scan results and more chemo

I had a PET scan last week. I get one every three months to track progress of the cancer. This one was good news. They saw shrinkage in a number of areas, and no growth in most other areas. So good news this time. I also received another does of chemo. I almost look forward to the chemo because I know I will feel okay for a couple of days, or least better than the usual crappiness I feel every other day. But at the same time I know I will be sick after a few days, so it's a mixed emotion thing. The plan is to do an MRI before the next chemo to check out lesions on my brain and see what they are up to . All good. -Eric

More chemo

I went in for more chemo last Monday. It's very predictable that I will feel okay Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday after the chemo, largely because I am on steroids for those days and the nausea medicine is still in my system. As soon as I stop taking the steroids(I take the last one on Wednesday after chemo), and the nausea medication wears off things go down hill quickly. So Thursday I start to feel it, Friday even more so, and I can hardly wait until 5pm so I can leave work and go to bed. Saturday and Sunday I spend most of my time in bed feeling awful, and hoping things will turn around quickly. Here's hoping things get better next week. Monica has promised to make potato salad very soon:) Take care. -Eric

I love potato salad

I'm kind of picky with what I eat lately. Some things just don't taste good to me anymore, some things I just don't have an appetite for anymore, and some things come back up as quickly as they go down. But not potato salad. I love potato salad. -Eric

Jury summons

I received a jury summons in the mail a few days ago. Monica convinced me that I should apply for the medical exemption to get out it, she was concerned I that I wouldn't be able to sit through the selection process, much less a trial if I was selected. I reluctantly agreed. So when I went in for my chemotherapy treatment today I asked my doctor for a doctors note to get me out of Jury duty. He typed up the following letter: "Mr. Hatch is under my care for lung cancer and due to this illness and treatment, will not be able to perform jury duty ever again." (emphasis added) At first Monica and I laughed a lot. But then it wasn't quite so funny. I didn't know quite how to take it. Was he trying to do me a favor by getting me off the hook for the rest of my life, or was he saying something else? Hmmm.

ear tube

The hearing in my left ear has still not improved, we've tried two different antibiotics and and a punching a hole in my eardrum, none have helped. The ENT doctor decided to put a tube in my ear and leave it for a few months to see it would help drain any fluids that might be there, and consequently help with my hearing. They had to to poke two holes in my eardrum to put the tube in and then then install a tube that's about the size of a ..... well something very very small. If anyone ever tells you that poking a hole in your eardrum is not going to hurt, they are lying. It does hurt. Take care. -Eric

I'm not dead yet

Have you ever seen "Monty Python and the Holy Grail"? The scene where the guy is pulling his cart through town yelling "bring out your dead" as he collects the dead from each home in the town. One guy he collects is actually still alive and he throws him top of the pile. The man exclaims "I'm not dead yet" (with heavy British accent). Funny stuff. Well I'm not dead yet either. In fact today is a milestone. Eighteen months ago I was diagnosed with stage four lung cancer. When I was diagnosed the doctor gave me a prognosis of 12-18 months. Today it has been exactly 18 months and one day since I was given that prognosis. I waited one extra day to celebrate just to make sure I really beat it:) Usually I prefer it when my doctor is right about things, but in this case I am glad he was wrong. I'm still alive and kickin' and "not dead yet". If you are in the neighborhood feel free to stop by, we're celebrating with some cake. Take care. -Eric

ENT visit

So third visit to the ENT doctor. The first two visits we tried two different antibiotics with no success. This time he decided that there could be fluids in my inner ear so he poked a hole in my ear drum. Yeah it hurt. There were some fluids, but not much. He seems to think that things will improve over the next two weeks as the fluids drain. We'll see, I have my doubts. He was going to put a tube in my ear to help with any drainage but he said my ear drum was much too thick, thicker than most. I took that mean more "manly" than most. I have chemo on Monday, and will revisit the the ENT in two weeks for a follow up. By the way I graduated from voice therapy. The therapist said there was nothing more she could for me. The voice is actually pretty good, it quickly tires if I talk too much and towards the end of the day can be pretty rough, but in general it is getting slowly better. Take care. -Eric