Insurance: No news on the insurance front. I’ve got the VA insurance ombudsman in the loop, and he is doing an excellent job hounding on my insurance company. They have re-opened the case and are evaluating it again now.
Treatment (part A): I have a few subcutaneous (just under the skin) tumors that were growing and starting to irritate me. For your pleasure, I’m posting a picture of one of them now. You can see how the tumor grows through the abdominal wall and, as a result, is not amenable to being removed surgically. So…, I’ve begun treating it with radiation. We’ll see how this goes since pRCC doesn’t usually respond too well to radiation, but the radiologist is optimistic. I’m half-way done w/ treatments now (3 of 6).
Last week was a bit tough. I had a reoccurrence of ascites which was causing a lot of pain and nausea (including the first vomiting since my hospital stint). I spent quite a few days visiting Drs getting meds adjusted, etc. I went into the Hospital this past Monday to have the fluid tapped and --- good news --- over the weekend my body had absorbed the fluid and there was nothing to drain. I am feeling much better.
Treatment (part B): Last week I had a scan that showed some new tumors and some growth of the old ones. Here’s another picture of just some of the suspicious nodes (you can see 3 inside the circle). As a result, I’m looking to change drugs. You can be praying that I’ll make the right choice here; there are some new FDA-approved drugs that I haven’t tried yet; I can go back to some drugs that I tried earlier; or, I can find a trial of some even newer drugs. I’m researching it right now, and I’ll keep you posted.
Meanwhile, my spirits remain good, and I’m continually grateful for all your support. The word “thanks” doesn’t say enough. I love you all. -d
