Week of Doctors

With the sun working hard to clear the horizon, Monday is upon us, and an important week of doctor's visits is upon me.

Tomorrow we head down to see the kidney cancer specialist at the University of Pennsylvania. He's going to make a recommendation on whether to stay with the Nexavar chemo drug, or to switch to Sutent or Torisel. Sutent is a pill form that you take at home, very similar to Nexavar. Torisel is an IV based chemo administered at the hospital once a week.

It's a pretty big decision.

On one hand, my body is tired of the Nexavar. A switch of drugs may present itself differently to my body - maybe better, but also maybe worse. I am also familiar with the Nexavar side-effects after a year now. A new drug would bring a new learning curve, learning how to best manage the side-effects.

Torisel is typically reserved for patients in very advanced stages. Although my cancer is considered advanced, it has remained passive without significant growth and without spread. So I don't think Torisel would be the choice. But I can't be sure. My oncologist seems to think that it's time to attack, so that may mean Torisel.

If we do go with Torisel, that means a bit of a lifestyle change with weekly visits to the hospital, and that wouldn't be a positive lifestyle change. I learned through my surgery, the hospital is a terrible place for sick people. But that's really another story entirely.

The specialist in Philadelphia also plans to weigh-in his opinion on going after the tumor in the upper lobe of my left lung. It's the only tumor I have. It's shrunk and grown and shrunk and grown. But it just won't disappear.

I think we're looking for the least invasive way to get in there and kill this area of my lung. There is a new technique reportedly being used where a needle or tube is inserted right into the middle of the tumor, and then radiation is delivered directly. The thought is that the specialist in Philadelphia will have more access to the latest techniques, and where they're being done.

So, in general, it's been a year since this cancer spread to my brain. Since, two tumors have turned into one tumor, and there is no immediate signs of further spreading or aggressiveness. So is it time to really go after this thing? I'll find out Tuesday.

Wednesday is off to the eye doctors who are going to look at my fourth-nerve palsy in my right eye, and if it can be corrected with Botox injections. That's another story too.

And although I think my dizziness has improved over the weekend, it still persists. That might take me into my primary doctor for a look-see today yet or Thursday.

Nothing like a week of doctors to welcome Spring-like weather! Hopefully I'll get next week off.