Our next big trip starts in two days, Memorial Day, so we have been busy getting all of our medical appointments out of the way, haircuts and color, purchases that are too hard to get on the road, etc. In this blog I’ll share some updates from my medical journey. And a little bit of Tim’s as well.
Dec. 23, 2024. Scan for Bone Density, known as DXA BONE MINERAL DENSITY BOTH HIPS AND SPINE. I continue to show scores in the “osteopenia” range. It does appear that my bone density is (significantly) better than previous bone scans. The bone specialist continues to do bloodwork to determine the level of Zometa I need. This is an infusion about every three months, and just adds about 15-20 minutes to my normal infusion routine. Based on recent scan and bloodwork, continue with treatment.
April 23rd. MRI of the brain. AND fasting bloodwork (CTX Beta Crosslaps). Since my vision has been changing (increased double vision mostly), my neurology oncologist has been watching my brain again. They scan it about every three months. They always find some little something, but it’s all good. If you’re into the medical lingo, here’s a snippet from my test result. No changes. No new lesions. The spots they follow are residual effects from the radiation in 2019.
1. No new or recurrent intracranial metastases. 2. Stable scattered intrinsically T1 hyperintense lesions in the calvarium may represent hemangiomas and can be followed. Scattered intrinsically T1 hyperintense lesions in the calvarium show no worrisome interval change and appear to suppress on fat saturation techniques which may reflect osseous hemangiomas.
As for the bloodwork, she looks for certain numbers to determine when we need to get my next dose of Zometa. She did another fasting CTX in May, and the numbers went up, so it’s time for another dose.
May 1. CBC (full panel bloodwork) and Hip X-Ray. I saw the doctor on this date. I’m having some hip pain, ever since I drove my daughter to her surgeon’s appointment (4.5 hours away). She ordered a full blood panel in addition to tests for my hip. The blood showed some abnormalities including low hemoglobin, low red blood cells, and low platelets. This probably explains some of my fatigue lately. However, I was sick with a stomach bug from April 28-29, so this was likely the reason for the low blood counts (and fatigue). The X-Ray was normal, with this snippet. “Focal trabecular thickening of the intertrochanteric right femur. These features were present on the radiographs of 10/27/2022 and are considered benign. No evidence of metastatic disease.” That’s good news. They did find “Osteitis pubis” which is basically an inflammation which causes pain. Rest is the treatment for that.
The doctor noted this in my chart, “No fracture or evidence of cancer on the x-ray from yesterday. We’ll wait for the results from your CT and bone scan and go from there.” She scheduled my whole body bone scan and CT of the chest, abdomen and pelvis. It has been eleven months since my last body scans, and since we are traveling soon it’s probably good to get those done anyway.
May 8. Whole body scans. Also known on MyChart as CT CHEST ABDOMEN PELVIS W CONTRAST and NM BONE SCAN WHOLE BODY. This is a half-day long process, as they have to access my port, insert the nuclear medicine contrast for the bone scan (then wait two hours to do the scan). In the meantime I have to drink the CT contrast, wait about an hour and they do the CT. There’s about an hour in between scans where I typically go and eat something, since the CT is a fasting exam. If I have enough time I go off-campus, but usually there’s no time for that. I brought my breakfast this time and ate in the Marketplace on the 2nd floor.
Results: CT states “No evidence of active metastatic disease.” Also known as NEAD. They always find a few nodules in my lungs or other places, but they are stable and of “unknown origin,” so as long as we continue with the current treatment plan, there shouldn’t be any progression. Bone scan states, “Stable bone metastases involving the left fourth rib and the right iliac bone.” Mind you, the reports are much lengthier, but seeing the words “stable” and “NEAD” are what we hope for.
May 15, 2025. MOHS (Tim). Tim had surgery on his nose to remove basal cell carcinoma, and on this day he had the stitches removed. It was right by his eye, so a bit scary. However, the surgeon did an excellent job! She didn’t have any trouble closing it up, and she was able to get clean margins. You can’t even tell it was there. This is an ongoing issue for Tim as he has fair skin, thanks to his Irish blood. I believe this is his third surgery. Many of you have had this done as well. The older we get, the more we regret not wearing sunscreen as a kid.
May 15, 2025. Dental Crowns. I had two crowns put in the right molars (top and bottom) due to cracks in the teeth. I have to be very careful about what I allow dentists to do, as the Zometa can cause necrosis in the bones if they do any deep work. This dentist was well aware of my situation, and the crowns were not only the best option but they fit perfectly! I am very happy with those results.
Whew! Quite a month. Or two. We are now primed and ready for our next big adventure! More on that in the near future.
À la prochaine…hasta la próxima vez…until next time!