Tag: CT Scan

Update

It’s is a while since I posted here, so I thought it was about time that I did. Just over a month ago, I requested to go off the Medication (Everolimus and Lenvatinib) for a month so that, I thought, I could get back to feeling normal and not so tired. It worked for a few days, but then I started some sort of infection, I think it was sinusitis, that gave me severe headaches. I had been feeling low for a while before I stopped the medication and not been going to the gym. My plans were to restart when I was off the medication, but this infection put paid to that ides, I didn’t do anything for a few weeks. I went back to the gym last week and had a good workout, but everything conspired against my going again this week. I really need to get back into the habit.

I had new scans on the 30th November – a CT scan of my body and an MRI of my head. I won.t get the results until my next appointment with the oncologist, probably early in the New Year. Some people are very eager to get their results, and fearful at the same time. Fortunately I am spared this anxiety – I just take it as it comes. I have been blessed recently with fairly good results, with at least nothing getting any worse. If I get a bad result, I will just take that as meaning that I need to do something differently, whether lifestyle, supplements or medication. Perhaps not having the results yet is a good thing – I am resolved to enjoy Christmas and relax my diet a bit so that I can eat some of the goodies on offer.

The organisation Kidney Cancer UK runs a couple of Facebook groups for kidney cancer patients and their carers. It carries some encouraging stories of medication eradicating all traces of cancer, and harrowing tales of treatments not working, horrific side effects and significant suffering. I realise how fortunate I am to be relatively unaffected. I would however like to be free of this disease. I plan to trawl through all the posts on Facebook just to see what works and what the side effects are so that I can discuss alternative treatments with the oncologist.

That all for now on the health front, but there have been developments in my life of faith and I will write more posts there.

February 23, 2023

February 23, 2023 was a miracle day for me. I had an appointment in the Oncology Department at University Hospital, Coventry for feedback on my latest MRI and CT scans. Great result – my brain stem tumour has shrunk from 22mm down to 16mm. I haven’t been too concerned about the 4 tumours in my lungs because of their small size. A couple were about 2mm and they reduced to about 1mm. I think the largest is about 10mm. We decided that I would continue on the combined therapy of Everolimus and Lenvatinib.

The good news didn’t end there. As mentioned in My Cancer background, I have been suffering from a severe groin pain for some months when standing and walking. A few weeks ago I had a couple of days when it almost went away and I was able to walk about a quarter mile on those days. When I woke up on February 23rd, the pain wasn’t too bad and by lunchtime it had gone. I celebrated by walking a whole mile. I had quite got out of the habit of walking and my muscles weren’t used to it. I was feeling quite exhausted, but elated, at the end of it.

I was concerned that the pain might come back today, a day later, but only the faintest hint of it this morning

I have written a blog post on Miracles to express my thanks and to say how these improvements connect with my faith.

My Cancer Update

It has been a few days since I gave an update on my cancer. In a way that is a good thing because I have just been sailing along quite happily, taking my medication and feeling quite good. I haven’t felt queasy since the last episode almost three weeks ago. I’m eating normally though I do have a reduced appetite and I try to keep myself well hydrated.

I had a couple of scans last week – a CT scan of my body and an MRI of my head. I will get the results in about 10 days when I see the oncologist. I am hoping and praying that the tumour in my brain will have shrunk a bit. Next update when I get my scan results.