I'm done with Opdivo (for now)

Today is my last Opdivo infusion in 2020. This second round of nivolumab therapy has lasted for 28 months, with a total of 30 infusions. As of today I’ll be on surveillance, with CT scans of my neck, chest, abdomen, and pelvis every 12 weeks. The consensus opinion of my medical team is that, since I’ve had no evidence of disease for a year, and since I continue to show evidence of dermal toxicity and increased sensitivity in my GI system, the risks of side effects outweigh the justification for continuing therapy. So I’m back into the game of watchful waiting, knowing that my metastatic cancer likely will return at some point. Having ridden the cancer roller coaster for 9 years, I’ve accepted this fate. I’m no longer living life from scan to scan, fearful of what the future might hold. Instead, I’m living life one day at a time, trying to do the next right thing.

Before my infusion, I had another full set of CT scans. Lindsey (the PA who works with Dr. Maughan) said that they looked to be unremarkable, but we’ll wait for the radiologist’s results to be sure. I’ve lost count of exactly how many scans I’ve had, but I’m pretty sure it’s over 40. Years ago I remember wondering if the radiation exposure from all of those scans would give me cancer. Now I’m past all of that. The benefit of the scans clearly outweighs the risks.

Summer has been arriving in fits and starts. We had 80 degree weather in mid-March – enough to persuade me to get out the Harley – then had two months of cold. By mid-May the weather had warmed enough to de-winterize the boat and take the grandkids out on Pineview reservoir. Then last weekend we had snow down to 6000 feet. I think that was winter’s last gasp, and now we’re barreling into summer heat with a vengeance.

The Coronavirus pandemic is slowing down for the summer. Utah is gradually reopening, but it will be some time before things get back to normal. Church and other large public gatherings are still banned. Wearing facemasks in public is strongly encouraged. I still can’t visit Jennifer at Layton Park. I expect that people will gradually be less socially distant until Fall, when there likely will be a second wave of infections that will sweep the Northern Hemisphere. I wonder when it will be safe to fly again. And I’m still slightly amazed that I can even think about the possibility of flying.