Back to Square 1

This Tuesday I saw my medical oncologist to see if we could find out why I have been feeling so poorly. He didn't think it was an infection and wanted to investigate other options. What he pointed out is that two spots showed up in my chest on my head and neck CT scans. These could be a few things, but they could be putting pressure on veins going to my head and disrupting bloodflow.

I had a CT done on just my chest today to investigate further, and it showed no signs of pressure on any veins. However, it did show multiple spots in my chest. At least one is over a centimeter that puts it in the "worrisome" category. The oncologist speculates that it is either valley fever, or that the cancer has spread to the chest. If you remember, the original suspicions by the oral surgeon was that I had valley fever, tuberculosis or cancer.

So, I will have a biopsy done of at least the largest node to see what is going on. Of course it is frustrating to think that I may have to go through a lot more, but we don't know what it is yet, and it could just be something like valley fever. That would explain why I have also been feeling so poorly.

Whatever happens happens, and I will post when I find out the results of the biopsy.

Steve

Why I haven't been posting

For some reason, the Saturday before last I got really tired during the day and had to lay down for a few hours. Then on Sunday the same thing happened. By the week and still until today, I lay in bed 20 hours a day. I feel completely exhausted and week and yet cannot really sleep. Even if I do fall asleep I wake up about every hour coughing up mucus. The mucus has gotten better but my esophagus is more swollen shut and it causes me to gag on the mucus.

I saw my radiation oncologist this week and did blood work and an x-ray but nothing came out of it. So, next week I see my medical oncologist about it, because he used to be an internist (i.e. practiced internal medicine) and may be able to better diagnose the problem. Any other internist would have been weeks to be able to see.

It has been frustrating, but what has been most frustrating is the not being able to drink. I am at the point where I have no desire to eat, but I crave sweet drinks. Even ice water would bring me incredible happiness. (Read Skeletons of the Zahara to understand how I feel). I would love a slurpee, sprite, or cold coke. And last night I dreamt I made my own root beer and it was delicious.

But so as not to be depressing, last night I came up with a great solution. I just took a glass of juice, and kept taking swigs and spitting it out. Its not quite as good as actually swallowing, but you get all the flavor so I really enjoyed it and will probably keep doing it today.

Also, yesterday I got a nice care package from the Seattle U track team. It was really flattering to be remembered and the coach talked with the Women's Volleyball coach and they are thinking of having a game called "Dig for the Cure" and I would be the opening speaker. That really made my day to hear that. Thanks for all your support and comments lately. I have needed them and enjoy reading them.

Steve

DJ Fraggle Rock

For those of you with Seattle U. connections, I recently received an email from the man you know as DJ Fraggle Rock (Reuben Joseph). As many of you may know Reuben is now in Iraq and was recently interviewed by a local Seattle tv station. I thought you would enjoy watching this. The first link is what actually aired and the second link is a complete interview with "Frags."

For those of you who don't know what I am talking about, Reuben was on the Seattle U track and cross-country team with me, and was also a DJ. If you remember an earlier post, he is the one who was running up and down the halls of a hotel at 2 in the morning after a meet screaming "Who got a Playstation!" Since he had met some other people he challenged to a game on the Playstation and wanted to settle the score.

Interview with KIRO tv

Full Interview

Oral Cancer Awareness Week

Oral Cancer Awareness Week is coming up, April 21-27, and I hope to post information about oral cancer so that people can better understand it. I found this article on headandneck.org, an organization devoted to head and neck cancer.

Click Here

This many of of you have seen. It appeared in the Wall Street Journal:

Click Here