It has been a while since my last update and I will report on a couple of small but interesting medical "events".
First, a few weeks ago, we were on a picnic and I suddenly saw a gnat flying in front of me. I swatted at it a couple of times before I realized that there was nothing there - other than a bunch of tiny specs.
I immediately freaked out. Clearly there was only one explanation; I figured I going blind.
I managed to get an appointment with an ophthalmologist who assured me that it was just "floaters". What a relief. So the gnats are still flying around in front of me. I am still swatting at them. There aren't as many has there had been. I think I might have gotten a few,
The second thing that happened was that the following Sunday, I pretty much lost the ability to bend my leg. There was a lump that was very sore. I got to thinking that this could be due to a blood clot Barbara and I headed to the ER - in Laconia (the next town).
The doctor there ordered an ultra-sound and the report came back that there was no clot, but that there was a mass that was "highly suspicious for malignancy". That got our attention.
So, I reported this to the oncology team at Dana Farber and they ordered an MRI - which came back "inconclusive", so they ordered a CT scan that also came back inconclusive. Meanwhile, my leg was feeling better every day and the lump seemed to be shrinking. Also, this was the exact spot where I had injured the leg a year ago. So, we have all decided to "watch and wait." I really don't think this is anything I need to worry about.
Meanwhile, I am still on the Melflufen Clinical Trial. I am back to having enough energy to spend several hours per day in the wood shop. The best news is that I don't have to go to Dana Farber every week. They let me get the weekly "CBC" tests done in Laconia. I only have to go to Boston once every 4 weeks.
The bad news is that it is not clear that the Melflufen is actually knocking the cancer down. So, I think they will have me do maybe one more cycle and if they don't see an improvement, the oncologist will look into his bag of tricks to see what else he can pull out.
First, a few weeks ago, we were on a picnic and I suddenly saw a gnat flying in front of me. I swatted at it a couple of times before I realized that there was nothing there - other than a bunch of tiny specs.
I immediately freaked out. Clearly there was only one explanation; I figured I going blind.
I managed to get an appointment with an ophthalmologist who assured me that it was just "floaters". What a relief. So the gnats are still flying around in front of me. I am still swatting at them. There aren't as many has there had been. I think I might have gotten a few,
The second thing that happened was that the following Sunday, I pretty much lost the ability to bend my leg. There was a lump that was very sore. I got to thinking that this could be due to a blood clot Barbara and I headed to the ER - in Laconia (the next town).
The doctor there ordered an ultra-sound and the report came back that there was no clot, but that there was a mass that was "highly suspicious for malignancy". That got our attention.
So, I reported this to the oncology team at Dana Farber and they ordered an MRI - which came back "inconclusive", so they ordered a CT scan that also came back inconclusive. Meanwhile, my leg was feeling better every day and the lump seemed to be shrinking. Also, this was the exact spot where I had injured the leg a year ago. So, we have all decided to "watch and wait." I really don't think this is anything I need to worry about.
Meanwhile, I am still on the Melflufen Clinical Trial. I am back to having enough energy to spend several hours per day in the wood shop. The best news is that I don't have to go to Dana Farber every week. They let me get the weekly "CBC" tests done in Laconia. I only have to go to Boston once every 4 weeks.
The bad news is that it is not clear that the Melflufen is actually knocking the cancer down. So, I think they will have me do maybe one more cycle and if they don't see an improvement, the oncologist will look into his bag of tricks to see what else he can pull out.
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