CT Scan results

My CT scan results from yesterday show that there has been progression of the main tumor to a size of 14x12cm from 7x5cm eight weeks ago, plus significant new growth throughout my liver. The portal vein which was partially blocked has now been completely closed off by the cancer cells.

The chemo drugs have had no effect so I will not be doing any more of that, but there is a treatment that I am considering that involves delivering millions of small, irradiated glass beads, called Theraspheres, to the blood vessels that supply the tumor. I will be going to UPMC tomorrow for a test that will map the blood vessels of my liver to determine if I am a candidate for the procedure. Since Theraspheres uses radiation instead of chemo drugs, there are few side effects other than some mild fatigue.


The crazy thing here is that I still look like the picture of health, and up until a few weeks ago I could even say that I was totally symptom-free. I have a mild, persistent twinge under my right rib cage and my energy is down just a little. My doctor continues to look at me as a medical marvel because of the lack of symptoms at this stage. So, I will just keep on doing what I am doing. The tour continues - next stop is Atlanta to visit my brother and his family. After that, I am looking forward to settling back into my life with Bobby in beautiful Southern California and seeing more of my friends.