A lot has happened, some good, some bad, and I'll go in chronological order.
As to last week's MRI, the results were good with an indication of a slight bulge in a disk but nothing serious and nothing that would have caused my jolts. It still seems as if the Neulasta shots I got were the cause.
On Wednesday, I had an echo-cardiagram at Penn, which I was lucky to make. The only notice we received of the scheduling was an item in Wednesday's mail that we saw at 2:00 telling us that the echo-cardigram was at 4:15 the same day. This reminds me to ask my GP about the results but it was just a precautionary test anyway.
Yesterday was the CT Scan where I got to drink two containers of white liquid before the test and then had an IV during the test. Last night NP Eleanor called and spoke to Linda and first said the scan showed a 25% reduction in the tumor. When Linda gave me the figures used for the current size and prior size in the scan report, I realized that the doctor had used the figures from two scans ago. The real reduction was at best 5% but still that beats the tumor growing.
Then Eleanor told Linda that the scan also showed a blood clot in my stomach, and I or Linda would be giving me needles in my stomach twice a day of something called Enoxaparin, an anti-coagulant. Linda picked up a month's supply from Rite Aid and the cost was $1,200. Linda thought we were already finished with the Medicare doughnut hole and this would be our monthly cost; but we found out today, we were still in the doughnut hole (this is where after about $2,000 of Medicare drug costs, the patient and insurer have to pay the next $4,000 or so, before Medicare takes over again). So one way or another, we would have eventually incurred the $1,200 and more. In the future the monthly cost may be only $9.
Eleanor also said I would have a regular chemo infusion on Monday. I was not a happy camper after this call.
This morning we went in to see Eleanor so she could show us how to do the shots. It's not too bad but I'm upset that I have to do this twice a day and supposedly for 6 friggin' months. I explained the error in the tumor reduction, but Eleanor was still positive about even a slight reduction. As to the next chemo, we convinced her to give us a week delay; so the next chemo will be on Tuesday, April 24. She couldn't answer how many more of this type of chemo I will need to endure. She reiterated that the reduction, even slight, in the tumor overrode any concern about the rising cancer marker. Also, the scan showed no signs of metastasis.
So that's all the fun I've been having lately.
Linda did get me the Who's Who In Baseball on Tuesday, allowing the season to officially start.
Linda has had a lot of fun this week cleaning up my desk and throwing things out with my approval. During the cleanup, we came across something I was saving:
"Side-by-side signs in a Connecticut Restaurant:
Restrooms / Please Wait for Hostess to Seat You
That's all for now; seems like more than enough of my trials and tribulations.
Have a nice day and enjoy the upcoming summer weather.
Elkan - late Friday morning
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