Andy

Dressing Removed

I had my appointment today as planned with Dr. Rogers at Hopkins. I was scheduled for 3:00 and got in at about 4:30. The wait was pretty brutal given that I only sit up for short periods right now. We just walked in the door at about 6:20. Now for the update.

The dressing was removed as planned, which was essentially just a peeling of the plastic bandage. I could have done this part at home, but this gave Dr. Rogers the chance to look over the incision, which is healing normally. I also received a copy of the biopsy but of course had already read it and posted it here. I was hoping to learn more about this but I am coming out with exactly the same information with which I went in unfortunately. To review, I have testicular cancer of the seminoma type and only of that type.

So, what's next? I get followup bloodwork next Thursday and a CT scan on the 3rd of March to determine whether or not the relevant beta HCG marker is back to normal. The CT scan will be reviewed at a followup appointment on the same day. I am also being scheduled to see a radiation oncologist in the interim so that I can be briefed on the process of radiation therapy, which, if the marker has returned to normal, will progress thereafter for 2 to 3 weeks as often as every day or as few as several times per week. If my marker has not returned to normal we will then have to explore the possibility of chemotherapy or further surgery, as that would be an indication that the tumor had metastasized into an area like the lungs or brain.

My efforts to obtain even the limited information presented here could be likened to the pulling of teeth, so I have little sense of what is anticipated regarding my beta HCG level. I get a slight indication that a positive marker would at this time be unexpected, but at the same time the words really and very high have been used each time the marker level has been discussed. (For the record, my beta HCG level is 290. It should be undetectable.) It turned out that the tumor size was largely irrelevant, but I do not know about marker levels. If any of you have experience with this, please give me some indication. It's a frightening thing to have a really high marker indicated. I wish this guy was a bit more informative and up-front with his information, that's for sure.

I am totally out of gas, but I am also really proud of myself, because I had a moment just after the appointment that, to use a tired sports metaphor, you might call "gut check time," and I passed it at a time that I think almost everyone would fail. This surgery has me stretched thinner than a wire (my legs are shaking as I write this), and the appointments and attached waits are much akin to repeated blows to the abdomen while stretched out on a rack, but I am going to find enough to get through all of the followup treatments, even if that means I have to go to Hopkins every day. It's just going to happen. All of you are helping me through it.

Thank you.