The Adventure Continues

Many of you heard from me this past Friday with my update. I had a CT scan on Thursday (11/30) and when I met with my oncologists on Friday (12/1) she said the scan was showing something strange in my colon. She ordered a PET scan for me. Well it turns out my update last Friday was a little premature. What I failed to report in my update was that they also did some blood work to measure my CEA (carcinoembryonic antigen). This tests measures a certain protein in the blood that is often produced by tumors. Before my tumor was removed back in April my level was 21. A couple days after removal my level had dropped to 5. Normal for a non-smoker is around 3. On Friday my number was 42. I did not get this results until after I had emailed out an update. My doctor called and told me there is a strong likelihood the cancer was still hanging out and growing. Happy birthday to me!

So I spent the weekend imagining the worst case scenarios (an orange angry tumor with a bad comb over slowly devouring my insides) and the best case scenarios (this was all a plot by the liberal media to make me an advocate for a national healthcare system and really I never had cancer at all). Then on Monday morning (12/4) I went in for my PET scan. A technician injected me with a fat syringe labeled with a radioactive sticker. He told me after my scan to avoid holding babies and puppies or hugging people for a couple hours. After lamenting my ruined baby holding plans, I sat in a recliner for an hour while the radioactive fluid soaked into areas of high metabolism (like tumors) in my body. Another technician escorted out of the recliner and I was ordered to empty my bladder. Sadly, my urine did not glow green. The scan machine looked very similar to the CT machine but was longer. After lying down on the platform my whole body was moved inside the tube where I stayed for about half an hour while the machine did it's thing. Afterwards, I attempted to hug the  technician as he escorted me out but he didn't seem interested.

Today (12/5) I met with my oncologist to discuss the PET scan results. There is indeed another tumor in my colon. She does not believe anything was missed when they took out the tumor in April. Instead this is a new tumor and my cancer cells were resistant to the chemo I was on. There is also a spot in my liver that might be a tumor. The next step is for me to get an MRI to better determine what is going on in the liver. After that I will go through four rounds of chemo with a different drug. Afterwards I will get another MRI and we will determine if the cancer is responding. I will then likely either way have a surgery to remove more of my colon followed by 8 more rounds of chemo.
If the spot in the liver is a tumor it might be treated with localized radiation. In addition to all of this I continue to have back pain and will have a separate MRI next week to determine if anything is going on with the spine.

I am also seeking out a second opinion. I trust my oncologist and think she is knowledgeable and likely correct in her recommended course of treatment. However, at this stage of the game I think I would be remiss to not seek other insights. Next Wednesday (12/13) I will spend most of the day at the University of Colorado Hospital in Denver. They have a very strong col-rectal cancer specific team  and several different doctors will come up with what they think the best course of action is. Hopefully more knowledge and direction will be provided.

I know this all seems somewhat dire but I want everyone to know I am prepared to fight this as hard as I can. I am sad. I am angry.  But I am also hopeful. Thank's everyone for your continued support. I will keep you all updated over the coming weeks.