Archive for January 23rd, 2009

23
Jan
09

Update For Today

By cancerhat 3 Comments
Categories: bone cancer, kidney cancer and treatment

No results yet from the MRI that TB had on Tuesday, January 20th.  But we also don’t have an appointment to review the results so I’m not sure what’s going on with that.

Remember I mentioned surgery in the previous email? Well, right from the onset we have a problem and it scares us both.

1. The treatment he is taking makes it difficult for his blood cells to clot very well (this particular treatment only slows the growth of the cancer cells, it will never make them go away).

2. In order to have surgery he needs those blood cells to clot so he’d have to stop treatment for 2 -3 weeks prior to surgery for that medication to get out of his system.

3. Guess what? During the time he’s not getting treatment, the cancer cells will grow and multiply (hey, nothing there to stop them!) and frankly, he could die very quickly.  I’m not being negative, I’m being honest. That’s scary as hell.

4. They don’t think he could even go back on the treatment after surgery because no one ever has once they’ve gone off it for surgery. But if he doesn’t get back on the treatment, he will die much sooner than not being on the medication. Period. My understanding is that by leaving treatment and then going back he would be skewing the data. Which, unfortunately, makes terrible sense.

I think I’m going to go have a cocktail.

Good night.

I Will Love Him Forever

The love of my life passed away peacefully on February 28, 2010. The fight he put up through this tough journey is truly commendable.

Though I am sad at his passing, I am so grateful for the time I had with him, our families and our friends. The memories of our times together will sustain me forever.

I think this quote, shared with me by a loving cousin, sums up how I feel.

"Don't cry because it's over. Smile because it happened." - Dr. Seuss

My Cancer Hat

I'm a person who hates wearing hats, both literally and figuratively. Now I will be wearing a caregivers cancer hat because my husband has cancer and I need to be strong for him. But I also need a place to vent, look for support and find strength.

Hopefully, this blog will enable me to deal with the process and meet others who are going through a similar challenge.

TB’s Cancer

TB, my husband (TB is his nickname), has kidney cancer, stage 4. He had a kidney and the tumor that was in it removed in 2005. We discovered in September 2008 that it had returned and has now metastasized to his bones, specifically his right femur plus spots on his skull, his spine and his ribs, the inside and outside of his lungs, his brain. He is not curable.

TB was originally participating in a clinical study that would provide him with a treatment that would halt, for an unknown length of time, the proteins from getting to the cancer cells. So in essence, slowing but not curing, the progression of the cancer. There is no question he will die from this, the unknown factor is the 'when' it will happen.

Unfortunately, TB had to be removed from the study as the metastases have grown. He was placed on a new regimen of Aerida and Sutent but that didn't work out. It made him too ill. Now he's on a daily regimen of Afinitor - "Plan C" as we call it. Basically, we're working to extend his life but in a manner that will allow him to still enjoy it and maintain his dignity.

1/27/2010 - At the suggestion of our oncologist, TB will no longer take any cancer medications as the benefits do not outweigh the possible negative side effects a new medication would have. He will be transferred soon to a facility where he can receive rehab, as he is extremely weak due to the pneumonia and inactivity. Our goal is to improve his quality of life as best we can.

2/21/2010 - Frank is now home, we've begun hospice care.

January 2009
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