Back At Work Full-Time!

I've finally returned to work full-time! Hurray! I got all the "t's crossed and the i's dotted" from the insurance company (bet they're glad not to have me around anymore!).

The results of my MRI were fantastic! I'm cancer-free! That one "anomalous finding" was nowhere to be seen. Praise His Holy Name!

The results of my language evaluation were decidedly more mixed. The good news is that I've retained all my thought process; the bad news is that I've a rather marked defiency when I trying to think under pressure, quickly, or multi-task. I've been advised to make the most of my cognitive therapy, focussing on these areas, while keeping these areas minimized as best I can in the rest of my day. The positive news is that - potentially - it can improve, albeit slowly.

I've explained the situation to my boss, and he's willing to let me procede at my current pace, for which I'm very grateful!

Merry Christmas!

Belated (very belated!) best wishes for a joyous Christmas!

It's been about 6 weeks since I last blogged, and a lot has transpired. First, I really enjoyed the Holidays with my family. We had a quiet Christmas, but we had a New Year's Eve party with several friends and their families.

Next, I underwent round 4 of chemo treatments, starting Jan 2, and I just finished up round 5 last night. I'm getting pretty good at predicting when I'll have a "down" day. It seems like my worst days are day 3, followed by 1-2 down days about a week or so later. As I only do treatments 5 days a month, the second set of down days occurs well after my treatments end.

Next, I've returned to work on a half-time basis. I wanted to get back to fulltime ASAP, but my insurance company says I may need to get my doctors to agree. I'm sitting here, waiting for final word on my status.

Finally, I had a follow-up MRI on Monday. I'm awaiting the results, which should be ready tomorrow. I have a Language Evaluation at UCLA next week, and then Dr. Liau will read both the MRI and the results of the LE the following week.

Please continue to lift me up in your prayers! I know they're effective!

Chemo Treatments on Hold Till After the Holidays (Yeay!)

I met with my oncologist yesterday, and requested that we hold off on the Chemo treatments until after Christmas and New Year's. He said, "Sure! I have no problem with that." He explained that these "agents" aren't subject to a rigorous schedule - that reasonable delays are OK. So, I should be pretty much at full strength for the Holidays!

I also told him that Dr. Liau had recommended extending the Chemo regimen by 3 months. He must have been in an agreeable mood - he said, "I'd actually have no qualms about extending it indefinitely." I understand that as long as the drug is well-tolerated by the patient, there's not a hard/fast rule about when to discontinue.

I'm hoping the extra 3 months will do the trick. Though I'm not having any major side-effects, the fatigue is still significant hurdle, although certainly tolerable - especially given the alternative!

Positive Reports from Neurosurgeon and Radiologist

I saw Dr. Linda Liau December 5 and the Radiologist (Dr. Yamplowsky) the following week. Let's take the radiologist first. He basically told me what I already knew - that they thought the cancer was gone; and that there was just that one little questionable area to keep an eye on. But it was great to get that confirmation; Dr. Yamplowsky was the only doctor that even mentioned that "non-specific" region at all.

Now, on to Dr. Liau. She was very positive. She said she recommended another 3 months of chemo treatments, solely as a precaution. She said that 6 months - up to a year - was sort of the UCLA "standard," provided the patient tolerated the drug. So, that means I'll do my next round immediately after the holidays (if my oncologist agrees), then three more months after that.

She offered to write prescription for occupational therapy (to improve my handwriting, which she said was often the last thing to come back) and "cognitive therapy" (a sub-set of speech therapy) to help clear up my thinking a bit more. Of course, I said 'yes' to both!

I really like Dr. Liau. She's very calm, positive, and has a pleasant sense of humor, which was definitely on display in this office visit (I guess humor would be quite out of place in my previous visit). The first thing she said was, "My, but doesn't everyone just look so ... normal!"

She also was the only doctor that actually reviewed the films of the MRI. She showed me a couple images of the cavity that used be the 'home' of my tumor. I'm glad it got an eviction notice from Dr. Liau!

It IS Good News!

I had an appointment with my oncologist on Friday, and he said: "You are no longer on my worry list!" He told me the report was almost as good as I could expect, and not to worry about the non-specific finding - it was probably just a result of the healing process.

He said there was no physiological cause for my symptoms - leaving the possibility open that they are psychological, or are the result of some subtle damage they can't see. If the latter, he said the overwhelming number of his patients continue to experience improvement for up to a year, so there's good warrant for believing I'll also improve.

He gave me the names of some counsellors who specialize in treating cancer patients, and one appears to be a provider for United Healthcare (I'll know for sure Monday).

Meanwhile, I'm still going to see my neurosurgeon, Dr. Liau, on Wednesday. I'm sure she'll give me a good report as well, but I want to discuss my continuing symptoms with her.

My intention is to try to work through some of the confusion-related issues by returning to work part-time, starting Monday.

MRI Results - Appears to be Good News!

I picked up the MRI report today, and it looks to be good news! I'll know more tomorrow when I see the doctor, but if I'm reading it correctly (and I think I am), it's very positive. There's only one questionable spot where they have to keep a close eye on, but even that was "non-specific" (i.e., it was tiny and unclear).

Thank you for your prayers! They appear to have been answered!

MRI is Done! Now, it's all over but the waiting...

After a slight delay (and a change in venue), I got my MRI done yesterday at about 3pm. I was scheduled to be at Tarzana MRI at 10:45am, but I was literally laying on the table, about to go into the MRI, when the nurse came in and showed me a little instruction on the physician's instructions - "To be read by Dr. Bash." The nurse explained that Dr. Bash only works out of another facility! Fortunately, it was very close and they had an opening at 2pm. I felt better when I learned that Dr. Bash specialized in reading MRIs of the brain.

I made arrangements to pick up the films and Dr. Bash's report to take with me Thursday. I'm scheduled to see my oncologist on Friday, and Dr. Liau the following Wednesday.

Pending the results of the MRI, I *may* return to work on a more frequent basis as early as next week. I'm still experiencing some effects of what is aptly termed "chemo-brain" (even though my oncologist tells me the chemo treatments don't cause that particular side-effect) - that's why he upped the date of the MRI. But, if I'm ever going to ride this horse again, I'd better at least try to get on!