CR 571: Last week's CT scan showed no changes

The day after I returned from South America, I went in for another CT scan at Kaiser. The tech was worried that I had not been given any radioactive goop to drink. I shrugged it off, since that's been the case with most scans. Then the tech couldn't properly access my vein for the contrast, blew two veins, then called in a nurse for the stick. I've learned that most places would rather not access my port for a CT scan, since that requires a nurse with specialized training. Kaiser charges $40 for that privilege. Fine, use my arm -- although I think that after two blown veins, I should get a port access for free. The scan itself was routine. I was supposed to take a copy of my scan image to Hopkins so it could be read there. but Kaiser's record department managed to bungle getting a CD ready. It took 4 phone calls and two visits for me to get the disk made. Breathe deep and roll with it.

On Thursday I went to Hopkins to check in with Dr. Hahn. Even though I suspended my Opdivo infusions last month, I will continue to go to Hopkins every three months so they can review my labs and CT scans. He said that Tuesday's scan showed no changes: no metastatic activity or tumor growth. Yay!

I was given an amended clinical trial protocol to review and sign. Bristol Myers is adding another drug (cobimetinib) combination to the trial. It doesn't affect anything I'm doing, but BMS does like its paperwork in order. I skimmed through the 33 pages and saw that some of the listed side effects of nivolumab included fatigue and shortness of breath. I told Dr. Hahn that I had experienced those symptoms in the past two weeks -- of course, I was at 9000 feet on the Inca trail -- and he started laughing and said that BMS should definitely be informed that shortness of breath while hiking the Inca trail should be an adverse drug event.