new PET Scan yesterday (Friday). This is important because it has been more than twelve weeks and four rounds of chemotherapy since the last one. The PET Scan can discern the difference between active cells and dead cells. This new scan will be able to show us precisely how much progress we have made in eradicating the cancer and how much if any, work remains. So, this is a big deal. And we have a range of…
This is getting harder. Don’t over-react. This is not a call for help. Read on. This is getting harder but differently harder than I expected, emphasis on “differently.” I was prepared for it to be physically challenging. So far it has not been that challenging. I was prepared for it to be emotionally challenging. So far it is not. I was not prepared for it to be such a time management challenge. The days go by in the blink of…
The treatment program is working. That’s what we learned today. The tumor in the lung has been reduced by more than 50% of the size before treatment. The lymph nodes have improved. And the lesion in the liver is also 50% smaller. This is meaningful positive progress. We are very happy and grateful. As we received the report, Kathleen received a box of tissues and a “Happy tears” comment from the nurse practitioner. It was moving news. My blood labs…
We have all heard it. Usually, it means someone is fed up and they are drawing the line. That’s enough. There is to be no more of that. I find “enough” to be a troubling word. In college, Sam Huntington and I were confused and amused by the instructions on the Plasti-Tac package that instructed us to “Always use more than enough Plasti-tac.” Shouldn’t “enough” by definition be exactly the right amount? Why should we use more? Clearly, the writer…
Way back in May, we had our appointment with the interventional pulmonologist. You remember him, he’s the one who said, “I think you have lung cancer and I think your lymph nodes are involved.” One of the challenges facing him at the time was a lack of background material. There were no prior scans for him to look at for comparison. In his words, “I have one data point.” He was referencing the CT scan he was looking at and…
In the weeks before treatment began, I had a dream. This is the dream: It’s the middle of the night and the house is asleep. Kathleen is beside me and I am sleeping lightly enough that I hear the sounds of footsteps outside our door. I open my eyes to see who is moving about and see a large black sort of oval rectangular mass with irregular edges like feather texture on top of two legs walk into the bedroom…
I’m not coughing. That feels important. After all, a persistent cough is how this whole process began. Additionally, my voice sounds full again and I don’t find myself clearing my throat all the time. Targeted therapy and chemotherapy started a little more than four weeks ago. That’s quite an improvement in one month. So, let’s say Round 1 went decisively to the Lynches. Round 2 started the Friday before last, on July 3rd with a chemo infusion in the late…
This is my favorite exchange from the process of diagnosis and treatment. It’s Tuesday, May 26th and I have just had an ultrasound of the liver. The doctors have left the room to check how soon they can perform the liver biopsy, leaving me and the physician’s assistant alone in the room. Silence does not bother me, so I say nothing. In a desperate attempt to create small talk the PA says, “So, do you have any big plans for…
The spring and summer racing season for club, college, and international rowing is filled with a schedule of 2000 meter races. For an 8-person crew that race will take about 6 minutes, less for the skilled and the strong, more for those who are less skilled and less strong. Those 2000 meters are separated into four 500 meter segments. Each segment has its own unique characteristics. In the first 500, you’re trying to get a clean start, keep a lid…
June 12th arrives on schedule and we begin treatment in the afternoon. We start with a trip to the lab for a blood draw to check my levels, my red count, white count, platelet count, and more. This will be used to confirm that my levels look good today and will be used as a baseline for comparison with future tests throughout treatment to ensure that my levels aren’t falling off too much. Before the blood test, I comment to…