Amy&TrixieCat
Member Since 2011
Yesterday
Phew on seeing some green this morning! She certainly had me feeling a little anxious with yesterday's "+3". Trix is very much in a Fancy Feast mood these days...we'll keep running with it until she tires of it, then we'll switch back to Purina One.
The trip to Penn for my Dad's second opinion yesterday went well, all things considered. We really liked this doctor, too, so now we have two very good oncologists on board. The best bit of news that came out if it was that she said this is absolutely NOT pancreatic cancer. I think that one scared us the most, as we lost a non-blood related relative to pancreatic cancer in the 80s, and it was horrific - not that any other cancer is good, either, but that experience left an unforgettable mark in our memories. This doc did confirm/agree with the local doc's diagnosis: my Dad has a very unusual case of 3 primary cancers...rectal, stomach, and prostate. He has some lymph node involvement, but no mets to other organs or bones. But, she still put him at Stage IV...I guess because of the multiple primaries, which make a "curative" approach pretty impossible - ie, he is not a candidate for surgery or radiation because of the multiple primaries. But, he will start chemo very soon (still waiting for the hospital to schedule the port installation). The other "good" bit of news is that she said this protocol is usually well-tolerated; it's good for both the rectal and stomach cancers (the prostate cancer is a non-issue); and that for some reason most older men don't get the nausea from this protocol. Like every other doctor out there, she cannot believe my Dad is almost 82 - his BW is near perfect, as is his "physical presentation"....he just does not look his age, inside or out. But, despite that, she did say that these cancers are really most likely the result of age. She also specializes in geriatrics, and she said it is important to not undertreat, just because of age - if someone is in great health like my Dad, there is no reason to not pursue a decent regimen. She was very kind and caring.
The other interesting thing: I've mentioned before my Dad has no symptoms at all, and that finding this was a fluke brought on by doing an MRI because his urologist was strongly urging him to do radiation for the prostate cancer. That MRI brought all this other stuff to light - it was a huge, completely unexpected shock. This doctor from Penn said the prostate cancer is absolutely not life-threatening and he shouldn't let anyone ever touch it in any way, because the benefits don't outweigh the risk. Yet my Dad was just about to do radiation for it at the urging of his urologist. Interesting twist of fate....
So that's where we're at. Hopefully he'll start chemo very soon, and with any luck and a lot of prayers, maybe this will become a thing of the past, despite the staging....
Thinking of everyone today...sending extra prayers out to Dyana and sweet J.D., and Liz and Anne and Zener.....
Amy
Phew on seeing some green this morning! She certainly had me feeling a little anxious with yesterday's "+3". Trix is very much in a Fancy Feast mood these days...we'll keep running with it until she tires of it, then we'll switch back to Purina One.
The trip to Penn for my Dad's second opinion yesterday went well, all things considered. We really liked this doctor, too, so now we have two very good oncologists on board. The best bit of news that came out if it was that she said this is absolutely NOT pancreatic cancer. I think that one scared us the most, as we lost a non-blood related relative to pancreatic cancer in the 80s, and it was horrific - not that any other cancer is good, either, but that experience left an unforgettable mark in our memories. This doc did confirm/agree with the local doc's diagnosis: my Dad has a very unusual case of 3 primary cancers...rectal, stomach, and prostate. He has some lymph node involvement, but no mets to other organs or bones. But, she still put him at Stage IV...I guess because of the multiple primaries, which make a "curative" approach pretty impossible - ie, he is not a candidate for surgery or radiation because of the multiple primaries. But, he will start chemo very soon (still waiting for the hospital to schedule the port installation). The other "good" bit of news is that she said this protocol is usually well-tolerated; it's good for both the rectal and stomach cancers (the prostate cancer is a non-issue); and that for some reason most older men don't get the nausea from this protocol. Like every other doctor out there, she cannot believe my Dad is almost 82 - his BW is near perfect, as is his "physical presentation"....he just does not look his age, inside or out. But, despite that, she did say that these cancers are really most likely the result of age. She also specializes in geriatrics, and she said it is important to not undertreat, just because of age - if someone is in great health like my Dad, there is no reason to not pursue a decent regimen. She was very kind and caring.
The other interesting thing: I've mentioned before my Dad has no symptoms at all, and that finding this was a fluke brought on by doing an MRI because his urologist was strongly urging him to do radiation for the prostate cancer. That MRI brought all this other stuff to light - it was a huge, completely unexpected shock. This doctor from Penn said the prostate cancer is absolutely not life-threatening and he shouldn't let anyone ever touch it in any way, because the benefits don't outweigh the risk. Yet my Dad was just about to do radiation for it at the urging of his urologist. Interesting twist of fate....
So that's where we're at. Hopefully he'll start chemo very soon, and with any luck and a lot of prayers, maybe this will become a thing of the past, despite the staging....
Thinking of everyone today...sending extra prayers out to Dyana and sweet J.D., and Liz and Anne and Zener.....
Amy
Thank you for your prayers for us. We're hanging in there. 
