Up to speed

A couple people have asked for the whole story from start to present. So I will attempt a short synopsis of the journey so far.

Last Christmas time a routine annual physical chest x-ray revealed nodule looking things in my lungs. The subsequent catscan was a little lower than needed, so it accidentally picked up on a bulbous thing on my right kidney. The radiologist evaluation of what he saw suggested it could be kidney cancer tumor metastasized into my lungs. In that instant my life changed.

I discovered I could go to the Mayo Clinic right here in Scottsdale. I was poked & prodded, with several specialists looking into my body in ways I don't care to repeat. What was originally described as a long needle going into one of the lung nodules to biopsy a sample evolved into a full blown operation to cut two 1 1/2 inch triangles from my right lung. Fingers and instruments between my ribs through three holes. I hear I moaned for two days. My sponsees visited and got to point and say, " there's Bill on drugs." Real cards are they all. ;-) It still hurts when I sneeze or cough.

When all was said and done, Mayo diagnosed a urothelial carcinoma metastasized into my lungs. When pressed, the Oncologist said it is terminal and said maybe 2 years. In that instant my life changed . . . some more.

However, the guy suggested getting a second opinion. The 2nd guy said just cut out the kidney, but since his diagnosis was so different from Mayo, he encouraged a 3rd opinion and referred me to a kinda famous renal cancer specialist. He sent my biopsy tissue to a super duper pathology guy who IDed the culprit as a Metastasized Papillary Renal Carcinoma. Not curable, but might be able to slow it down with a drug newly tested on this unusual kind of cancer. That was the end of March - three months of being in the dark since Christmas. Jacki was struck just as bad as me. I'm telling you, it is tough on our loved ones.

Tarceva, the drug, is a little white pill that I take every day between 1pm to 2pm. No diarrhea, no throwing up, no hair falling out. My hair is breaking off in places (chest, arms, legs, hands and fingers)so I feel like a five day growth of whiskers. Decreases my cuddle ability. Spongy brain much of each day, tiredness 1 or 2 hours before and after the pill and 2 to 4 hours of poor balance follow the pill every day. Oh, let's not forget the acne like rash on my face. I guess it is poison, but it also "is my friend".

The one catscan since starting Tarceva shows no growth - the Doc says that is good. Wasn't what I wanted to hear nor what I was afraid to hear. Next scan is in a couple weeks.

That's my best effort at telling the facts. Maybe tomorrow I can get more into the way it feels. For now, I'm tired.
Bill