I wish I was referring to my bladder or bowel functionality as that would be a good thing to go fast.
So obviously I’ve set the tone, and probably weeded some of you out with TMI, but trust me – it will get worse, so be forewarned.
Let’s start with the results of my PET scan from the 5th. I’d prefer to skip the report entirely but I gotta step up to the plate. Bottom line, the results stunk. I was not surprised in the least based on how I had been feeling. Essentially it shows the chemo treatment I’ve been on since early December has done little to nothing to help. Prior areas have progressed (still hate that term) and lots of new locations have popped up. So we have stopped chemo for now.
Before we go any further, my 3-year Cancerversary just slipped by (on lucky February the 13th) so Happy Anniversary to me. The odds were quite a bit against me reaching this far so the fact that I am typing this blog is a testament to science and to the incredible support I’ve had from family and friends. Thank you!
Last week I realized that I had not been staying hydrated so on Friday afternoon I started loading up on liquids and continued this through Saturday. I started really getting bloated and on Sunday we realized that I had not urinated in two days (warned you about TMI. Bail now if that bothered you because it’s about to get worse).
So we went to the ER (4th time in two months and on Valentine’s Day – of course) and were greeted with hugs and kisses because they had missed me. Not really but I’m sure I was recognized. Turns out I definitely had some kidney failure happening. So of course, how do they empty a full bladder when the patient can’t do it on his own? You get catheterized. I keep thinking of of the word cauterized but that would have been a whole lot worse, especially if we are talking the same body part.
If you don’t know what a catheter is or how it works, click here, otherwise this won’t make sense, but even I have too much modesty to describe the procedure.
You all know how much luck I have with with needlesticks, and multiple attempts are often required. Drum roll please. You guessed it. However, multiple catheter insertions is not want what you want, especially if you are a guy, so when during the first attempt, being done by a female nurse of course, I hear an uh-oh, my heart sank and my pulse raced. Knowing I was going to have to repeat the procedure sent shivers down my spine. Apparently they did not have a catheter long enough or wide enough to accommodate me. That’s my story and I’m sticking to it.
So, it is now Thursday and I am still in the hospital, leaving tomorrow as it stands now. So that will explain why this post is mainly text. It’s so much harder doing this on an iPad. And what is the worst part that I have had to deal with, all things considered?
These damn hiccups.
I’ve had them on and off for a couple months now and they were mainly an annoyance. But about a week ago they came on full steam and have been mostly full time. Not fun. They’ve tried two different drugs to knock them down but no such luck. Another thing I have to live with I guess.
Unfortunately, when I leave the hospital, I will need to take my cath buddy home with me. They want all my functions to kinda settle in a bit before they remove it, otherwise we run the risk of having a 3rd attempt. No-thank-you-very-much. I have also been on oxygen most of the time I’ve been here. We will see if I need to continue that at home. I was also on heroine, er, morphine, because of the pain for the past few days but they are weaning me off that onto something not at all potentially addictive (yeah, right) – hydrocodone (Vicodin).
Where does that put me? I was supposed to leave this coming Monday for my visit to Boston to look into that drug trial. Right now I do not see that happening under my current status. So I will be contacting them today to get more information on my options. The other (last?) option if Boston does not pan out for one reason or another, is switching to a different chemo cocktail that includes the immunotherapy drug, Keytruda. None of my onc-docs are very optimistic about its potential benefits, plus it will eliminate my eligibility for the trial, so I need to be sure that is what I want to do. But I also don’t want to go too long before I do anything because we know what’s going on in there, so doing nothing is essentially signing me up for hospice care. Hopefully I can emulate my wife’s uncle who was in and out of hospice multiple times over 10 years. While I’m sure that is in my future, I don’t just want to throw in the towel yet either.
I should know better in 7-10 days so keep an eye out for another update. I may have to have my daughter guest-write my next post, depending on my status at the time. However, you may like her writing style better than mine so I need to be careful.
Returning to work looks even more iffy at the moment, but we will cross that bridge sometime in the near future.
Business no longer usual. But always day at a time.