On Feb 18th, 2004 I spent 10 hours under anesthesia while Dr. Sugarbaker sliced me open, dug around in my innerds looking for the cancer cells that had been threatening my life, and poured chemo into my abdomen.
Sometimes it seems like that part of my life never happened, mainly because I was hopped up on pain meds at the time and don't remember a lot of what happened. :-) So, every year around this time, I read back through this blog and remind myself of where I was, and what has happened to me since then. I guess the fact that it seems like a whole different life is a good thing, but I think it's also good to remember so that I never become complacent with what I have.
The last three years has not been all fun, there's been a lot of hard times, and scary times, but it has also made me realize all that I have. A beautiful, loving wife, good friends, and a great family. We have had the opportunity to travel to some fantastic places like Tucson, AZ, Key Largo, FL, Alaska and Israel. And for our 15th anniversary, next week we'll be in Nassau, Bahamas. It's been a great life, and I am always thankful that I have been given more time to appreciate it. I just pray that I have many more years, especially since we'll be getting our new Harley in a couple of months. :-)
Kevin
Monday, February 19, 2007
Thursday, January 18, 2007
Whew!!
Well, I had my CT Scan done this morning. Drank the gallon (at least it seemed like a gallon) of the contrast, got my scan and they finally let me go.
I thought I wouldn't get the results until tomorrow, but my oncologist called me today abour 5 PM. Because of the rise in tumor markers, at first I started to panic. Then he said, "I just got the report, and there was no significant change." I said, "Whew, thank you!!" He replied, "I thought you might like to know." I said, "Yes I did, thank you very much."
So, that was the good news. And I was able to breathe again.
For those who have never seen a CT scan report, here are some of the more interesting comments:
-- Evaluation of the supraclavicular and axillary regions reveal no evidence of lymphadenopathy.
OK, I have no idea what that means, but I guess it's a good thing.
Here's the last two comments:
-- Healing left posterior rib fracture (I never even knew I had a rib fracture.)
-- Comparison was made with with a previous examination of July 28th, 2006. There has been no significant interval change. (That was the best part).
So, with that good scan, I'm not going to worry to much about the rise in my tumor markers and just wait to see what the next round of tumor marker test show.
Thank you all for your continued support and prayersl. I never take any of them for granted.
Kevin
I thought I wouldn't get the results until tomorrow, but my oncologist called me today abour 5 PM. Because of the rise in tumor markers, at first I started to panic. Then he said, "I just got the report, and there was no significant change." I said, "Whew, thank you!!" He replied, "I thought you might like to know." I said, "Yes I did, thank you very much."
So, that was the good news. And I was able to breathe again.
For those who have never seen a CT scan report, here are some of the more interesting comments:
-- Evaluation of the supraclavicular and axillary regions reveal no evidence of lymphadenopathy.
OK, I have no idea what that means, but I guess it's a good thing.
Here's the last two comments:
-- Healing left posterior rib fracture (I never even knew I had a rib fracture.)
-- Comparison was made with with a previous examination of July 28th, 2006. There has been no significant interval change. (That was the best part).
So, with that good scan, I'm not going to worry to much about the rise in my tumor markers and just wait to see what the next round of tumor marker test show.
Thank you all for your continued support and prayersl. I never take any of them for granted.
Kevin
Monday, January 15, 2007
A Couple of Things...
First thing, I had my tumor marker test done last Thursday. I haven't seen the report, but my oncologist called today to let me know some of the results. The liver functions were fine, my cholesterol was 200 (that went up), and my CEA was 3.7. That was the bad part. The normal range for CEA is 0 - 2.5. The highest it ever got before was 3.1 and last time it was 3.0. So it was a bit of a jump. My oncologist didn't seem too worried about it, and said that I might want to get another test in a couple of months. I might give Dr. Sugarbaker a call tomorrow and see what he says about the jump.
I also have a CT scan coming up, so if that is stable, then i won't worry too much about the CEA numbers.
The other thing is my complaint about blasted insurance companies. I'm thankful that they pay my bills, but they sure make everything else difficult. With both of my surgeries, my insurance company never paid the full amount the first time. They paid part of it, then I would get a bill from the hospital, have to call the insurance company, get them to resubmit the bill and finally pay it all the second time. It got so bad that a couple of years ago the anesthesiologist sent my bill to a collection agent because my insurance company didn't pay. I called the insurance company and they said they would pay it.
So, jump ahead to last week. I get a call from the collection agency again saying the bill that the insurance company didn't pay the first time, it overdue. Turns out, they never paid it. Now, I have to wait for the information from the collection agency, call the insurance company again, then hope that they finally get things right two years later.
Stupid insurance company.
I also have a CT scan coming up, so if that is stable, then i won't worry too much about the CEA numbers.
The other thing is my complaint about blasted insurance companies. I'm thankful that they pay my bills, but they sure make everything else difficult. With both of my surgeries, my insurance company never paid the full amount the first time. They paid part of it, then I would get a bill from the hospital, have to call the insurance company, get them to resubmit the bill and finally pay it all the second time. It got so bad that a couple of years ago the anesthesiologist sent my bill to a collection agent because my insurance company didn't pay. I called the insurance company and they said they would pay it.
So, jump ahead to last week. I get a call from the collection agency again saying the bill that the insurance company didn't pay the first time, it overdue. Turns out, they never paid it. Now, I have to wait for the information from the collection agency, call the insurance company again, then hope that they finally get things right two years later.
Stupid insurance company.
Friday, October 13, 2006
Medical Update
It has been a couple of months since my last update, and I suppose in a way that is a good thing. Anyway, here goes...
A couple of weeks ago, I went to my PCP (Primary Care Physician) for my yearly physical. Everything looked good, except for my triclycerides. They were still high, even though I had been taking Tricor to lower them. My doctor suggested a new drug to try, so I am now taking Niaspan. Hopefully that will lower the triclycerides and get my cholesterol in check. The good news is that my overall cholesterol is only 189.
Then on Tuesday of this week, I went to my oncologist to get my tumor markers tested. And, thank G-d, I passed. My CEA dropped to 2.9 (range is 0-2.5). Even though it is still out of range, it has not gone above 3.0 in a year, so I am not concerned about it.
One more thing, this month is three years since all of this began. As a matter of fact, three years ago today I was still in the hospital, and we had not yet learned that I had cancer. So, here I am three years later with stable CT scans and clean tumor markers, and we thank G-d constantly for what He has done for us. Roni and I are praying for many more years together.
Now for some more good news. You may remember that last year around this time, a cab crushed our motorcycle and totaled it. We decided to hold off getting a new one for awhile and I was considering waiting until next year and then looked for a used bike. But then I saw that Harley Davidson upgraded their 2007 models with a larger engine (from a 88ci to 96ci) and a 6 speed transmission. They may not mean much to some of you, but to me that was enough for me to want a 2007 model instead of a used one. So in August, I went and placed the order for our new Harley Davidson Electra Glide Standard. The bike is a bit bigger than our old one, but should be much nicer for longer trips. We should be getting it in April, just ready for the Spring riding season.
That's all the news for now. Thanks for keeping up with my story and thank you for your thoughts and prayers.
Kevin
A couple of weeks ago, I went to my PCP (Primary Care Physician) for my yearly physical. Everything looked good, except for my triclycerides. They were still high, even though I had been taking Tricor to lower them. My doctor suggested a new drug to try, so I am now taking Niaspan. Hopefully that will lower the triclycerides and get my cholesterol in check. The good news is that my overall cholesterol is only 189.
Then on Tuesday of this week, I went to my oncologist to get my tumor markers tested. And, thank G-d, I passed. My CEA dropped to 2.9 (range is 0-2.5). Even though it is still out of range, it has not gone above 3.0 in a year, so I am not concerned about it.
One more thing, this month is three years since all of this began. As a matter of fact, three years ago today I was still in the hospital, and we had not yet learned that I had cancer. So, here I am three years later with stable CT scans and clean tumor markers, and we thank G-d constantly for what He has done for us. Roni and I are praying for many more years together.
Now for some more good news. You may remember that last year around this time, a cab crushed our motorcycle and totaled it. We decided to hold off getting a new one for awhile and I was considering waiting until next year and then looked for a used bike. But then I saw that Harley Davidson upgraded their 2007 models with a larger engine (from a 88ci to 96ci) and a 6 speed transmission. They may not mean much to some of you, but to me that was enough for me to want a 2007 model instead of a used one. So in August, I went and placed the order for our new Harley Davidson Electra Glide Standard. The bike is a bit bigger than our old one, but should be much nicer for longer trips. We should be getting it in April, just ready for the Spring riding season.
That's all the news for now. Thanks for keeping up with my story and thank you for your thoughts and prayers.
Kevin
Monday, July 31, 2006
Stable
This has become one of my favourite words. It's not quite as good as "clear", but it's the next best thing.
So, why do I bring this up? 'Cuz I got my results from my CT scan today, and everything is "stable". Whoo Hoo!!
I'll admit I wasn't quite as concerned as I have been in the past, but there's always that nagging thought in the back of my brain that asks, "what if?" Fortunately this time, I didn't have to answer that question.
So for now, everything is still good. Three more months till my next blood test, and six more months till my next CT scan.
Until next post, this is the Kevinator, siging off...
So, why do I bring this up? 'Cuz I got my results from my CT scan today, and everything is "stable". Whoo Hoo!!
I'll admit I wasn't quite as concerned as I have been in the past, but there's always that nagging thought in the back of my brain that asks, "what if?" Fortunately this time, I didn't have to answer that question.
So for now, everything is still good. Three more months till my next blood test, and six more months till my next CT scan.
Until next post, this is the Kevinator, siging off...
Thursday, July 13, 2006
Time For An Update
Well, it's that time again. I had my blood tumor markers taken this week. On Monday as a matter of fact. I wasn't that anxious about it, but I wasn't totally calm about it either. There's always that nagging feeling in the back of my mind that keeps asking "What if?" Fortunately this time, I didn't need an answer to "What if?" My tumor markers were fine. Whew!
My CEA was 3.0. Still slightly out of range, but it hasn't really moved much in 6 months. In Feb it was 3.0, then in April it went down to 2.9, then this week back up to 3.0. The high range is really 2.5, but the fact that it hasn't been moving up farther is a good thing.
My CA 19-9 went down from 34 to 25. I was starting to get a little worried about it climbing, but now that it dropped, I feel better. The range on that is 0 - 37.
I have also started to have my PSA tested (which is a marker for prostate cancer) and that has been fine as well. This time it was 0.81. The range is 0 - 4.0.
The only bad news was that my triclycerides were still high. My overall cholesterol is fine, well below 200, but the triclycerides are a problem. So, I just started taking Tricor, a prescription medicine that should help lower them. We'll see what happens with the next blood test in 3 months.
So, once again, I can breathe easy. Which is good, 'cuz where going on vacation. Today, Roni and I fly to Seattle, WA, where we'll stay over night, then board a Royal Caribbean cruise ship on Friday for a cruise to Alaska. It's a cruise with all of my family, so it should be fun. Really, I'm not kidding. :-)
It's a seven day cruise, and after the cruise, we spend another night in Seattle then come home July 22nd.
Now for some other good news. I have been published in a magazine! Well, I didn't write the article, but my blog was highlighted, and one of my posts was published.
A few months ago, I got an email from person who works for CR magazine, which is published by American Association for Cancer Research (AACR). She asked if I would like my blog to be mentioned in the magazine and I said of course. Any opportunity to get publicity for our PMP Awareness site, and our PMP BellyButton group is gladly taken. So the article was done and the magazine was just recently published. Here is the link to the magazine:
CR Magazine
And here is the link to the article:
Cancerblog - Online Catharsis
It's a good magazine and I hope you enjoy the article.
That's all the news for now. When I return from vacation, it will be time to schedule a CT scan. Oh joy. :-(
When I get the results for that, I'll let you all know.
Thank you to everyone who keeps me in your prayers and thoughts. I am forever grateful.
Kevin
My CEA was 3.0. Still slightly out of range, but it hasn't really moved much in 6 months. In Feb it was 3.0, then in April it went down to 2.9, then this week back up to 3.0. The high range is really 2.5, but the fact that it hasn't been moving up farther is a good thing.
My CA 19-9 went down from 34 to 25. I was starting to get a little worried about it climbing, but now that it dropped, I feel better. The range on that is 0 - 37.
I have also started to have my PSA tested (which is a marker for prostate cancer) and that has been fine as well. This time it was 0.81. The range is 0 - 4.0.
The only bad news was that my triclycerides were still high. My overall cholesterol is fine, well below 200, but the triclycerides are a problem. So, I just started taking Tricor, a prescription medicine that should help lower them. We'll see what happens with the next blood test in 3 months.
So, once again, I can breathe easy. Which is good, 'cuz where going on vacation. Today, Roni and I fly to Seattle, WA, where we'll stay over night, then board a Royal Caribbean cruise ship on Friday for a cruise to Alaska. It's a cruise with all of my family, so it should be fun. Really, I'm not kidding. :-)
It's a seven day cruise, and after the cruise, we spend another night in Seattle then come home July 22nd.
Now for some other good news. I have been published in a magazine! Well, I didn't write the article, but my blog was highlighted, and one of my posts was published.
A few months ago, I got an email from person who works for CR magazine, which is published by American Association for Cancer Research (AACR). She asked if I would like my blog to be mentioned in the magazine and I said of course. Any opportunity to get publicity for our PMP Awareness site, and our PMP BellyButton group is gladly taken. So the article was done and the magazine was just recently published. Here is the link to the magazine:
CR Magazine
And here is the link to the article:
Cancerblog - Online Catharsis
It's a good magazine and I hope you enjoy the article.
That's all the news for now. When I return from vacation, it will be time to schedule a CT scan. Oh joy. :-(
When I get the results for that, I'll let you all know.
Thank you to everyone who keeps me in your prayers and thoughts. I am forever grateful.
Kevin
Thursday, April 27, 2006
Another Blood Test Down...
...only 1,243 to go.
OK, maybe not that many, but sometimes it seems like that. Anyway, it was good news.
I went in Tuesday morning and had my blood drawn. The basic tests they do there were all OK. They then have to send the blood out for the tumor marker tests. Anyway, I called this morning and spoke to the doctor who assists my oncologist. She told me the CEA was 2.9 (down from 3.0 last time) and the CA 19-9 was 34 (up from last time, but still within limits). So, that was the good news.
One bad thing though, even though my overall cholesterol was 158, my tryclicerides were a little high. OK, OK. It was VERY high. So, I have to talk to the doctor about that. Maybe get some medication to help lower it. In the meantime, I plan on cutting back on the sodas and the red meat and try to eat more "good" fats. Hopefully the next test will show some improvements.
Apart from that, I've been feeling OK, although I do seem to get tired easy. I'm hoping that it's just because of the weather. I have been trying to walk more, and today I walked for about a mile at lunch time. Now I just have to get back to the gym.
Well, that's it for now. My next blood test and CT scan will take place in about 3 months. I'll try to post before that to keep you all up to date on how I'm doing.
Kevin
OK, maybe not that many, but sometimes it seems like that. Anyway, it was good news.
I went in Tuesday morning and had my blood drawn. The basic tests they do there were all OK. They then have to send the blood out for the tumor marker tests. Anyway, I called this morning and spoke to the doctor who assists my oncologist. She told me the CEA was 2.9 (down from 3.0 last time) and the CA 19-9 was 34 (up from last time, but still within limits). So, that was the good news.
One bad thing though, even though my overall cholesterol was 158, my tryclicerides were a little high. OK, OK. It was VERY high. So, I have to talk to the doctor about that. Maybe get some medication to help lower it. In the meantime, I plan on cutting back on the sodas and the red meat and try to eat more "good" fats. Hopefully the next test will show some improvements.
Apart from that, I've been feeling OK, although I do seem to get tired easy. I'm hoping that it's just because of the weather. I have been trying to walk more, and today I walked for about a mile at lunch time. Now I just have to get back to the gym.
Well, that's it for now. My next blood test and CT scan will take place in about 3 months. I'll try to post before that to keep you all up to date on how I'm doing.
Kevin
Thursday, March 02, 2006
Two Years and Counting...
Feb. 18, 2006. That is the two year anniversary of my MOAS (Mother Of All Surgeries) and I am still alive. That's a good thing.
Even though there have been a couple of small scares, for the most part, everything is OK.
I'm hesitant to say great, because my scans have been "stable" but not necessarily "clean". "Clean" would be great, but as far as I'm concerned, "Stable" is pretty darn good.
Because this cancer is rare, I only know a few people who have survived for 5 years or so. With the advances made though, if caught early enough, I believe that more and more people will be surviving longer and longer. I just continue to pray I will be one of them.
Even though there have been a couple of small scares, for the most part, everything is OK.
I'm hesitant to say great, because my scans have been "stable" but not necessarily "clean". "Clean" would be great, but as far as I'm concerned, "Stable" is pretty darn good.
Because this cancer is rare, I only know a few people who have survived for 5 years or so. With the advances made though, if caught early enough, I believe that more and more people will be surviving longer and longer. I just continue to pray I will be one of them.
Monday, January 30, 2006
And Now Some Good News
Feb 18th will be my 2 year anniversary since my MOAS. Some days I even forget I ever had cancer. Today was not one of those days.
Today I had my bi-annual CT scan. This is usually one of the most anxious times for me. The blood tumor markers are a little anxiety producing, but not as bad as the CT scan. While the tumor markers can flucuate over a period of time, the CT scan shows what is going on in your body.
Anyway, getting to the results, everything is STABLE!! WHOO HOO!!
Now I can breathe again until the next scan in 6 months.
As for the blood tumor marker tests I had last Monday, those came back OK. Not great, but not bad either. The CEA was 3 (normal range is 0-2.5). I'm not overly concerned as it has gotten higher than that before, then went down again after a few months. So, until we see it keep going up, I'm not going to worry. The CA 19-9 was 27 (normal range is 0-37).
So, so far so good.
BTW - Roni and I went to FL for a week's vacation and had a pretty good time. It was pretty windy so we weren't able to do some of the activities we wanted to, but we were able to relax, ride a motorcycle, wrestle some gators (and by wrestling, I mean take pictures of), and enjoy the warm sunshine while it was freezing cold in NYC. I hope to have some pictures up soon.
Thank you all for your prayers and support. I don't know how Roni and I would be able to handle this without all of you.
Kevin
Today I had my bi-annual CT scan. This is usually one of the most anxious times for me. The blood tumor markers are a little anxiety producing, but not as bad as the CT scan. While the tumor markers can flucuate over a period of time, the CT scan shows what is going on in your body.
Anyway, getting to the results, everything is STABLE!! WHOO HOO!!
Now I can breathe again until the next scan in 6 months.
As for the blood tumor marker tests I had last Monday, those came back OK. Not great, but not bad either. The CEA was 3 (normal range is 0-2.5). I'm not overly concerned as it has gotten higher than that before, then went down again after a few months. So, until we see it keep going up, I'm not going to worry. The CA 19-9 was 27 (normal range is 0-37).
So, so far so good.
BTW - Roni and I went to FL for a week's vacation and had a pretty good time. It was pretty windy so we weren't able to do some of the activities we wanted to, but we were able to relax, ride a motorcycle, wrestle some gators (and by wrestling, I mean take pictures of), and enjoy the warm sunshine while it was freezing cold in NYC. I hope to have some pictures up soon.
Thank you all for your prayers and support. I don't know how Roni and I would be able to handle this without all of you.
Kevin
Monday, January 23, 2006
Goodbye Bob...
Our friend and fellow PMP warrior, Bob Peterson passed away this morning. Roni and I had the pleasure of meeting Bob and his wife a couple of weeks ago when we went to Chicago, specifically to meet him. We went because a week or so before, he announced that he was going under hospice care, and that meant only one thing, he didn't have much longer.
Bob fought PMP for over four years, and that was after being misdiagnosed and mistreated for a long time. When he finally started seeing a specialist, his cancer was so advanced and his tumor so cemented to his abdomen, that his doctor put him on oral chemo for years, hoping to soften the tumor enough to surgically remove it. When Bob finally went in for his MOAS (Mother Of All Surgeries), the tumor was not softened enough, and the doctor was only able to remove part of it.
After being on TPN (due to a blockage) for months, Bob finally decided that his Quality of Life was just not what he wanted. He decided that he did not want to continue suffering. He wanted to go out on his terms. And so he did.
Now, he is truly cancer free.
Bob was a friend, a fellow PMP warrior and an advocate for people to get the right treatment. He helped more people than he would ever know, and most likely helped save a lot of lives.
Please say a pray for the family he left behind. He will be greatly missed.
Goodbye my friend. Rest in G-d's peace.
Bob fought PMP for over four years, and that was after being misdiagnosed and mistreated for a long time. When he finally started seeing a specialist, his cancer was so advanced and his tumor so cemented to his abdomen, that his doctor put him on oral chemo for years, hoping to soften the tumor enough to surgically remove it. When Bob finally went in for his MOAS (Mother Of All Surgeries), the tumor was not softened enough, and the doctor was only able to remove part of it.
After being on TPN (due to a blockage) for months, Bob finally decided that his Quality of Life was just not what he wanted. He decided that he did not want to continue suffering. He wanted to go out on his terms. And so he did.
Now, he is truly cancer free.
Bob was a friend, a fellow PMP warrior and an advocate for people to get the right treatment. He helped more people than he would ever know, and most likely helped save a lot of lives.
Please say a pray for the family he left behind. He will be greatly missed.
Goodbye my friend. Rest in G-d's peace.
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