Hello everyone,
Stuff keeps happening and I have not been keeping up with my posts. I was in MDA last week and am on chemo now. I guess the Decadron has fueled me today.
Well I went to MD Anderson for two things. One was a procedure on my paralyzed vocal cord, and the other a brain scan.
As for the procedure, let me describe it to you. They dropped a camera through my nose down to the larynx so they could see it in action. Meanwhile a Dr stuck a needle in my neck through to the larynx, and injected a collegen-like gel behind the paralyzed vocal cord to push it over to meet with the working cord. That should give me a decent voice. I say "should" because a week later and I am still sounding like George Burns having a bad day. They say it may take a week more for everything to settle down. Or it is possible that they need to redo the procedure. My coughing did not go away. So the vocal cords may not be providing me a proper seal from any acid reflux. That is primarily the job of the vocal cords I was told, to protect the trachea from any food or fluids draining into it. Well I keep hoping. I am tasked with humming along to 5 Frank Sinatra or other similar songs I can find. Soft stuff. The humming will even out the gel along the cord and should make a big difference. Meanwhile if I cough a lot, I gag, and then throw up.
The other news I got is about the brain scan:
First of all, there are no new brain mets again. Second clean scan there! But the bad news is there is some fluid it seems and I may be developing brain necrosis. Which is life-threatening in it's own right. It seems that taking Avastin reduces and may even eliminate the necrosis. But there will be no definitive answers or change in direction until my next scan in February.
You know, when I had the Gamma Knife, they told me that only 5% of patients develop necrosis. And when I had the lung and chest procedures, they also told me that only 5% of patients could end up with a paralyzed vocal cord. That disturbs me.. having these extra worries. But the good news is that the chemo is working still. I will get body scans in February and am praying that continues.
The other news is that I am scheduled for Chemo next on the morning of New Years Eve. Yay! (not)
Traveler001