Category: Cancer

Buying Time by Sticking It to Cancer

These drugs are becoming less effective against my prostate cancer. Today I was randomized to a study drug on a phase 3 clinical trial. I’ll be injected 4 times with a drug that selectively sticks to tumor. A radioactive metal stuck to the drug may “stick it” to the tumor. I’m grateful and hopeful.

Big Boy Toy

Walked the Mall of America with friends. Made an impulse purchase at the LEGO store: a reward for riding a medical rollercoaster in the past 24 hours. (It ended well, reward enough.) There’s a tradition here: whenever I visited “the doctor’s big house” (hospital) as a kid, my dad would give me a toy car.

Eyes to Thighs PET/CT Scan

Got injected with a radioactive tracer that sticks to prostate cancer cells, prior to being slid through a hybrid PET/CT scanner. This will help determine if I qualify for a clinical trial. The tracer and the high sensitivity of the scanner are recent innovations.

Categorized as Cancer

A Focus on Normal Activities

Last appointment of the day: haircut by Emily. I’ve known her 30 years and look forward to our conversations. Earlier, managed to sandwich GED tutoring between a radioactive tracer injection and a whole-body bone scan. All those activities were on today’s walk: I choose to live as normally as possible.

Steps to New Options

Crossed an icy Mississippi on my walk to the University of Minnesota where I signed paperwork to participate in a Phase 3 prostate cancer clinical trial. Grateful for the lovely walk, grateful for promising treatment options.

Monthly Drug Run

Today’s the day for my monthly drug run (meds). Metro Transit does a remarkable job keeping the buses running in all kinds of weather.

Delaying Tactics

Today was the day for my quarterly labs. The tumor marker is slowly rising, so I’ll be discussing this with my oncologist this week. The longer I can keep this somewhat at bay with medications, the more new treatment options will become available to me.

Fallen Leaves

My monthly drug run, / Walking past the county morgue, / Leaves corralled by wind.

Categorized as Cancer