What's Next?

Chemo is finished. My last treatment was over two weeks ago now and the official last day of my last cycle was 3 days ago. The last time I blogged I was about to have a blood transfusion. It went fine, I got two bags of A+ over an uneventful four hours. I never knew my blood type before this experience but I've always wanted to. The only way you can seem to find out, is by giving blood. But my needle/blood phobia has prevented me from doing that (thank you to those who do give blood though). And most doctors don't just order that test for shits and giggles. So it's interesting to me to finally know I'm A+. There's actually more to it than that to receive blood. Even if they know your blood type they have to "type and match" you every time which apparently costs about $400. The nurse explained it to me...it was confusing. Something about everybody's blood having different antigens and these antigens can develop in between transfusions so the testing has to be done every time so your body doesn't get the wrong blood and reject it. Anyway, the transfusion was a good thing. I felt better and most people I saw the next day told me my colour was better and that I didn't look as sunken in. My chest tightness and cough continue to be my worst symptom and the ringing in my ears is lasting longer than previous cycles. My blood counts have been a little bit up and down but most things spiked on Saturday. My doctor even called me at home on Sunday morning after looking at my results from the day before to tell me he thought I had turned the corner. When was the last time your doctor called you at home on Sunday morning? I think he was the on-call oncologist but still, that's good service!

I also saw him in clinic on Tuesday and he sent me for another chest x-ray. And I just, as I was typing this, got a call from him with the results. There is definitely a change in my lungs. The cause could either be infection which is unlikely because my fevers have gone away and I've been on a strong antibiotic for weeks. It could also be dead tissue downstream from, and caused by, my blood clots. Or it could be damage from the Bleomycin . He prescribed a steroid which, if I do have Bleomycin induced issues, should help that heal. If it's caused by the blood clots, the blood thinners should resolve the clots, and the lung tissue should heal over time. He also said that the ringing in my ears should die down in time as well.

So what's next? Lots of people have been asking me that lately. The plan, as I know it to be right now, is a few weeks of waiting. We have to give the cancer some time to melt away into a distant memory. Then in about a month I'll do another CT scan. If the CT scan shows that the affected lymph nodes have gone back to normal size, maybe not even viewable on a scan, then that's it. I go back to close surveillance. If the scan shows the lymph nodes are still there as before then I believe we switch to radiation. That would be about 15 rounds over 3 weeks. And if the lymph nodes are somewhere in between, then I do a PET scan. For a PET scan they inject a radioactive sugar and take x-rays like a CT. Cancer uses sugar differently than normal cells so it will absorb the radioactive sugar and light up on the scan more than normal cells. This will allow the doctors to determine if the enlarged lymph nodes are due to remaining scar tissue after treatment or the continued presence of cancer. Of these 3 scenarios I'm praying for door number one.

It's also nearing the end of Cancer Awareness Month and creeping right up to Movember. There aren't too may people in this world that don't know that Cancer is out there and that it's shitty. That said, so many people, especially young people, don't think it can happen to them. You can't sit around waiting to get Cancer but you have to be proactive about your health. If you don't feel well, even if you can't pin point why, you should see a doctor. In my opinion, if you're 30 or over, you should get a physical every year or at least every couple. A good friend of mine was recently diagnosed with lymphoma. She is in her mid thirties, eats well, exercises and felt fine. She went for a physical and from the blood test alone, showed indications which lead to her diagnosis. Even people who don't feel fine, find ways to explain their health problems away. I ran into a guy getting chemo, 18 years old, with testicular cancer. He had an enlarged testicle which he attributed to working out at the gym. He assumed he hurt himself exercising. By the time he started to feel unwell and saw the doctor he had a 14 cm tumour in is abdomen. After going through Cancer treatment and meeting so many Cancer patients, I could tell these stories all day. I know you don't read my blog for advice. I'm no one to give it, I don't exercise and I don't eat well. But I've had some health issues ("the cancer") and if I hadn't gone to the doctor right away, the odds would probably not be in my favour.

I would also like to give a plug to my Brother-In-Law, Phil. This Movember he will be growing a sweet mustache, hopefully increasing awareness about men's health and raising money for prostate cancer. If you you like to support him visit mobro.co/pswart

And lastly, my wife's family has been touched by Cancer too many times, so for Cancer Awareness Month (and in support of me and my shit kicking of the Cancer) they caught up to the big pink fire truck driving around Winnipeg, signed it and bought some T-shirts (the proceeds go to Cancer Care Manitoba's Breast Cancer Centre of Hope). Here we all are below:
      

Back Row: My mother-in-law Terry, brother-in-law Phil, and his wife Christina
Front Row: My father-in-law Paul, wife Adrienne, bald guy, son Anthony, Aunty Annie