Things still looking up...

I had quite a busy day. My first appointment was with Dr. Sodhi in Bellevue at 11 AM and then Dr. Sytman on Capital Hill in Seattle at noon. And of course, Dr. Sodhi was running behind and I didn't get to see him until 11:15! Dr. Sodhi and I discussed the results of the PET scan and he was happy to see the progress. He showed more excitement than Dr. Chen so that beefed up my confidence and good feelings about the results. Since posting the results, I had overlooked a crucial improvement. I have this lesion in my lower neck on the C5 vertabrae. This lesion had an SUV of 7.0 on the original scan, which would be the highest SUV I have. It dropped to 2.5, which is a huge decrease. This lesion was causing me pain from September through November and it worried me into thinking of possible future paralysis if it grew. Dr. Chen mentioned early on in the treatments that if necessary, it could possibly be shrunk by radiation. Of course, we weren't going to do anything until it got more painful. I knew we were making progress on it because the pain eventually went away and I can turn my head in both directions without pain. Also, Dr. Sodhi read this report on betulinic acid which is extracted from the birch tree bark. So far, the studies show its effectiveness with melanoma but since its non-toxic to healthy cells, Dr. Sodhi would like to put me on it. He will be looking into how to get a good extract and whom to get it from. In the mean time, he wants me to start taking/using xylitol surgar since its extracted from the birch tree. Its also naturally low-glycemic so it won't raise my blood surgar and get the cancer metabolizing. Its good for people living with diabetes. We are not sure it will be effectively anti-cancer for me, but since its low-glycemic and non-toxic, it can do no harm and maybe be advantageous. Dr. Sodhi then did his exam and sent me on my late way to Dr. Sytman.

So much for being late. My appointment was for noon but it was 12:55 before I was called from the waiting room. I was weighed and found I had broke 200 lbs. But I also had my shoes on! My bp was 130/70. Dr Sytam did his exam and felt everything was looking great. He said the pericardial rub and inflamation he found before Christsmas was gone and that my bp at normal breath and at deep breath was consistent with each other. We reviewed the results of the PET scan and then discussed what Dr. Chen planned. Dr. Sytman said it was possible that the treatments could be successful enough to help the body drain the fluid buildup away itself and not have to tap it. But he also warned it may not if the buildup is too much. So after doing a couple of tests, he told not to come back until I felt I needed too or things change. He also is having me taper off the celebrex. I finally got out of there at about 2:45. Boy its slow there!

So now I will be looking to go back to Tijuana to the Biomedical Clinic and checkin with Dr. Trujillo to discuss these PET scan results with him. I am due for the 3 month checkup and I could use another bottle of the Hoxsey Tonic. Beth and I will head down the last week of the month and keep it to just a 3 day adventure. I plan to stay at the same hotel in San Ysidro and take the shuttle into Mexico. I just wish my diet tolerated authentic Mexican food!

Here's to another cheer for the progress seen on the last PET scan...