A Waiting Game

If there is anything I have learned, it is nothing in this process happens quickly, or at least as quickly as we would like it to.  (That probably goes for you and having to wait for me to get around to posting updates too!)  We met with the first oncologist today, Dr. Smith at MSTI.  I say first, because he is a radiation oncologist, and Dan will also need to see a medical oncologist who handles chemo.  He didn't have much new to tell us in regards to type and stage of cancer: non-small cell lung cancer, stage IV.  We did finally get to see a CT scan of Dan's lung.  The positive is it is in the air sac, not touching any of the edges of his right lung, which explains why Dan has yet to show any symptoms in regards to breathing, coughing, etc. The negative of course is that it is there at all, and is a little larger than we originally thought, just over 5 cm.

As for treatment, Dr. Smith wants to start with radiation of Dan's brain-the entire brain.  He recommended not spot radiating, due to the fact that Dan already had 3 lesions.  There is a very good chance there could be other cancer cells lingering in the brain, and we want to try and get them all.  His radiation will begin next Monday, Dec 10.  He will receive treatment Monday-Friday for 15 minutes each day.  The treatment will last approx. 2 1/2 weeks.  Once those 2 1/2 weeks are completed, they will wait 6 weeks before beginning the next treatment.  During that time they will be watching and marking the tumors for any changes.  Side effects of the radiation are the standard nausea, fatigue, and skin irritation (like a sunburn) on his head.  The side effects will get worse as the treatment goes on.  We are hoping he will be able to still continue some type of rehab during those 2 1/2 weeks, we will just have to see.

As for treating the lung, Dan is scheduled for a few more tests.  One is a PET scan to see if there are any additional "hot spots" or areas that could possibly be holding cancer cells.  The other test is to see if Dan's cancer contains one of two mutations.  If a mutation is found, it would change the type of chemo used to treat his cancer.  Due to the length of the turnaround time on the tests, we won't get any results until the week of Dec 17-hence the waiting game.  So, we need to get through two more weeks, and Dan's first round of radiation, to have a better understanding of what we are up against.  While that explanation may be a bit unsatisfying because there are still unknowns, we both felt that the appointment today was better than it could have been.

Many of you have inquired as to if we would be getting a second opinion, and the answer is yes.  After much research, I will be getting in touch with the MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston, TX.  They have an amazing lung cancer treatment & research center, one of the best in the country. With Dan not able to travel right now, we may be limited in what our options are, but we at least need to explore all avenues. In the meantime, we are rejoicing in the great progress Dan is making everyday at rehab, and thankful that he gets another full week of progress before starting treatment.