Mets day 341 - Clear CT scan

Jennifer and I got up at 5:20 am this morning to drive up to Fox Chase Cancer Center in Philadelphia.  Even though I was randomly placed in the control group of the Dendreon clinical trial, the company still covers the cost for me to have regular blood work, CT scans, and to meet with Dr. Plimack, a wonderful FCCC oncologist.  The downside is the long drive to and from Philly, including the rush hours of up to 4 cities (DC, Baltimore, Wilmington, and Philly).  It is made slightly more bearable by stopping for a real Philly cheese steak on the way home, all the better since I need to fast prior to my CT scan. 

Anyway, today’s CT scan detected no evidence of secondary tumors.  Good news.  Dr. Plimack said that the odds of recurrence are highest in the first year after the initial mets diagnosis, so the longer I can go without recurrence, the better my odds.  It was in mid-April of last year that I had the CT and MRI that showed that my chemo had failed and that my cancer had spread to my lymph nodes.  My surgery was on May 2, and we go the pathology report showing 12 positive nodes on May 15, 2012.  So depending when one starts measuring the commencement of metastatic activity from, it's been nearly a year already.  

The CT scan did detect an odd collection of the CT contrast dye in my inferior vena cava, the main vein that goes through my abdomen.  The radiologist and Dr. Plimack both suspected that it was just a random bunching of the dye, but she ordered an ultrasound just to be sure that it was not a blood clot.  That took another couple of hours, and it revealed nothing.  The tech and radiologist agreed that my IVC looked perfectly normal. Bring on the cheese steak with onions and mayo - no stroke today!

We once again discussed my ongoing night time incontinence.  Dr. Plimack reviewed the information about Duloxotine and saw little downside to my trying it, but recommended that I speak with a urologist to confirm and get a prescription.  She also suggested that I consider “trading in” my neobladder for an illial conduit – a major surgery.  I said that I was giving my neo until May 2013 to shape up, then I’d consider the IC surgery.  I would wait until after our Europe trip, however, to actually do the trade in, so it would not be until August or later.  I’m getting more reconciled to going through with that, although I do not look forward to the surgery or recovery.