Tuesday, April 28, 2015 - Blog Update

Well my friends, much has changed since I last spoke with you. The disease in my lungs is now rapidly advancing, especially the left lung. The change between my December scan and my April scan was unbelievable. I have spoken with my Pulmonologist, my Oncologist (who in turn has spoken with her 5 colleagues), and put a call into Dr. Dresscher (my second opinion guy in Seattle) whom I'm waiting to hear back from just to see if he has anything else to offer. The bottom line is that treatment isn't working, and hasn't been working for some time. My Oncologist has given me three options. Option One is to try one last line of chemo called Topotecan. My Onocologist isn't hopeful that it will be any more successful than the past drugs as the cancer becomes more and more resistant and I become weaker and weaker. Although my white blood cell count looks pretty good right now. Dr. McC's objective has always been "quality of life" for me and if I have six months or less, I don't want to be sick the entire time. Both my Pulmonologist and Oncologist believe I have six months or less. Option two would possibly be a clinical trial, but a trial is a trial and you never know what you are going to get. I could end up really sick and I don't want that. Option three is to do nothing, and trigger hospice. So, let me say...I AM NOT ready for Hospice, and I'm not done fighting. I am currently fighting an infection, I have pleurisy, and I'm on morphine pills and liquid to help with my cough and pain.

My friend John is here from Australia visiting and caring for me. It is all to abruptly clear that I am no longer able to be on my own...especially since I started the morphine a week ago.

I also had BRCA testing done yesterday (my previous insurance would not cover it). That determines if my cancer is hereditary. If I test positive, there is one other treatment that I would be eligible for.

That's all for now my friends...much love to everyone!