My LMS adventure

Last week was interesting. I had been in severe back pain for several months. I got a PET/CT scan, and sneaked a peak at the results. Back pain was due to new mass on vertebrae. I had worked with pain management and started taking Gabapentin/Neurontin, but started stumbling and falling. I fell completely to the floor three times, and started using a cane. Last Monday, I went to see my oncologist to get the results. On the way into the hospital, I asked for a wheelchair...I realized I couldn't do the long halls and stay on my feet. After talking to me, hearing about the falls, and watching me walk, my oncologist pulled a neurologist into the room. They convinced me to be admitted. Their concern was the falls, which could cause damage to my spinal cord. I had lost about an inch of height due to the compression of my vertebrae. The report from the scan: Liver tumor is significantly smaller, lung lesions are larger. No evidence of tumors in neck at lymph system. There's a s...

Tomorrow morning, I start with Doxirubicin infusion. I'll be getting it every three weeks. The oncologist didn't mention how long I'd be on this. This medication has much research, since it started out with breast cancer. There are now more effective treatments for breast cancer, just as there will be more effective treatments for LMS in the future. I'll be losing my hair. (so I saved some money by not trimming my hair. ) The goal is no longer to cure, but to control the uLMS. It spread to the liver (9 cm X 9 cm x 6 cm.) I'm avoiding wearing belts... it just makes my stomach uncomfortable. It seems that a small amount fills it. When I suck my abdomen in, it feels full... and awkward. According to my oncologist, there are still some options after this treatment. Meanwhile, I have an appointment to pay for cremation. Then when the time comes, everything will be handled. I haven't had a TV for several years. The technology changed, I'm ...

The waiting is over. Yesterday the nurse called with the results. The Liver mass is LMS and an appointment was scheduled. That's where I'm sitting now. I'm knitting, to relax and to pass the time. Soon I'll know. I'll call Mom, my daughter, my friends, my roommate. I hope this will be a short appointment. The kidney/back pain needs an RX or permission for me to keep taking Advil (or generic). The next step for treatment is Chemo. Doxyrubicin aka the Red Devil. I can only have 6 doses in a lifetime. First step is a cardiac ultrasound to measure Left Ventricle Ejection Fraction. (That is, how efficiently my heart is moving blood out of the Left Ventricle.) One side effect of this medication is sudden death due to heart attack, due to damage to the left ventricle. So they want a health LV to start, or (I suppose) they would find another treatment option. (10/13/2016 I wrote this while waiting for the oncologist appointment. Just found this in a noteb...