Today arrived early enough as I slept fitfully last night. We headed to Anderson at 8:15 and arrived at 8:40 where I checked in. There were more forms to fill out. At 9:15 I was taken to a cubicle where I put on one of those very attractive gowns with rear exposure. Why, I don't know as they were going to work on my neck and throat. All part of the ambience, I guess. They started an I.V. and decided to give me my antibiotic that way. So, I guess it was not necessary to call Jim Willerson to get a prescription for Keflex as they were going to use their own antibiotic. It won't go to waste as I can use it when I see my dentist.
I had many visitors, the OR nurse, anesthesiologist, and Dr. Weber's P.A. and a couple of others. At 11:15 I was wheeled into the operating room and given the really good drugs. They worked very well as I remembered nothing. I don't remember getting dressed, going to the car and going home. Good drugs!!!
According to Sally, Dr. Weber said that he felt the primary site was at the base of the tongue and that the method for dealing with it is radiation. He said there is a good chance to be cured and he felt I would do well. (From his lips to God's ear) We will know for sure when we meet with him on Tuesday September 1st.
I think I shall now take to my bed as I have the mother of all sore throats. I will post again on Tuesday when he will have all the reports.
Friday, August 28, 2009
Thursday, August 27, 2009
Meeting with Dr. Weber
I spent a delightful morning at M.D.Anderson where I met with Dr. Weber. I learned very little today but will learn more tomorrow after my examination under anesthesia. He did say that my thyroid is not involved and that the probable primary site is the glossopharyngeal sulcos which is at the back of the tongue. The procedure tomorrow will be that of more biopsies and a naso pharyngosopy where he will look at the nasal passages and the back of the throat. It should take 30 minutes and I should be on my way home after two hours. If he does a frozen section I will have more information tomorrow; otherwise it will be 4 - 5 days.
He did say that that there will probably be no surgery and that the treatment will consist of radiation with a possibility of some chemo. The good news is that there is no spread and the other values are all okay. It is referred to as a high grade carcinoma because they were unable to pinpoint the primary site. (hopefully that will change tomorrow) He tends to think it is a squamous cell and probably a stage three. We figured as much, ourselves.
I asked how soon treatment would start and he said that I would meet with radiology and oncology next week and start the following week. He once again reiterated that treatment is a group decision. I'll post more information as I get it.
He did say that that there will probably be no surgery and that the treatment will consist of radiation with a possibility of some chemo. The good news is that there is no spread and the other values are all okay. It is referred to as a high grade carcinoma because they were unable to pinpoint the primary site. (hopefully that will change tomorrow) He tends to think it is a squamous cell and probably a stage three. We figured as much, ourselves.
I asked how soon treatment would start and he said that I would meet with radiology and oncology next week and start the following week. He once again reiterated that treatment is a group decision. I'll post more information as I get it.
Thursday, August 20, 2009
Meeting with the Oncologist
I met with the oncologist today and this message will be very brief. I know less today than I did yesterday. They still have not definitively isolated the primary site of the cancer. The glossopharyngeal sulcus appears to be the best choice but until I have the EUA (examination under anesthesia) that answer remains unclear. There is also a possibility they won't have the answer after the EUA but I hope that won't be the case. So, it looks like I will have to wait until August 28th for the biopsy and then it will be 3 to 5 days before the results are in. At that point I will know what exciting treatment I have in store. I will post that information when I have it.
Tuesday, August 18, 2009
PET Scan News
Today I heard from the nurse about my PET scan. All things considered the news was good. They believe they have found the primary site and it's something called the Glossopharyngeal Sulcus which in English means where the tongue and throat come together; probably somewhere near the tonsil area. There was no other cancer found other than the primary site and the initial mass which sent me to the doctor in the first place.
I once again asked what the treatment was for this and was told it would be localized radiation which means it will be a smaller field. There may or may not be chemo and I will know more about that on Thursday when I meet with the chemo oncologist. Actually I think all will be revealed after my biopsy under anesthesia on the 28th. I don't like the idea of having something malignant growing in my neck and will be happy doing something about it. The very, very best thing I heard from the nurse was that it is easy to beat but the treatment will not be fun. I took this as a very strong positive. More information when I have it.
I once again asked what the treatment was for this and was told it would be localized radiation which means it will be a smaller field. There may or may not be chemo and I will know more about that on Thursday when I meet with the chemo oncologist. Actually I think all will be revealed after my biopsy under anesthesia on the 28th. I don't like the idea of having something malignant growing in my neck and will be happy doing something about it. The very, very best thing I heard from the nurse was that it is easy to beat but the treatment will not be fun. I took this as a very strong positive. More information when I have it.
Friday, August 14, 2009
Scans and God
Today I had my PET scan. This is like a CT scan only with much more detail. Hopefully it will help to find the primary site of the cancer, but I doubt it. Part of the preparation for this scan was to drink 8 glasses of water the night before. I did and did not sleep well at all as it resulted in 8 trips to the bathroom during the course of the night. Anyway, I should have test results in 48 hours but the weekend doesn't count so I should hear by Wednesday. By then I will have had the opportunity to visit with two other doctors. Before the test I had to sign an ABN form. That stands for if your insurance company doesn't pay you will be responsible for $9675.00. It is a non-invasive procedure but my wallet could be severely invaded. All part of the joys!!!
Last night I had one of my infrequent conversations with God. Unfortunately I am not a spiritual person but I do the best with what I have and what I am. I feel god understands this as he knows the heart of all souls. I hope he wasn't pissed as it seems the only times I seek him out is when I have a problem or need His help. I told Him I would try to correct this discrepancy and planned to have further contact in the future. It certtainly doesn't hurt to touch all bases.
My next appointment is on the 19th and I'll have more on that.
Last night I had one of my infrequent conversations with God. Unfortunately I am not a spiritual person but I do the best with what I have and what I am. I feel god understands this as he knows the heart of all souls. I hope he wasn't pissed as it seems the only times I seek him out is when I have a problem or need His help. I told Him I would try to correct this discrepancy and planned to have further contact in the future. It certtainly doesn't hurt to touch all bases.
My next appointment is on the 19th and I'll have more on that.
Thursday, August 13, 2009
Something Is Wrong
So, I woke up on June 21 at a reasonable hour and did the usual things. While looking in the mirror I noticed there was what appeared to be a swollen gland on the right side of my neck. I didn't give it a great deal of thought as I thought it would go away by itself. Two days later it was still there. Since we were leaving on vacation on the 30th I thought it might be wise to see my doctor.
I made an appointment for the 23rd. The doctor felt around and told me it was probably an infection and put me on a weeks worth of antibiotic which he felt would probably knock it out. If not, I was to see him upon our return. It didn't work. Since there was no pain I wasn't too concerned. We went on our vacation and upon returning I made another appointment for the 16th of July.
The doctor felt a CT scan would be in order and set up an appointment to have one run on July 17th. After seeing the results he decided I should see an ENT doctor and suggested I see Sam Weber. I called for an appointment and was told the earliest available one would be mid to late August. I told the receptionist my wife would find that totally unacceptable and she would call to make the appointment. She did and my appointment was set for July 24th. Dr. Weber assured me that whatever I had was fixable and sent me off to have a brain scan and an ultrasound with a needle biopsy. The brain scan was unrelated to the lump on my neck and had more to do with my hearing loss which I have had for a long time. The ultrasound needle biopsy was to be done at St. Lukes Hospital. That date was for the 31st of July.
That was a fun procedure. My neck was jabbed 8 times and cells were removed. They came back positive for cancer in the lymph nodes; however they were unable to make a determination as to whether or not the thyroid was involved. Dr. Weber told me he was going to make an appointment for me to see his brother, Dr. Randall Weber, Chairman of the Department of Head and Neck Surgery at M.D.Anderson Cancer Center, and purported to be the best in this field and the best in the country. This is very important because that is always what you want. Keep in mind that 50% of all doctors practicing graduated in the bottom half of their class.
After meeting with him, he set up appointments for bloodwork, X-rays and EKG. On August 7 I had another CT scan and another ultrasound with needle biopsy. I was told I would hear from Dr. Weber on Tuesday, August 4th. When I didn't hear by 4:00 I called and left a message with his nurse and was told he would call me. That night at 8:00 he did. He said there was cancer in the lymph node on the right side of my neck but they still did not have a definite primary source as he felt it was not in the thyroid. He told me his team would set up further appointments which would ultimately lead to an evaluation and a course of treatment.
I received a call on Wednesday, August 12th telling me my first appointment would be that afternoon with an Radiation Oncologist at 2:00. Sally picked me up and we headed for the hospital. I was handed my appointment schedule when I checked in.
Our meeting was with Dr. Beth Beadle. We hit it off very well and this is good because she will be my Radiologist. She told me that when I completed the rest of my tests they would have a difinitive answer to most, if not all of my questions. However, at this time she told me the course of action appeared to be that of chemo and radiation. This assumes that the primary source is not the thyroid as that would entail surgery. She said there would be two months of chemo followed by 6 1/2 weeks of radiation, 5 days a week. She pulled no punches and said the first two weeks of radiation would be easy and then it would get hard. She said that in the third week I would start to get mouth sores and my throat would bother me. She said this would get progressively worse. She also stated that I would be given pain medicine to control the pain and that I would survive this and hopefully at the end be cured. She said they would be watching my weight very carefully as they didn't want me to lose any. I explained that I could certainly afford to lose 5 pounds but she said no to that. So, now I had an inkling of what I could expect. Knowing is better than not knowing. I will meet with a Medical Oncologist to discuss chemo next week.
Before I start the course of treatment I have other tests forthcoming. On Friday, August 14 I have a PET scan which will provide clearer imaging and enable them to see things that were not on the CT scan. I am also meeting with a Dental Oncologist as they want to make certain I don't have any problems with my teeth. I will see Dr. Weber again on the 27th to get results of the tests. He will schedule the last test, at least I think it is the last test, which is an examination of my nose, mouth and throat under anesthesia in which cells will be taken from any suspicious areas. I see an Anesthesiologist following my appointment with Dr. Weber.
More information as it becomes available!
I made an appointment for the 23rd. The doctor felt around and told me it was probably an infection and put me on a weeks worth of antibiotic which he felt would probably knock it out. If not, I was to see him upon our return. It didn't work. Since there was no pain I wasn't too concerned. We went on our vacation and upon returning I made another appointment for the 16th of July.
The doctor felt a CT scan would be in order and set up an appointment to have one run on July 17th. After seeing the results he decided I should see an ENT doctor and suggested I see Sam Weber. I called for an appointment and was told the earliest available one would be mid to late August. I told the receptionist my wife would find that totally unacceptable and she would call to make the appointment. She did and my appointment was set for July 24th. Dr. Weber assured me that whatever I had was fixable and sent me off to have a brain scan and an ultrasound with a needle biopsy. The brain scan was unrelated to the lump on my neck and had more to do with my hearing loss which I have had for a long time. The ultrasound needle biopsy was to be done at St. Lukes Hospital. That date was for the 31st of July.
That was a fun procedure. My neck was jabbed 8 times and cells were removed. They came back positive for cancer in the lymph nodes; however they were unable to make a determination as to whether or not the thyroid was involved. Dr. Weber told me he was going to make an appointment for me to see his brother, Dr. Randall Weber, Chairman of the Department of Head and Neck Surgery at M.D.Anderson Cancer Center, and purported to be the best in this field and the best in the country. This is very important because that is always what you want. Keep in mind that 50% of all doctors practicing graduated in the bottom half of their class.
After meeting with him, he set up appointments for bloodwork, X-rays and EKG. On August 7 I had another CT scan and another ultrasound with needle biopsy. I was told I would hear from Dr. Weber on Tuesday, August 4th. When I didn't hear by 4:00 I called and left a message with his nurse and was told he would call me. That night at 8:00 he did. He said there was cancer in the lymph node on the right side of my neck but they still did not have a definite primary source as he felt it was not in the thyroid. He told me his team would set up further appointments which would ultimately lead to an evaluation and a course of treatment.
I received a call on Wednesday, August 12th telling me my first appointment would be that afternoon with an Radiation Oncologist at 2:00. Sally picked me up and we headed for the hospital. I was handed my appointment schedule when I checked in.
Our meeting was with Dr. Beth Beadle. We hit it off very well and this is good because she will be my Radiologist. She told me that when I completed the rest of my tests they would have a difinitive answer to most, if not all of my questions. However, at this time she told me the course of action appeared to be that of chemo and radiation. This assumes that the primary source is not the thyroid as that would entail surgery. She said there would be two months of chemo followed by 6 1/2 weeks of radiation, 5 days a week. She pulled no punches and said the first two weeks of radiation would be easy and then it would get hard. She said that in the third week I would start to get mouth sores and my throat would bother me. She said this would get progressively worse. She also stated that I would be given pain medicine to control the pain and that I would survive this and hopefully at the end be cured. She said they would be watching my weight very carefully as they didn't want me to lose any. I explained that I could certainly afford to lose 5 pounds but she said no to that. So, now I had an inkling of what I could expect. Knowing is better than not knowing. I will meet with a Medical Oncologist to discuss chemo next week.
Before I start the course of treatment I have other tests forthcoming. On Friday, August 14 I have a PET scan which will provide clearer imaging and enable them to see things that were not on the CT scan. I am also meeting with a Dental Oncologist as they want to make certain I don't have any problems with my teeth. I will see Dr. Weber again on the 27th to get results of the tests. He will schedule the last test, at least I think it is the last test, which is an examination of my nose, mouth and throat under anesthesia in which cells will be taken from any suspicious areas. I see an Anesthesiologist following my appointment with Dr. Weber.
More information as it becomes available!
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