Chuck Update - Adding a Second Medication

Did you know there are a lot of different doctors when dealing with cancer? There's the Skin Oncologist and the Surgical Oncologist and the Medical Oncologist... I had no idea we'd be seeing so many different people on this journey. They all talk to each other and share information and updates, and sometimes it's hard to keep them all straight.

We met with the Skin Oncologist last week and have decided to add a second medication to Chuck's treatment. The original medication has stopped the growth of the cancer but it's not shrinking it.  

The Medical Oncologist said Chuck could live with this (continuing with the original treatment) for many years but also said he was a good candidate for this new treatment. Chuck said he didn't want to live with cancer for many years, he wants it gone.

So now Chuck will go in every 6 weeks for the infusion and every 2 weeks for an injection that will go directly into the tumor. So far with just the infusions he hasn't had any side affects and he feels really good. I'm concerned that adding the second medication will cause side affects and change his quality of life. Right now the doctor is checking to make sure our insurance will pay for it and once he finds out, then Chuck will start getting the injections.

They also did a biopsy on one of the areas to see if the cancer is still there or if it's just leftover pigment. We're hoping for pigment!

Would you pray with me that adding this second medication doesn't cause any side affects? It needs to kill the cancer while allowing Chuck to go on living like he has been. Thank you!

A Different Thankful Thursday - Cancer Update

 

 

Join us over at Rebecca Jo's blog!

 

 We check in on the 1st floor, get screened for covid then Chuck goes in for a blood draw and to have the IV port put it. 

 

 

They wrap his wrist in a bandage and we head to the 3rd floor. We wait for a while until they get the results of the blood draw and we meet with the oncologist to talk about the results.

 The doctor shows us all the scans and we actually talk for a while. It's really nice to get all your questions answered, I always leave there feeling good. Then it's up to the 4th floor where he has his infusion. Today we had another great view from our room.

 Floor to ceiling windows!

Right after surgery in April the cancer really began to spread fast. The spots on his face and head showed up quickly and a nodule appeared behind his ear.

I took this on June 5 and I've drawn black arrows that point to the cancer that appeared after surgery and before treatment.

(The two largest black areas are from a biopsy)

The scan he had yesterday showed the cancer hasn't shrunk but it also hasn't spread. The treatment seems to have just stopped it dead in it's tracks. It's not gone, but it doesn't seem to be actively moving. His blood work looks really good: blood counts, liver, spleen, heart, lungs... all look normal! He feels great and hasn't had any side affects!

 We're taking this as a good report and will continue treatment as normal. Even though we wish the cancer was shrinking, we're so, so thankful it hasn't continued to spread! 

An Update on Chuck

Chuck had his second infusion today. It started with a visit to the dermatologist first thing this morning and he counted 13 nodules (up from 8 last time we were there) and another tumor behind his ear.

Plus he found a spot that looks suspiciously like basal cell carcinoma so he did a biopsy. He said it's very mild, it won't spread and if it is cancerous they'll be able to get it all with surgery. He was very casual about it. We should get those results in about a week.

But... all of this is expected because the medication takes a few weeks to really begin to work. It's natural for the cancer to grow during that time.

 The view from the waiting room.

We left for a few hours (bought a new microwave and Chuck got a new Smart watch) then we stopped at Lake Washington for a few minutes before heading back for more appointments.

The nurse practitioner felt so bad that we had to come back and she told us that it's perfectly okay to ask the scheduler to try and get all the appointments around the same time. 

They did a blood draw and we found out that everything came back normal. Everything! That's a direct answer to prayer!

Next they put in the IV line, then we headed to the back for the infusion. He didn't get a lot of sleep last night so he dozed off during the procedure. (He worked until 1am.) We're thankful they got us in early. We actually left there before the time of our original appointment! So now we wait and watch for this cancer to shrink!