OK everyone, here’s the latest on my situation.
We met with Dr. Loggie last week (May 27th) for a follow up consultation. One of the things we had been frustrated about was that no one has been able to give a clear choice as what to do next. Fortunately, Dr. Loggie was very forthright and “confidently” suggested a surgery to remove two spots that he believes are causing the rise in tumor markers, and could possibly cause problems down the road.
The two spots are on the spleen and the mesentery, which is near the bowels. Dr. Loggie believes that if there is not much scar tissue, it should be a fairly straightforward surgery. However if there is too much scar tissue, and he doesn’t think he can remove the tumors, he says I still have options.
The option is a drug called Erbitux, given with chemo. It turns out that my tumor was tested to see if had mutated. Fortunately for me it hadn’t, so Erbitux is a possibility.
The surgery is scheduled for July 28th in Omaha, NE. I will be admitted to the hospital July 27th for testing. It is estimated that I will be in the hospital for 7 – 10 days. Dr. Loggie will also want me to stay in Omaha for a couple of weeks (which includes the hospital stay). If I end up doing better, I’d be able to leave earlier.
As stated in the title of this post, this will be my fourth surgery related to cancer. Hopefully it will be the easiest.
As of now, I am doing OK. The neuropathy in my fingers and feet are still bothersome, especially with the cold. My finger tips are effected the most, making everyday simple tasks a bit more difficult. The neuropathy also causes easy bruising.
So, that’s the story so far. Your prayers of course are always appreciated.
