Updates

Hey guys!  So we met with Dr Kang today.  All the final approvals are done for the clinical trial drug.  BUT, we're not starting it just yet.  For one thing, we got the APPROVAL for the drug, but we don't have the actual drug yet.  And for another, he wanted to wait a couple weeks to let the radiation have more time to work.  We're still going to end up getting some crossover- the radiation can keep working out to 12 weeks or so, so there will be a period where we may not be positive what's affecting the tumors, the radiation or the drug.  But waiting 12 weeks is not a good idea obviously.  So we go back in a few weeks to get a fresh CT scan, and start the drug.  In the meantime, he said my lung sounds great and my bloodwork is excellent.  :-)  So, just going to keep on doing what we're doing!  

Radiation Week 2

Only 3 days of radiation left! We met with the doc today. He said everything is looking good, my airway and tumor are holding stable. Unfortunately, we found out that we won't see any actual shrinkage for up to 12 weeks after treatment. They didn't mention that before. :-/ So, holding stable is good, but it will be a while before we know if the radiation had any significant effect on the tumor. It's also possible that the side effects won't hit me for a few weeks- I'm feeling a LITTLE off right now, but he said that over time, I could develop more serious side effects like painful or difficult swallowing. So, treatment is almost done, but it sounds like I have a couple months of surprises in store when it's over. :-P Oh well. Onward and upward!

Radiation Week 1

Just touching base. First week of radiation went well. Had a little fatigue, but nothing much else. Because of the depth they're radiating, they said I should not experience any skin irritation or other side effects- possibly some minor irritation of the lower esophagus, but I really haven't even noticed that too much. The appointments are very easy, just 10 minutes lying in a machine similar to a CT scanner. We only see the actual doctor on Mondays, so right now we're just doing the treatments- Monday we'll meet with him again, I'm not sure if we'll be discussing how effective the treatments have been or not. Last time we just discussed side effects and overall health.

Another 4 days of radiation, and we move on to the new oral treatment on Friday. Dr Kang has already set up the appointments for that. We'll be meeting with him a week after I start the new drug, on the 31st.

Other than that, feeling fine. My back is getting a little sore from time to time, but it's well controlled on my regular meds. Will post more updates when I have them.