Mets Days 768 - Little progress on a cure

Today I met with my GW oncologist, Dr. Jeanny Aragon-Ching. I go in every couple of months for lab work, have my port flushed, and see what's new in the world of metastatic bladder cancer. I asked her if there was any recent news or developments, and in particular whether there were any clinical trials that might be applicable to me. I also asked about a recent MD Anderson study (news article here) that reported that some bladder cancer mutations resembled breast cancer mutations.

Dr. Aragon-Ching was aware of the MD Anderson paper, and said that even more recent papers had dampened any short-term hope that metastatic bladder cancer might be as amenable to treatment as some breast cancers have been. She said that the ability to identify the sub-type of bladder cancer was still preliminary, and there were no sufficiently powered studies as of yet showing that particular sub-types of bladder cancer responded better or worse than other sub-types. She added that there was still so much research to do, and not enough funding to do it.

We also spoke about clinical trials. She said that the most promising research was with regard to immunotherapy and inhibitors called PD-1 and PD-L1. The current clinical trials require the patients to have measurable metastases larger than 1.5 cm in size -- something I don't have. She said that she hoped that I would not get to the point of being eligible for such a trial, because such a metastasis would mean that my cancer is growing and spreading. I agreed that it was far better for my mets to be stable and not spread from my lymphatic system into my organs.

We also talked about my slow walk back to pre-ddMVAC chemo baseline. She suggested that I slowly ramp up some type of an exercise regimen to get back some of the stamina that was lost during last fall's chemo and recovery. I hope to do more racquet sports such as tennis or racquetball with my kids.

For now, I remain on the watchful waiting cycle. My next scan is in mid-July at NIH. Until then, the message remains to be grateful for each day, sharing love and laughter with family and friends.

Mets Day 766: Milestones and transitions

This has been a notable week for my family.

Chelsea graduates from medical school tomorrow. This week we have attended a number of events marking her achievements: her induction into the Gold Humanism Honor Society, comprised of individuals who have been recognized for practicing patient-centered medical care by modeling the qualities of integrity, excellence, compassion, altruism, respect and empathy; the Alpha Omega Alpha Honor Society, the professional medical organization that recognizes and advocates for excellence in scholarship and the highest ideals in the profession of medicine; and GW's Kane-King-Dodek Obstetrical Honor Society. Tomorrow she will officially become an MD.

Chelsea and Josh have started packing up their stuff for their move to Utah. A moving pod will be delivered here midweek, and they have a couple of days to fill it up. They have a house under contract in Ogden and are scheduled to close (by mail) on Thursday. Next weekend, they will go on a cruise while we babysit Rose. In early June, they will move to Utah (Chelsea and Rose will fly, Josh will drive). Our house will seem much quieter.

Spencer also graduates this weekend with his Associates in Science degree from NVCC.  He will continue his studies this fall at George Mason University. He's not yet sure of his major, although it likely will be in one of the hard sciences.  It's great to see him continue his educational progress.

Kirsten recently returned home after completing her first year at CNU.  After recharging her battery after finals, she decided she wanted to be a waitress this summer, and got a job at Paolo's Ristarante in Reston.

Last night, Garrett received his Eagle award in Boy Scouts. He's the first Eagle scout in our family. It was a wonderful Court of Honor, and a great way to recognize him for his years of scouting.

We were joined in our celebrations by my mom and stepdad, as well as Josh's brother, Micah, who has been attending some training in the DC area this month. These milestones bring joy and rejoicing in my posterity.

Meanwhile, this month marks two years since my radical cystectomy and neobladder, and the bad news that 12 of my lymph nodes were positive for metastatic cancer. It's been a long slog since then, and I'm grateful for each day that I can spend with my family.

Today I sold my Harley Davidson motorcycle. I had ridden it less than 100 miles in the past two years, and over the winter I realized that my riding days were over. I decided to pass it along to someone else who would appreciate it more. I enjoyed it for a season, then the season passed.