to the cancer center and back again

Wednesday we had an extra appointment with Dr. Hashmi just to check how I was progressing with
G-I issues.  With a new, more aggressive approach to nausea, that problem has almost entirely disappeared.  And my appetite has also returned, so just put food in front of me, and it's likely to disappear.  After over five years on Votrient, by the third week of each schedule, diarrhea is likely to have returned as a problem.  On the other hand, since I'm taking an opioid for pain, I also can suffer from constipation, leading to a strange (im)balance of the routine and the meds needed to deal with it.  All seemed to be on schedule at this visit, so we decided to scale back gradually and see if the progress can continue with fewer meds.

In October it will be six years that I've lived with stage four kidney cancer.  Given the unexpected extra five years beyond the normal prognosis, the fact that I can take the chemo orally, and the presence of Mohamed in my life, I know that I am very lucky and should have nothing to complain about.  Still, there is much diminished about our lives, especially the inability to travel, which was always a big part of my life. And then there is the fact that sometimes it feels like there's just one damned thing after (or on top of) another.  We felt good leaving the oncologist's office.  But by Thursday night, my left scapula (the first place on my body that I became aware of the cancer all those years ago) caused great pain every time I moved or twisted or coughed.  Sleeping was impossible at first, but after an extra Percocet, I finally did fall asleep.

So yesterday it was back to the cancer center.  Dr. Hashmi is at KU Med on Fridays, so we saw his nurse, whom we like a lot.  One possibility is a fracture of some sort of the scapula, perhaps still weakened from the radiation five years ago.  I got squeezed in just before closing time for four x-rays of my left scapula and shoulder.  I'm waiting for results, and I'll update the blog as soon as they come in.  Or perhaps we'll need to do further CT scans to see whether new tumors have developed.  That scenario would probably lead to more rounds of radiation.  One damned thing after another...

7/2/2016

There's really nothing major to report, but perhaps an update is in order before the next appointment with Dr. Hashmi on August 10.

After 2 MRIs, a CT scan, and x-rays, nothing anomalous showed up with the hip and femur.  That's a relief in that nothing has deteriorated in the five plus years since the surgery and implant.  The lack of results, of course, doesn't explain why my leg seized up so painfully, but it's much better now with generally good mobility.

My appetite is much improved.  We're going to continue with a rather aggressive regiment of appetite-enhancers and anti-nausea medicine until the 10th and then decide whether we can cut back while preserving the gains. 

There was a slight setback over the weekend when I developed a sore throat and cough that interfered with sleeping through the night.  Since I already have frequent fatigue and crash at least twice a day, further exhaustion wasn't exactly welcome.  After some OTC treatments, my throat and cough feel better this morning. 

And so that's how it's been going during this very hot Kansas summer.  Donald has, of course, provided a lot of fear and loathing.