Tag: MRI 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.

September 14, 2023 Appointment

I had an appointment with the oncologist last week, at which I got the result of my scan of a couple of weeks ago. Good news and bad news.

Head MRI Scan Results

The good/bad news was that the size of my brain tumour had increased by 3mm to 17mm. As mentioned before, I had declined further medication at my last appointment, about 8 weeks before this one. so whereas an increase in the tumour is disappointing, it could have been a lot worse.

I think the reason that it was probably a bit better than it might otherwise have been was that I modified my diet to cut out high sugar foods and most red meat and eating more fruit (it is blackberry season after all) and vegetables and making vegetable smoothies. I have also been taking some supplements with known anti-cancer properties.

What I didn’t do was detox, which most holistic cancer practitioners say is essential, and I didn’t cut out all dairy, which is also much recommended. I do have this weakness for butter and cheese, which I had probably best put behind me.

Next Steps

I decided to go back on the medication – daily 5mg of Everolimus and 10mg Lenvatinib, down from 14mg. My reasoning was that if the tumour grows too big, I will be seriously impaired as it reduces the connection between my brain and the rest of my body. It was the effects on my balance and speech that led to the discovery of the tumour in the first place. I am hoping this return to medication will be temporary while I learn more about detox and diet and natural healing.

As noted in my last post of August 4, “Feeling Good”, I was having a really good time off the medication – less tired, more appetite, no nausea, no pain, more energy and able to enjoy exercising, mostly riding a bike or walking. So going back on the medication was not an easy decision and it remains to be seen whether the lower dose of Lenvatinib reduces the severity of the side effects.

The reason that I am looking at alternatives is that the choice with conventional therapy is between living with the side effects of medication or a shorter life feeling good. Either way, it will get a bit unpleasant at the end, either because the tumour grows unchecked or because the medication stops working. nobody is making any predictions how long it will take in either case.

So what I have started doing is seeking the help of a natural healing doctor who has a record of success in helping people overcome their cancer, in order to get the advice I need about detox and diet. I am glad that, as a Christian, I have a positive outlook and can meditate and pray, because the mental and spiritual aspects of healing are not to be underestimated. Watch this space.

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.