4.05.2006

New Chemo

The CEF part of my chemo regimen finished 3 weeks ago and I went yesterday for the first of 8 Docetaxel treatments which will be on a 2 week cycle.

I had to wait an hour or so while the morning blood test was processed and then my doctor called me in to discuss the results as well as the results from last Friday's CT scan. The chest x-ray they took just before the scan didn't show anything unusual but he did find a suspicious spot on/in my lower right lung which warrants observation (it's about 1cm) and another "abnormality which is probably nothing" (his words translated into English) on/in the left lung. I'll have last spring's CT scan results from another clinic sent to him for comparing (but I think something would have been said about any abnormalities back then...). I'll have anoth CT scan in 16 or 18 weeks after the chemo is finished.

I asked if it could be pneumonia or other virus symptoms (although I feel fine) and, for the left lung, a reaction to the radiation treatments, but he told me no (I figured the left spot was lower down than the radiated area, but who knows?) so I'm just waiting and hoping that if it is metastasis, the remaining chemo will pulverize it all and send it on its way.

The good news is that the lymph nodes all looked great after radiation and half of my chemo treatments.

I also got to see a bunch of friends from the Chofu English Playgroup who were having a picnic under the cherry blossoms in the park near my house when I got back from the hospital early yesterday afternoon. They all gave me my month's worth of hugs and well wishes.

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