Back home from CTCA

We flew back from Atlanta on New Years Eve.  It was a good flight with only one bump in the middle.  The TSA guys were very helpful and understanding about my leg.  The wheel chair driver took us through back halls and directly to a TSA checkpoint.  The screening took 2 minutes and we were done.  Missing a leg really sucks but there are some advantages.

The trip to CTCA was a good one.  They confirmed everything Dr Travis at Highland Oncology has said.  I have 6 spots in my lungs.  3 are definitely tumors and the other 3 may not be.  The largest is near my bronchial tubes and heart and is about 1 inch in diameter.  The second largest is about 1 1/2 centimeters and the rest are pretty small.

The pulmonary (lung) surgeon on my case is Dr Christopher Parks.  He looked at all my scans and seemed optimistic about removing everything.  The largest near my heart will be troublesome, but it's doable.  The key is getting a cancer treatment to stop the tumors from growing or spreading.  Then it's time for a surgery.

On a more positive note my brain MRI is clear and my bone scan is clear.

My oncologist at CTCA is Dr Patricia Thompson.  She is one of the best in the country with this type on cancer.  She looked at everything and she recommends a drug named Votrient.  I believe Votrient was also on Dr Travis' short list of things to try.  I say 'everything she had' because the raw report from the recent molecular testing was missing.  Highland had only a summary.  It's on my to-do list to track that down and get it to Dr Thompson.  She'll then review the report and offer any new recommendations.

My overall opinion of CTCA is a good one.  They care about every person who walks in.  It's a beautiful facility and it's designed to be as efficient and affective as possible.  Parts of it are wasted on me, but these parts are vital for others.  I would  recommend them to anyone who ask.  This does not detract from my opinion of Highland Oncology who does a equally wonderful job.  Highland is a smaller organization, but their treatment and recommendation have been the same.

What now?  I have established appointments in January.  January 13 is a drive to Little Rock for appointments with Dr Montgomery, who removed my leg, and Dr Steliga, who removed part of my lung.  January 15 is an appointment with Dr Travis at Highland.  I'll discuss everything with each and then we make a decision.  If the Houston facility accepts me in the drug trial then we probably go for that.  If not then we talk about the next drug to try (maybe Votrient) and go for it.

For now it's more waiting.

Thank you, everyone, for you hopes and prayers.  Please know that I am doing well.  My spirits are dampened but I still enjoy life and living.  The only way to go is forward.