Daily Quote: "As much as I would have liked to have kept my cancer private, I now realise that I have a certain responsibility to those who are fighting their own fights and may be able to benefit from learning about mine." — Farrah Fawcett on her cancer / May 14, 2009
This morning I visited Dr Snehal Rohitdesal, M.D. of Digestive Associates for a consultation on feeding tubes. He stated that having a feeding tube installed in my stomach is a precautionary measure due to the possibility of not being able to chew and swallow food because of the damaging effects radiation has on the mouth and throat, such as bleeding gums, open sores, raw throat, etc. I may or may not need to use the feeding tube, but best to have it as I'll need nutrition to help fight the disease.
I'll need to visit Valley Hospital 1 to 2 days prior to procedure and have nothing to eat or drink six hours prior to exam. (Mostly paper work, release forms, and of course co-payment beforehand)
The nurses at Valley Hospital will show me how to clean the skin and feeding tubes, the cleaning process should be done three times a day as the feeding tube is a foreign object to the stomach.
Therefore, I'm now scheduled to have a feeding tube installed at Valley Hospital on Thursday, May 5th at 1:00 p.m. I'll need to have my wife, Suzie, pick me up after the operation as I'll be under a mild anesthetic.
This whole feeding tube situation does sound horrible to me, totally unnatural, but realize I may need to use it.
Later in the morning I visited my Radiologist and had radiation done on my throat and neck. Took only 15 minutes, pretty easy today. Had a small grilled chicken for lunch. I'm no longer nauseous, but still very tired, will be taking an afternoon nap soon.
Tomorrow morning my radiation will be at 7:45 a.m. and will begin working the four day weekend, 12-hour work days, it's going to be tough as I won't be able to take any medications that would affect my driving, therefore no nauseous medications.
Thursday, April 28, 2011
Wednesday, April 27, 2011
Update On Cancer Treatments
Daily Quote: “It gave me a chance to re-evaluate my life and my career. Cancer certainly gives things a new perspective. I would not have won the Tour de France if I had not had cancer. It gave me new strength and focus.” --Lance Armstrong
I've been lax on my blog updates on my cancer battles, I've been too busy and have been placing most of my emphasis on facebook and forum sites, plus squeezing in all the medical exams, cat scans, treatments, etc makes Bruce a very busy boy. Here's a recap since my last cancer post:
April 11th: Dr. Treadwell's office for a cat scan on upper chest and right lung.
April 13th: Biopsy of my right lung at Steinberg Diagnostic.
April 17th: Won bid for a new work schedule that's more compatible to my treatments, but I no longer have Saturdays and Sundays off...I now have Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursdays off. I still work from 12:00 p.m. to 12:00 a.m.
April 18th: Dr. Saltz, my dentist, checked the health of my root canals and replaced five fillings as to prepare myself for radiation. Bad root canals could lead to infections and the removal of my jaw and bad fillings could lose my teeth from the radiation. I now must use special extra-flouride toothpaste after anytime I eat or drink anything.
April 19th: Dr. Parks tells me the results of right lung biopsy, I also have lung cancer as well as the neck and tongue cancer.
April 26th: First chemotherapy appointment at 10:00 a.m., three hours and 20 minutes of chemo treatment. I also had my first radiation treatment at 3:00 p.m., only 20 minutes of radiation.
April 27th: Second radiation treatment at Dr. Treadwell's office. Doctor Treadwell consultation tells me of new strategy, the The doctors have determined to separate my radiation & chemo treatments...my first six weeks of chemo & radiation therapy for my tongue and neck cancer, the next six weeks the therapy will be concentrated on my right lung and upper chest...the doctors believe that I would become too sick if they tried to treat everything in eight weeks. Unfortunately, my therapy is now stretched to twelve weeks.
Tomorrow I'll be visiting Digestive Associates at 8:00 a.m. for a consultation visit on the need of a feeding tube. My radiation treatment will be at 11:00 a.m.
I'm currently feeling very nauseous and extremely tired, I can't seem to get enough sleep. I need to be ready for work on Friday. Back to bed!
I've been lax on my blog updates on my cancer battles, I've been too busy and have been placing most of my emphasis on facebook and forum sites, plus squeezing in all the medical exams, cat scans, treatments, etc makes Bruce a very busy boy. Here's a recap since my last cancer post:
April 11th: Dr. Treadwell's office for a cat scan on upper chest and right lung.
April 13th: Biopsy of my right lung at Steinberg Diagnostic.
April 17th: Won bid for a new work schedule that's more compatible to my treatments, but I no longer have Saturdays and Sundays off...I now have Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursdays off. I still work from 12:00 p.m. to 12:00 a.m.
April 18th: Dr. Saltz, my dentist, checked the health of my root canals and replaced five fillings as to prepare myself for radiation. Bad root canals could lead to infections and the removal of my jaw and bad fillings could lose my teeth from the radiation. I now must use special extra-flouride toothpaste after anytime I eat or drink anything.
April 19th: Dr. Parks tells me the results of right lung biopsy, I also have lung cancer as well as the neck and tongue cancer.
April 26th: First chemotherapy appointment at 10:00 a.m., three hours and 20 minutes of chemo treatment. I also had my first radiation treatment at 3:00 p.m., only 20 minutes of radiation.
April 27th: Second radiation treatment at Dr. Treadwell's office. Doctor Treadwell consultation tells me of new strategy, the The doctors have determined to separate my radiation & chemo treatments...my first six weeks of chemo & radiation therapy for my tongue and neck cancer, the next six weeks the therapy will be concentrated on my right lung and upper chest...the doctors believe that I would become too sick if they tried to treat everything in eight weeks. Unfortunately, my therapy is now stretched to twelve weeks.
Tomorrow I'll be visiting Digestive Associates at 8:00 a.m. for a consultation visit on the need of a feeding tube. My radiation treatment will be at 11:00 a.m.
I'm currently feeling very nauseous and extremely tired, I can't seem to get enough sleep. I need to be ready for work on Friday. Back to bed!
Tuesday, April 26, 2011
Team Bruce
Daily Quote: "Cultivating and maintaining a strong social network is vital to your emotional and your physical health. Scientists believe this may be partially due to oxytocin, the bonding hormone people release in social situations, that has been shown to relieve stress and anxiety." --Linda Childers, "Living with Cancer Magazine," Article, "Taking Control Over Cancer!" pg 31.
I have a fantastic running family at about.com's running/jogging forum site, they have been extremely supportive and caring since I had started coughing up blood in January. I'm so very blessed to have these friends in my corner, indeed they have helped relieve my stress and anxiety and are praying on my behalf.
Yesterday, I discovered that Winnston organized my running family as an organized "Team Bruce," where they'll be wearing t-shirts stating they are "Team Bruce" runners, he said,
"We are going to show some solidarity with you. How? We are going to show the world we care the best way we know how. We are going to get out and run, and some of us are gonna do it in "BRUCE" shirts for all the world to see. And when they ask us who this Bruce guy is, we are going to let them know. In the messages below should be a growing group of photos of us in our TEAM BRUCE shirts, and also some new profile pics.
Your say your doc says no running for 8 weeks? I can't imagine how tough that is going to be for you. But we have a bit of a solution. We are going to run those miles for you. We hope in this thread to log "Virtual miles" for you from many different locales. Not sure who is going to be doing the compiling, but it will all be right here.
See what I mean when I say that my running team is fantastic? I'm so flabbergasted, I just don't know what to say. Not often am I speechless, all I can say is WOW!!
Here are some of my Team Bruce photos, running athletes all:
I have a fantastic running family at about.com's running/jogging forum site, they have been extremely supportive and caring since I had started coughing up blood in January. I'm so very blessed to have these friends in my corner, indeed they have helped relieve my stress and anxiety and are praying on my behalf.
Yesterday, I discovered that Winnston organized my running family as an organized "Team Bruce," where they'll be wearing t-shirts stating they are "Team Bruce" runners, he said,
"We are going to show some solidarity with you. How? We are going to show the world we care the best way we know how. We are going to get out and run, and some of us are gonna do it in "BRUCE" shirts for all the world to see. And when they ask us who this Bruce guy is, we are going to let them know. In the messages below should be a growing group of photos of us in our TEAM BRUCE shirts, and also some new profile pics.
Your say your doc says no running for 8 weeks? I can't imagine how tough that is going to be for you. But we have a bit of a solution. We are going to run those miles for you. We hope in this thread to log "Virtual miles" for you from many different locales. Not sure who is going to be doing the compiling, but it will all be right here.
See what I mean when I say that my running team is fantastic? I'm so flabbergasted, I just don't know what to say. Not often am I speechless, all I can say is WOW!!
Here are some of my Team Bruce photos, running athletes all:
Tuesday, April 5, 2011
Meet My Oncologist
Daily Quote: "During chemo, you're more tired than you've ever been. It's like a cloud passing over the sun, and suddenly you're out. You don't know how you'll answer the door when your groceries are delivered. But you also find that you're stronger than you've ever been. You're clear. Your mortality is at optimal distance, not up so close that it obscures everything else, but close enough to give you depth perception. Previously, it has taken you weeks, months, or years to discover the meaning of an experience. Now it's instantaneous." --Melissa Bank
I'll eventually need a new profile photo as I'll be a bald wonder.
Today is my first day I visited my oncologist, Dr. Hyo-Jong Park, M.D., at Cancer and Blood Specialist of Nevada. It's an amazing coincidence (providence) that he was my friend's, Brenda Boswell, doctor in the past, he helped her have total remission from cancer! The following is from his bio page on the Cancer & Blood Specialist web site:
Medical School: Seoul National University, School of Medicine
Internships: Seoul National University Hospital, Internal Medicine Department, St. Francis General Hospital
Residency: Pathology Resident, Shadyside Hospital, Pittsburg PA.
Fellowships: Oncology/Hematology University of Maryland Cancer Center
Dr. Park is board certified in Internal Medicine, Hematology, and Medical Oncology. He is a member of the American Society of Hematology, American Society of Clinical Oncology, the Nevada Oncology Society and the Clark County Medical Society. He has hospital privileges across the Las Vegas Valley. Dr. Park is licensed in Nevada and Arizona, and holds inactive licenses in Maryland and Pennsylvania. Dr. Park has practiced with Cancer and Blood Specialists since 1997.
Dr. Park will be giving me chemo once a week (three hours long) during my cancer fight. We tentatively plan on starting chemotherapy on April 19th!! The cancer fight begins soon.
During the visit he sat me down and asked me my history in regards to my discovering cancer and what I've done already. I told him about my coughing blood in January, the route of discover with my new primary care doctor, Dr. Norris. The route of examining my chest with a cat scan, the discovery of a small nodule in my right young. The route of visiting the ears/nose/throat specialist, Dr. O'Donnel and his taking a biopsy of the lump on the back of my tongue. The biopsy of my tongue being cancer. The route of having a cat scan of my neck. The visit with my radiologist, Dr. Treadwell, and the projects I had to take with him (pet scan, dentist visit, eventual food tube from Digestive Associates.)
I also told him of my recent pain on my upper right chest and under my right arm. Dr. Park then proceeded to probing my chest and underarm, which he discovered a small soft mass. He is scheduling me an underarm biopsy of the mass at Steinberg Medical
for April 13th. I'll need a blood test at least two days before the biopsy. Needless to say, I hope my cancer isn't starting to spread below my neck.
The consultation ended. I proceeded to the receptionist desk where she gave me papers for my blood test as well as scheduling the appointment for the chemotherapy on April 19th. The only time available for my chemo is 9:45 a.m. Unfortunately, the chemo takes three hours and will not be able to make it to work on time after the treatment. I must try and figure something out with my employer concerning my work schedule.
I still have a dentist appointment on April 12th to fill five fillings that were questionable.
April 13th is my underam biopsy.
April 22 is my consultation with Digestive Associates in regards to a feeding tube.
I'll be checking the Checker Cab bid board this week as to see whether their are any drivers who retired, quit, or fired who had work schedules that would be more friendly with my treatments. I currently have Saturdays and Sundays off, but my cancer treatments are Monday through Friday...ideally, I need a work schedule that has at least Tuesday off for chemo, and the rest of weekdays be scheduled later in the day for the radiation treatments. Fortunately, my seniority number is 28, we have about 700 Checker Cab drivers, and should be able get any shift that's posted on the bid board...just one of the advantages to being a Checker Cab driver for over twenty years.
I have so much on my plate, I can't describe how difficult it is to exercise, fulfill my medical appointments and then work a 12 hour shift.
I'll eventually need a new profile photo as I'll be a bald wonder.
Today is my first day I visited my oncologist, Dr. Hyo-Jong Park, M.D., at Cancer and Blood Specialist of Nevada. It's an amazing coincidence (providence) that he was my friend's, Brenda Boswell, doctor in the past, he helped her have total remission from cancer! The following is from his bio page on the Cancer & Blood Specialist web site:
Medical School: Seoul National University, School of Medicine
Internships: Seoul National University Hospital, Internal Medicine Department, St. Francis General Hospital
Residency: Pathology Resident, Shadyside Hospital, Pittsburg PA.
Fellowships: Oncology/Hematology University of Maryland Cancer Center
Dr. Park is board certified in Internal Medicine, Hematology, and Medical Oncology. He is a member of the American Society of Hematology, American Society of Clinical Oncology, the Nevada Oncology Society and the Clark County Medical Society. He has hospital privileges across the Las Vegas Valley. Dr. Park is licensed in Nevada and Arizona, and holds inactive licenses in Maryland and Pennsylvania. Dr. Park has practiced with Cancer and Blood Specialists since 1997.
Dr. Park will be giving me chemo once a week (three hours long) during my cancer fight. We tentatively plan on starting chemotherapy on April 19th!! The cancer fight begins soon.
During the visit he sat me down and asked me my history in regards to my discovering cancer and what I've done already. I told him about my coughing blood in January, the route of discover with my new primary care doctor, Dr. Norris. The route of examining my chest with a cat scan, the discovery of a small nodule in my right young. The route of visiting the ears/nose/throat specialist, Dr. O'Donnel and his taking a biopsy of the lump on the back of my tongue. The biopsy of my tongue being cancer. The route of having a cat scan of my neck. The visit with my radiologist, Dr. Treadwell, and the projects I had to take with him (pet scan, dentist visit, eventual food tube from Digestive Associates.)
I also told him of my recent pain on my upper right chest and under my right arm. Dr. Park then proceeded to probing my chest and underarm, which he discovered a small soft mass. He is scheduling me an underarm biopsy of the mass at Steinberg Medical
for April 13th. I'll need a blood test at least two days before the biopsy. Needless to say, I hope my cancer isn't starting to spread below my neck.
The consultation ended. I proceeded to the receptionist desk where she gave me papers for my blood test as well as scheduling the appointment for the chemotherapy on April 19th. The only time available for my chemo is 9:45 a.m. Unfortunately, the chemo takes three hours and will not be able to make it to work on time after the treatment. I must try and figure something out with my employer concerning my work schedule.
I still have a dentist appointment on April 12th to fill five fillings that were questionable.
April 13th is my underam biopsy.
April 22 is my consultation with Digestive Associates in regards to a feeding tube.
I'll be checking the Checker Cab bid board this week as to see whether their are any drivers who retired, quit, or fired who had work schedules that would be more friendly with my treatments. I currently have Saturdays and Sundays off, but my cancer treatments are Monday through Friday...ideally, I need a work schedule that has at least Tuesday off for chemo, and the rest of weekdays be scheduled later in the day for the radiation treatments. Fortunately, my seniority number is 28, we have about 700 Checker Cab drivers, and should be able get any shift that's posted on the bid board...just one of the advantages to being a Checker Cab driver for over twenty years.
I have so much on my plate, I can't describe how difficult it is to exercise, fulfill my medical appointments and then work a 12 hour shift.
Friday, April 1, 2011
PET Scan
Daily Quote: "CT scans and MR scans can give us excellent photographs of different parts of the body, and identify enlarged nodes or tumor masses. However, sometimes it is difficult to tell whether a lump or mass in the body actually has tumor cells in it only by measuring its size and shape. Small lumps or nodes may contain cancer cells, while larger ones may just be something harmless. That is when you need to measure the activity of the mass. And a PET scan is the answer." --Indranil Mallick, M.D., former About.com Guide, Lymphoma site.
My appointment for my first PET Scan was held at Steinberg Diagnositcs at 7:30 a.m. The PET scan was very similar to my previous CT Scan for my chest and the CT Scan for my throat. I had to eat 4-6 hours before the scan time, and not do any strenuous physical activity before the scan, since my appointment was so early in the morning had no problem fasting nor running.
I checked in at exactly on schedule, but still had to do about 20 minutes of paperwork, my co-pay was huge, $750.00, to be paid before the PET Scan!! I'm concerned that I will be flat broke after 18 weeks of therapy, which consists of 40 treatments. I'm worried that the financial burden may be to much stress for my wife.
Finally I was led to a small room with a large leather recliner. A small amount of radioactive material (small enough to be essentially harmless), was injected an hour before the scan was done. I was told to recline in the chair and not move around. I immediately fell asleep in the chair as I waited...I'm not a morning person.
I was then taken to the bathroom and was told to change into a gown. Went to another room, which had this huge scanner, laid down and was told the scanner will photo most of my body, but will stop at my ankles. The PET scan itself lasted about 45 minutes, which I fell asleep again. Once the scan was over I dressed and left the clinic in about 10 minutes.
Decided to do my run before work rather than waiting until after work. Bought a large bottle of Gatorade as I plan on flushing the radioactive material from my bloodstream during the gym workout. I ran on my gym's treadmill for 60 minutes at 6.0 mph (10 minute miles) on a 1% grade. I did feel lightheaded on the treadmill, but was happy to complete the run now rather than 12 hours later. I believe I accomplished the goal of flushing my bloodstream.
My PET Scan results are so very important to me, I hope that my cancer is limited to my neck and tongue and hasn't spread to my lower organs. The actor, Michael Douglas, also had throat cancer recently and his cancer didn't spread to the lower body and he's now in total remission. I would be thrilled with that outcome!
I won't know the results of my PET Scan until two business days. My doctors should have the results by next Tuesday or Wednesday. Next Tuesday I'll have my very first visit with my oncologist at the Cancer and Blood Specialists of Nevada. I also have a consultation with my Dentist on Monday. I hope to have a food tube connected to my stomach soon. Next week will be a very traumatic and busy week!!
My appointment for my first PET Scan was held at Steinberg Diagnositcs at 7:30 a.m. The PET scan was very similar to my previous CT Scan for my chest and the CT Scan for my throat. I had to eat 4-6 hours before the scan time, and not do any strenuous physical activity before the scan, since my appointment was so early in the morning had no problem fasting nor running.
I checked in at exactly on schedule, but still had to do about 20 minutes of paperwork, my co-pay was huge, $750.00, to be paid before the PET Scan!! I'm concerned that I will be flat broke after 18 weeks of therapy, which consists of 40 treatments. I'm worried that the financial burden may be to much stress for my wife.
Finally I was led to a small room with a large leather recliner. A small amount of radioactive material (small enough to be essentially harmless), was injected an hour before the scan was done. I was told to recline in the chair and not move around. I immediately fell asleep in the chair as I waited...I'm not a morning person.
I was then taken to the bathroom and was told to change into a gown. Went to another room, which had this huge scanner, laid down and was told the scanner will photo most of my body, but will stop at my ankles. The PET scan itself lasted about 45 minutes, which I fell asleep again. Once the scan was over I dressed and left the clinic in about 10 minutes.
Decided to do my run before work rather than waiting until after work. Bought a large bottle of Gatorade as I plan on flushing the radioactive material from my bloodstream during the gym workout. I ran on my gym's treadmill for 60 minutes at 6.0 mph (10 minute miles) on a 1% grade. I did feel lightheaded on the treadmill, but was happy to complete the run now rather than 12 hours later. I believe I accomplished the goal of flushing my bloodstream.
My PET Scan results are so very important to me, I hope that my cancer is limited to my neck and tongue and hasn't spread to my lower organs. The actor, Michael Douglas, also had throat cancer recently and his cancer didn't spread to the lower body and he's now in total remission. I would be thrilled with that outcome!
I won't know the results of my PET Scan until two business days. My doctors should have the results by next Tuesday or Wednesday. Next Tuesday I'll have my very first visit with my oncologist at the Cancer and Blood Specialists of Nevada. I also have a consultation with my Dentist on Monday. I hope to have a food tube connected to my stomach soon. Next week will be a very traumatic and busy week!!
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