Oncologist Appointment

This afternoon I went with Drew to his oncology appointment. The doctor reminded us of Patch Adams. He walked in with a ponytail in his hair, jeans and cowboy boots. He spent so much time with us (me, Drew, his dad & step-mom) and was happy to answer any questions we had. Drew couldn't believe it when I pulled out my camera. I'm recording as much as possible so we can remember every step of this battle when we are celebrating his victory in a few months.

They are still awaiting some further test results, but the doctor seemed confident that it is Hodgkins Disease. Hodgkins is a fairly rare cancer. It only strikes about 10,000 people each year. The good news is it is very treatable with over 90% success rate, especially in young, otherwise healthy people. The tumor in his chest is probably the size of a tennis ball. Next up is a PET scan where they inject some kind of fluid in him. If there is cancer in any of his organs they will glow. Then they will test his bone marrow. Finally, he will have a port put in for the treatments. Once all of that is done they will begin chemotherapy. Although radiation kills the tumor faster, there are more potential future side effects and he recommended using only chemo. Chemo is a little harder to go through than radiation, but it is much more successful in killing all of the cancer cells and there is less likelihood of recurrence. It will be a combination of 4 drugs. He will probably have treatments every other week for six months. The doctor said it may be completely gone in two months, but they still continue the treatment for six. His white blood cells will be tested every time he goes in. He left with less blood than he walked in with. He had to give 5 more vials today. That makes 9 for the week. The appointment went as good as it could have.

Sorry, no work pics today. Maybe tomorrow. :)