Around the middle of June I had a full body bone scan and chest CT scan and both came back clear. That puts me at six months cancer free. The last time I could say I was six months cancer free was..., October 2014. Great news!
In late March I began having a difficult time breathing. Horrible timing on that one. Remember I had radiation for a lung nodule last May? One of the side effects that can occur up to a year later is radiaton pneumonitis, and that was the cause of my problem. The main treatment consists of steroids, but with the coronavirus going around my oncologist advised against them because they weaken the immune system. As an alternative, I performed breathing treatments with an incentive spirometer and a balloon. I also made sure to drink lots of water and took advil twice a day. Not sure if the water and advil part made a difference, but it took about a month to resolve and I have been good since.
A week after my last post, my employer sent us all home, and I have been working from home since. While I have been really disappointed in not returning to work in the office I have been able to do some things I would have otherwise been unable to. For example, I spent a lot of time with my family this summer. My brother lived with me in Virginia for the month of June, and I stayed in Pennsylvania with family for all of July. I really enjoyed this summer. Basic things like swimming in the pool and laying out in the sun were the things I enjoyed the most.
Some of my goals for the year such as getting in better shape/stronger have been more of a challenge, but I have worked around it. I wanted to join a gym, but they have all been closed and only recently reopened. With gyms being closed, it was really difficult to find home gym equipment, but I was able to purchase a kettlebell. I have been training with that since I returned in August. I also took advantage of our home gym when I was home in July.
I will be working from home for the rest of the year so I will need to find some more things to do. I am all caught up on videogames I had been meaning to play, and there aren't a lot of tv shows I'm interested in. I'm pretty excited for football returning. It was a nice surprise that the Big Ten announced that the season will be starting this fall. I was really dissapointed that Penn State would not have a season, so this certainly livens up the fall for me as well as many others. I'm in a couple fantasy football leagues so that will keep me busy as well.
Looking forward, my next scan is coming up soon. I'll just have a chest CT this time, so I should just be right in and out of the hospital. Let's keep the streak of good scan results going!
Take Care Everyone
In late March I began having a difficult time breathing. Horrible timing on that one. Remember I had radiation for a lung nodule last May? One of the side effects that can occur up to a year later is radiaton pneumonitis, and that was the cause of my problem. The main treatment consists of steroids, but with the coronavirus going around my oncologist advised against them because they weaken the immune system. As an alternative, I performed breathing treatments with an incentive spirometer and a balloon. I also made sure to drink lots of water and took advil twice a day. Not sure if the water and advil part made a difference, but it took about a month to resolve and I have been good since.
A week after my last post, my employer sent us all home, and I have been working from home since. While I have been really disappointed in not returning to work in the office I have been able to do some things I would have otherwise been unable to. For example, I spent a lot of time with my family this summer. My brother lived with me in Virginia for the month of June, and I stayed in Pennsylvania with family for all of July. I really enjoyed this summer. Basic things like swimming in the pool and laying out in the sun were the things I enjoyed the most.
Some of my goals for the year such as getting in better shape/stronger have been more of a challenge, but I have worked around it. I wanted to join a gym, but they have all been closed and only recently reopened. With gyms being closed, it was really difficult to find home gym equipment, but I was able to purchase a kettlebell. I have been training with that since I returned in August. I also took advantage of our home gym when I was home in July.
I will be working from home for the rest of the year so I will need to find some more things to do. I am all caught up on videogames I had been meaning to play, and there aren't a lot of tv shows I'm interested in. I'm pretty excited for football returning. It was a nice surprise that the Big Ten announced that the season will be starting this fall. I was really dissapointed that Penn State would not have a season, so this certainly livens up the fall for me as well as many others. I'm in a couple fantasy football leagues so that will keep me busy as well.
Looking forward, my next scan is coming up soon. I'll just have a chest CT this time, so I should just be right in and out of the hospital. Let's keep the streak of good scan results going!
Take Care Everyone
WOW DEAR MIKE, THIS IS GOOD NEWS. WITH HOPE, FAITH, BELIEF AND ENCOURAGEMENT AS YOU CONTINUE TO STAY HOME AND GAIN STRENGTH.
ReplyDeleteHERE IS AN UPDATE I POSTED ON MY SON, LUCAS: HE IS 27, FIRST DIAGNOSED AT AGE 16 ON 1-6-10 AND RELAPSE ON JUNE 1, 2020.
THIS IS THE MOST UNBELIEVABLE DEVASTATING POST I WRITE..I AM SHAKING AS I WRITE.
I FEEL LIKE I CAN'T BREATHE.
LUCAS HAS A RECURRENCE OF EWING'S SARCOMA, RARE BONE CANCER EWING'S IS A BEAST OF A CANCER!!!!
...3 CM MASS IN HIS RIGHT HIP AT THE PIRIFORMIS MUSCLE ON THE SCIATIC NERVE, IN HIS RIGHT FEMUR; IN MUSCLE ATTACHED TO THE BONE, PET SCAN SHOWS HOT SPOTS IN HIS LEFT HIP, SPINE IN THE LUMBAR REGION.
LUCAS NEEDED MONDAY NIGHT TO PROCESS. AS HE CRIED OUT TO DR. MASCARENHAS, "AFTER 10 YEARS I THOUGHT I WAS SAFE"!! TUESDAY MORNING LUCAS GAVE THE "ALL GO, LET'S DO IT" FOR THE CHEMO. HE STARTED CHEMOTHERAPY TUESDAY NIGHT: CYTOXAN, (WHICH HE HAS HAD) AND TOPOTECAN.
HE IS BETTER. HIS OUTLOOK IS AMAZING..HE IS SO STRONG IN MIND AND HEART. HE IS MY BOO, HE IS TRULY EXCEPTIONAL.
DR. MASCARENHAS, HIS AND OUR MOST RESPECTED ONCOLOGIST AT CHLA IS CONSULTING WITH THE SARCOMA SPECIALIST, DR. HU, AT USC NORRIS CANCER CENTER.
PLEASE, KEEP LUCAS IN YOUR HEART, THOUGHTS, AND PRAYERS AS HE FIGHTS THIS BEAST. HE IS IN WARRIOR MODE, WE WILL STAND WITH HIM.
AND: AUGUST 6TH: HAVE TO SHOUT THIS OUT.. PET SCAN RESULTS...TUMOR SHRANK ALOT, DR. HU HAD A HARD TIME FINDING IT! ALL SPOTS ARE LESS INTENSE.
HOW ARE YOU MIKE?
ReplyDeleteI am doing well. 9 month scans were clear, and 1 year scans coming up in a few weeks. Best I've felt physically in years. How is Lucas doing?
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