Had my CT scan Thursday morning. Got the results Friday afternoon. There was a lot of pacing happening between that period.
Well results are not what we hoped, but they could be worse. Way worse. You go into it hoping for the best, but preparing for the worst. Not to mention our last few CT scans have been pretty devastating, so I may have been “over” prepared for the worst…
Here are the positives. 1) No new lesions. Yes! 2) The largest legion in the liver which measured something like 4.8,4.6,3.9 shrank to 3.9,2.8,1.9. – not exact numbers but Yes!
Here are the negatives. 1) The other 9 lesions showed small growth between 2-7mm. Bummer. 2) Lymphnodes remained relatively unchanged to slightly larger. Bummer.
So some positives and some negatives. But when I go into the scan wondering if it has spread to my lungs, bladder, bones, pancreas etc.., this seems like a win. We saw how quickly and aggressively it moved over 2-1/2 months, so wondering what happened in 4 months was definitely tough. With these results, not much has changed since my scan 4 months ago. So with that in mind, I feel like my time has been extended a little longer.
From the Oncologist side, their definition is that my cancer was resistant to this treatment. Which is the sucky part. You go through all those beatdowns to find out it wasn’t affecting most of the lesions. As it was explained, cancer cells have different clones. So some masses will regress and others won’t be affected. Its amazing after being through 4 rounds of chemo though that it didn’t do anything to those cells…
What happens now? I do have a meeting with a surgeon in Edmonton on Tuesday, but with these results, it is unlikely we would look at any local treatments. The disease has to show regression or stability in most cases. Likely scenario is I will start the second line of defense for systemic (full body) treatment. This will be a combo of two drugs – Irinotecan and Bevacizumab. We’ll start this either the first or second week of February.
So, not a celebration today, but my disease also didn’t really get any worse. I already dealt with finding out I had 10 lesions and lymphnode involvement back in October. Comparatively, today was a walk in the park.
Dan's Life 
The past is history, the future is unknown, the now is all we control. I can’t wait for NY brother!
Well, a bit of good news is much better than all bad. Keep up with the positive thoughts. That’s the only way to go. With all your friends and relatives behind you it is bound to help. That beautiful little Audrey is well worth all you have to go through. Hang in there because you are worth it. Sending our best wishes to you, Renee and Audrey.
Hi Dan,
Thanks for the update. We are thinking of you.
Auntie M’s
Love your outlook, love your attitude. Stay positive! Love you! xo Julie
How True. I’m amazed at you Dan. Your stamina and ability to not only travel this path with courage but, through your blog, to tell the world your story to inspire those who may also be fighting the good fight. Good on ya mate!
Half Full, no doubt about it. And Filling up as we speak. You’ll get there brother. Positivity. Optimism. Love.
Dan, I believe your recent results are more on the positive side than the negative. Keep in mind that you are the one who has to negotiate the discussion regarding anything experimental (official or unofficial). Joan is an experiment and it has kept her going for close to 5 years now. Whenever we suggested to the various members of her medical team that we thought she was an experiment we only got smiles back from them – except for one of her specialists who confirmed to us that she is an experiment and for this we are truly grateful. So think about it. The Stamps preseason begins in less than 5 months. Make the best of your time with the boys at the end of January!
Joan & Herb