And my results are in - meeting with my doc Tuesday

So, I had my first scans since starting IPI/NIVO (CT and MR on Friday) and the results hit my patient portal early this morning. I am trying to fight off a nasty summer cold that my son shared with me, so I was conveniently awake at 3:30AM when I got the email from Mayo. Of course, I couldn't stop myself from taking a peak. Now I know that my cancer grew very rapidly over a short two-month period after my surgery - a 2.9cm tumor appeared in my lung that wasn't on that CT right before surgery.  I also have a tumor in the back of my thigh that grew and had continued to grow the first two months of my immunotherapy. About 3 weeks ago (right before my 4th combo infusion) I noticed a significant improvement in my well-being - it was easier to breathe, pain was almost completely gone, and that darn tumor in my thigh, which started out like a marble and got as big as a baseball shrank back down to the size a shooter marble.  So, I could tell that things were working.  My doctor however, warned me that the results of this scan may not be in line with the progress I am feeling as things had worsened since the June scans before things started to improve.

So, the results were both good news and not so great news. The cancer has not spread to other organs and no new mets or nodules have formed - that is GREAT news!  My blood clots also appear to be resolved. The not so great news is that the largest tumor in my lung that was 2.9cm in June is now 3.9cm. The tumor in my leg, while I know it is smaller as it had grown so much, had changed in shape and is no longer a ball but has a protrusion which formed after the needle biopsy. Those are the highlights that I could decipher.

I am going to focus on the positives as I have never received positive news on any of my previous scans - it was like one nightmare after another last time. The glass is definitely half full for me. Of course, I will wait to make my official determination until AFTER my doctor actually reviews them with me (Googling all of the medical terminology at 3:30AM is not an adequate replacement for my oncologist). Getting scans on Friday afternoon coming into a long weekend is probably not the best time to get them done ... but this nasty cold has helped distract me.

Anyway - thank you to my fellow cancer peeps on this board. I appreciate all of the support and prayers. I have been reading about the recent losses which has been hard. I have also been reading about all of the amazing stories of survival. My journey is far from over and I am determined to outlive my prognosis ... God willing ... by many years.