Quick update

[aja1121]

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Hubby has two sessions of FOLFOX left and he's been tolerating it quite well, considering. He has been extremely sensitive to cold, and his hands hurt/tingle quite a bit. Appetite has remained okay and his weight is stable. The fatigue is really hitting him hard now... used to be he felt better on his off weeks, now he's just exhausted all the time until the next treatment. He does go to work every weekday morning for a few hours, but comes home at lunchtime and spends most of the afternoon on the couch. He doesn't look sick, so it has been challenging for him to set boundaries with his boss and co-workers... he's had to remind them a few times that he just isn't at 100 percent. On the weekend, we try to get out once and do something low-pressure, like visit family or go out to eat, but that's about it.

So the CT scans done on 01/10/15 (after three treatments) and 02/25/15 (after six treatments) showed no change in the lung nodule. In reviewing the second scan with us, the oncologist made an offhand remark that he "would have expected that nodule to be much smaller now if it was cancerous." Not sure what to make of that comment. I asked what the nodule might be if it wasn't a met and he didn't speculate, so we're trying not to get our hopes up. Scans show no further spots anywhere else, so that is good news. Current plan is to finish last two chemo treatments, wait two weeks, and scan again. After that, we meet with the thoracic surgeon to get more information on VATS procedure; oncologist expects surgery to happen 4-6 weeks after last chemo treatment. Next steps will be determined by what they learn about the lung nodule once it's been removed.

It's hard not to worry about what will happen next. I've been doing my best to take care of him while also taking care of myself. Some days it's more challenging than others. As always, I appreciate the members of this board for their insights. Whenever I have a question, I know I can find the answer here. Thank you all for sharing your experience. You are never far from my thoughts.

[KWT]

My lung nodules didn't change during treatment with oxaliplatin and avastin. But it's no big deal if he only has one just get it out.

What I mean to say is it's no big deal that it didn't shrink. It's all a big deal.

[aja1121]

Yeah, my immediate response to the doc's comment certainly wasn't hopefulness... more like, if it seems overwhelmingly likely to be a met, why would you even say such a thing out loud? I just don't know what they are thinking sometimes. An offhand remark that means nothing to them has a much bigger impact on those living with cancer.

kennytwisted, I've been following your recent CEA/oncologist story. It sucks. I hope you can find someone who will do a better job for you. Also, I really appreciate your general contributions to the forum, because your sense of humor is right up my alley. So thanks for that