This past Thursday evening, 6/25 I went to sleep with an odd pain in my abdomen. I woke up a few times during the night but it wasn’t piercing or anything that required an immediate ER visit or anything. When I woke Friday morning, 6/26, I was still having the pain and nothing really seemed … Continue reading Butchie Beats Cancer, An Intro
Chemo: Round 10 – Same Shit, Different Meds
Well, today was my first Chemo since surgery, scan and the subsequent finding of new cancer growth on my liver. It was bittersweet to see the caring nurses who had hoped they'd see me again sometime under different circumstances. They really are a great team over there and I'm thankful that they take such good … Continue reading Chemo: Round 10 – Same Shit, Different Meds
Well, Fuck.
Well, Fuck. After a successful surgery(surgeries) and a pretty great recovery overall, I had my follow up CT scan and meeting with my oncologist today. It was not the news I wanted or to be honest, was expecting. I have more cancer on my liver. My colon, where the primary cancer originated, looks good. But … Continue reading Well, Fuck.
Thankful
We celebrated Thanksgiving on Wednesday evening, instead of the actual holiday because of my scheduled surgery on Friday. Actual Thanksgiving day for me involved starting the morning by drinking an entire bottle of Miralax, with the rest of the day consisting of only liquids as I prepared my bowels for surgery the next day. My … Continue reading Thankful
Surgery Gets the Green Light
Well, here I am in, a place I didn't think I'd get be. I just spoke with the surgeon a little while ago to go over the results of Friday's PET scan and yesterday's colonoscopy. Everything was pretty much what we thought before, but now is confirmed. The chemo worked great on reducing my cancer … Continue reading Surgery Gets the Green Light
Pleasant 41-year-old Male Presents For Opinion Regarding Colon Cancer
"Pleasant 41-year-old Male Presents For Opinion Regarding Colon Cancer" - Philip Neff, MD Today, I met with a surgeon to discuss my options for surgery in regards to my colon cancer, hence the wonderful quote above from the surgeon's medical notes. Seemingly good news - after that consult and then another visit with my oncologist … Continue reading Pleasant 41-year-old Male Presents For Opinion Regarding Colon Cancer
Chemo: Round 9 – All Chemo and No Play Makes Matt a Dull Boy
All chemo and no play makes Matt a dull boy. All chemo and no play makes Matt a dull boy. All chemo and no play makes Matt a dull boy. All chemo and no play makes Matt a dull boy. All chemo and no play makes Matt a dull boy. All chemo and no play … Continue reading Chemo: Round 9 – All Chemo and No Play Makes Matt a Dull Boy
Stay the Course
Well, it's been a long week. I had my CT scan on Wednesday, a dye study on my port Thursday(it's fine) and a meeting with my oncologist today. Good news, my cancer continues to respond to the chemo. In fact, it reduced to a size that my oncologist want me to have a consult with … Continue reading Stay the Course
Chemo: Round 8 – What now?
Tuesday was the last scheduled full round of my originally prescribed 8 rounds of FOLFOXIRI. As always, I'm here to remind you that chemo sucks. As for what's next, we still don't have a firm path or next step yet. This will all be more clear after my next CT scan on 10/21. I then … Continue reading Chemo: Round 8 – What now?
Chemo: Round 7 – Back to Reality
Yesterday was round 7 of chemo. There's really not much of an update - it still sucks and I feel like shit. We met with my oncologist beforehand and there wasn't much news there either. My CEA (cancer protein) numbers continued to drop - down to 65.8 ng/mL. We discussed what this means. What it … Continue reading Chemo: Round 7 – Back to Reality
Chemo: Round 6 – Good News?
Here I am, sitting through round 6 of chemo. Spoiler alert - it still sucks. We met this morning before the infusions with one of the PA's here. There wasn't a ton to go over - all my labs are still looking good. One set of numbers did stand out though. My CEA(cancer proteins) numbers … Continue reading Chemo: Round 6 – Good News?