Mike Judge vs Ewing's Sarcoma

This year things were going so well. I had clear scan after clear scan. We moved the scan frequency to every four months because I was 3 years out from last finishing treatment and we were feeling like I was "safe". I was feeling the best I have since being diagnosed. I had a great streak going. Three and a half years of an anxiety inducing scan every three months that was fortunately clear every time. Unfortunately that streak just ended. With this being my fourth recurrence, it would seem that this would become easier, but this one was as hard if not worse than them all. Let's walk through how we got here. In late September I was laying in bed watching tv when I happened to feel a lump in my arm. It wasn't too large of a lump; around the size of peanut. Immediate panic set in. So many questions/doubts/concerns filled my head as I layed there for what must have been hours. Could it be back? How long has this been there? How could I not notice this earlier? It's b...

Coming up in a month will be my two year scans. It will really be two years and one month, but who's counting? With that intro I guess I probably already answered your main question. Am I still cancer free? And the answer is a resounding yes In the year since my last update nothing has really changed on the health front. I got my port taken out in May and that went really well. One thing that was different about getting it removed this time versus the last was that this time they didn't put me under. They just gave me a local anesthetic. Though I was draped and couldn't see what was going on, it was still weird to be fully awake while they were removing this thing from my chest. They gave me status updates on the whole procedure which helped. Overall the whole process was much better this time because it went faster and I was able to drive myself home. I was in and out of the outpatient facility in under two hours. I felt uneasy about getting it removed because it was kind ...

I recently had my routine scans and ...(Drumroll), I am still showing no evidence of disease. Very exciting and relieving news. I am so lucky and fortunate to be in this position. Lets keep the clean scan streak going. I am still having scans every three months, but will transition to every four months when I'm two years out from completing treatment. The next one is at the end of April. I still have my port installed. Occasionally I will notice it when exercising or my seatbelt rubbing against, but for the most part it does not cause me any discomfort. It is annoying having to get it flushed every six weeks. It is a simple procedure and only takes like 5 minutes, but it is an extra trip I have to take. We are a bit hesitant to remove the port due to my recent track record. The last thing we want is to remove it and have to reinstall it soon-after. To reduce the chance of this happening the best solution is to wait. During my last appointment we talked about getting it out in the s...

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 wo...

Long overdue for this update, but here it is. On my last update I was in cycle 5 and the plan was to go with 6 cycles of chemo, but since I was having problems with skin toxicity we decided to drop the dose back down to 30 mg/m2. During that time there was also some collaboration between my local oncologist and the one I've been consulting with in Cleveland. The oncologist in Cleveland wanted to go with another year at the lower dose with treatment every other month, and my local oncologist wanted to stop at 6 cycles. I decided to just extend it to 8 cycles and be done. The last three cycles weren't too bad with the adjusted dose, and I completed them without delay in early January. I had another clear scan in December which was awesome and made me feel better about stopping treatment. I have my first post treatment scan coming in a few weeks. Let's keep the clear scan streak going. Looking back at how this last chemo regimen went makes me feel uneasy. My big concern ...

So first let's start with the good news. My most recent scans came back all clear! The only thing that was on it was the nodule which was radiated and that is continuing to shrink. It measures just 2 mm now. With my last two scans being clear I have a new streak now. My last streak ended in December 2016, so this is really exciting! Right now I'm midway through cycle 5 and I plan on having one more round of Doxil. The plan will be finalized when I have an appointment with my oncologist on Thursday, but that's what I think the plan will be. Remember the original plan was 6 months of Doxil + Temsirolimus, so I think 2 months of that, then 4 months of Doxil alone should be good enough. Hopefully I can stop because I'm really burnt out and would like a break. As for current side effects, in cycle 4, some more of the skin toxicity showed especially on my feet, and it is getting much worse this cycle. I have a few mouth sores which are as bad as they were when I was on ...

Not long after my last blog post I had an appointment with my oncologist to decide what to do next and that is to go with Doxil alone. My oncologist recommended Doxil because he doesn't want me to burn through more chemos than is necessary. Trying all of these chemotherapy drugs can make the cancer more resistant and can also eliminate me from trials. Going back on Doxil isn't introducing anything new and is a treatment that can work well for me. I wish I could continue with Temsirolimus, but that is out of the question because it amplified the bad side effects from the Doxil. My oncologist said that the burns I had were the worst he has ever seen from these drugs. Going forward I will continue to receive Doxil once a month and the plan is to do a few more cycles. Also my dosage of Doxil is increased from 30 mg/m2 to 40 mg/m2 because that is the only chemo I'm receiving. So far I had two cycles of Doxil + Temsirolimus and just had my first cycle of Doxil alone. I have a CT ...