The beginning of the treatments

I went to see Pop today. I told him the latest report from Fox Chase. His friend Raina was there and he also told her. So, it's ok to talk about it if she is present. He seemed ready to beginning the process. Here's the latest: Monday 4/3, he has an appointment (7:30am) for bloodwork and a CT guided lung biopsy where they will take a sample of his tumor. Tuesday, 4/4, he has an appointment with the oncologist (3:30pm) to go over his chemo regime. I will take him to both these appointments. Friday, 4/7, he has an appointment to have his IV permanent port inserted (8:30 am). This is a minor surgical procedure. Jim will be taking him to this appointment. He is supposed to begin chemo the week of April 10th. It will be for six weeks. Three weeks on chemo, one week off, and then three weeks on chemo again. After that they will repeat the CT scan to re-evaluate the size of the tumors.

On a separate note, don't forget that mom is leaving to go to P.R. this Wednesday. No, she is NOT aware of his cancer at this point. I figure we should share it with the family once he begins his chemo therapy.

I'll keep you posted after his appointments next week.

Ron

Pop's battle with cancer....again

Well, since we're in a high tech world, I thought creating this blog would be the best way to stay connected about Pop's condition.

Here's the latest:Pop's colon cancer has been in remission (not detectable). This does not mean that he was completely cured. It just meant that in x-rays and bloodwork there were no signs of cancer. Pop has been going regularly for his follow-up check ups and has had x-rays and CT scans periodically. His last CT scan of his chest (six weeks ago) showed two lesions. One on each lung. With a history of cancer, this of course was highly suspicious. They did a follow up CT scan yesterday and the doctors at Fox Chase confirmed that Pop does indeed have metastatic lung cancer. This means that the colon cancer has spread to his lungs. The CT scan that he had yesterday showed that the tumors have grown. For tumors to have significantly grown in only six weeks, means that this is a fast growing cancer. Pop is scheduled to have a lung biopsy (were they take a sample of his lung tissue) on April 3rd (Jim will take his to this appointment). His appointment with the oncologist (cancer doctor) is scheduled for April 4th (I'll go with him to this one). At his point they will begin to plan for his chemotherapy, probably right away. Pop is in very good spirits, He has a hard time believing the doctor's reports because he has no symptoms at all! He feels great. At this point Pop has asked that we NOT share his diagnosis with anyone but his kids. I hate keeping it from family (especially mom) but I think we should respect Pop's request. At least for the time being. I will keep you all posted as I learn more.

Remember to keep in mind that all submissions posted here will be made public and eventually other family members (cousins, uncles, aunts and friends) will be able to view our comments. So be aware of this. Love you all-Ronzo