My quarterly test results are very good! The MRI of my brain showed lots of improvement over the one completed in April. My thoracic CT with contrast also looks very good, no spread of disease, no worsening of disease, everything is stable. I had the radiation on my primary tumor back in July. As far as we can tell that was very successful.

MRI of my brain shows no new lesions! All the radiated bits are still slowly healing. The 5 radiation sessions on the tumor in my lung has had big side effects and I needed a stable scan to stop the rabbit hole of think thoughts. The fatigue from the radiation takes quite the toll on the mind. It's weird this level of all systems fatigue from a treatment you can't feel. All should clear up in time, weeks to months. 路 CT and bone scan on September 8th.

My five radiation sessions are done. The fatigue is a little numbing in its extreme, but I'm pretty sure it's going to improve much more quickly than last summer when so many other things were going on at the same time. Monday when we were getting ready to go for that session I looked out the window and saw two wee spotted fawns having lunch in the yard.

I was supposed to have my follow up MRI of the brain yesterday, but I received a phone call the scanner was down. It's rescheduled at a different place for August 5th. I was lucky there was a cancelation. I haven't been having symptoms. I saw Dr Malhotra today. Things look good. She seems to expect the radiation to kill this tumor.

I had my consult with the radiation oncologist today. They will call in a few days to schedule the scan for the mapping to do the radiation on the primary tumor in my upper right lobe. 90% of the time the radiation eliminates the tumor completely and leaves just a little bit of scar tissue. This is awesome. But it also doesn't mean that the cancer is gone.

Let's say two of my favorite chance today. LOL Two links for you that go to Dropbox.

Headed home from Hatteras tomorrow. It was a different style of family vacation than usual. Many bright spots. An online friend I had met in person about 20 years ago visited for a few days before family arrived. It was lovely! I learned I can't be in the shade on a bright day without the reflection off of wood granting me a sunburn.

Welp, I'm not dead yet. My lung/thoracic/pelvic CT results came in quickly and basically no changes since the one in January/February. Recent MRI of my brain shows no new lesions, post radiation changes only, any new symptoms call them right away. My radiation oncology doc retired so I have a new one. She wants the next MRI in July. All great news because no progression that fits in with my doctor's goal of life extension.

Thursdays with few exceptions are my chemo + days for 3 out of 4 Thursdays. It's relentless and though the chemo kills cancer cells it also kills my white blood cells who are key to fighting infections. It specifically wipes out my ABS neutrophils that are key immune cells. It's a dance, for sure, and fatigue is high when my white cells drop.

Received the immunotherapy med today. First infusion of each cycle I will get it. It lasts a out 6 weeks. 80% dose today to watch for adverse reactions. So far none. I was given IV benadryl first because stupid mast cells (yes, I asked) and promptly fell asleep. Slept a half hour, I think. I've been woozy ever since. After that the Abraxane.

I made it out of the house for the 2nd daytime car tour. Lunch outside in Nags Head where Amber fed a corvid. A stop at an oceanside beach with great wave splashes, birds, and I gathered sand for a friend. Third stop at a wee crescent beach at Oregon Inlet. Back home for shared dinner courtesy of the hubster and visiting into the late evening.

There is a threshold that must be met via the light up medicine they injected in order to qualify for the clinical trial. My primary tumor lit up way more than they could've hoped, but the two small nodules did not. Because of the arbitrary parameters decided on at the beginning of the trial 1/2 of the lesions need to light up to the threshold to qualify for the trial.

There is so much to say and so little coherence in me right now. Recent dredging up of past events because of current ones is not a bad thing if used as an example for how to correctly have convers…

Here is the most recent update for the clinical trial. They've decided to close phase two. Phase two is the one where everyone gets the drug and it is the one I wanted to be included in, and because they had spoken to me already about it all I had to do was sign the paperwork so I could be slipped into the study.

YouTube video by Bruce Springsteen

I had the meeting with the clinical trial doctor yesterday. The study is in phase two non-randomized and that is far better than phase 3 randomized. If I qualify for the study it will last for 6 months. I will receive a radioisotope once a month during this time. I will also receive a different medicine as a chemotherapy infusion on a weekly basis during the 6 months.

Got my scan results back and reviewed them with Dr. Malhotra today. Brain fine, one area of enhancement is believed to be from the radiation treatment. She'll confirm that is the case with the radiation team, though they called me with my results saying the same thing. Lung and pelvis scan had mixed results. No new lesions in lungs or thorax, no evidence of disease in soft tissue or bone.

The Trump administration promised clean water, yet they’re giving us a dirty deal. The EPA has proposed a Polluted Water Rule, which hands corporate polluters a license to damage our country's streams...

Scientists used implanted fat cells to gobble up available nutrients around cancer tumors, starving the tumors to death.

As I finally learned to not take Zofran on chemo day and for 2 days after I've been dealing with nausea. Ugh. I broke down and asked for a script for Compazine this time. I took some about 20 to 30 minutes ago and we'll see if it works. The two side effects I'm concerned about are dizziness and blurred vision.