Off to see the wizard
Tomorrow will be spent in Cleveland at Cleveland Clinic. I'm scheduled for bloodwork, scans, and appointments with Dr G and nurse Shari. I'm grateful that we can get an interpretation of the scans while we're there.
When taking Sutent I had approximately 24% shrinkage of my tumors, and this on only partial doses between September and December; too bad about the almost-dying-of-internal-bleeding part, huh. On Nexavar, the results have been steady if not quite so spectacular; 15% and 10% shrinkage on the two scans so far. At least now I'm up to and tolerating well the half-dose of the medication, and we'll see if that makes any difference. Perhaps this scan will show whether or not the largest tumor is necrotic, as Dr G suspects.
Clinical researchers have an interesting view of shrinkage: it has to measure at 30% for most of them to feel that things are going the way they should. Dr G is happy to see shrinkage in any degree. I love his attitude - he says "I don't treat kidney cancer, I treat patients who happen to have kidney cancer." From all I've heard, that isn't the normal view of things for most of these guys! I've been very fortunate to have doctors with an overtly "patients first" attitude; not sure I could stand anything else. And I don't know that doctors with other views would stand having me for a patient, so I guess we're all even. (Note to self: how much continued progress can be made when measured in percentages of something? Is it to total reduction, or only to the point that nothing can be measured further? And that may be one and the same thing ...)
Ohio is providing its very worst summer weather now - hot, humid, hazy, rainy. I think it's too early for this; but we lucked out with June so I guess I won't complain too much.
When taking Sutent I had approximately 24% shrinkage of my tumors, and this on only partial doses between September and December; too bad about the almost-dying-of-internal-bleeding part, huh. On Nexavar, the results have been steady if not quite so spectacular; 15% and 10% shrinkage on the two scans so far. At least now I'm up to and tolerating well the half-dose of the medication, and we'll see if that makes any difference. Perhaps this scan will show whether or not the largest tumor is necrotic, as Dr G suspects.
Clinical researchers have an interesting view of shrinkage: it has to measure at 30% for most of them to feel that things are going the way they should. Dr G is happy to see shrinkage in any degree. I love his attitude - he says "I don't treat kidney cancer, I treat patients who happen to have kidney cancer." From all I've heard, that isn't the normal view of things for most of these guys! I've been very fortunate to have doctors with an overtly "patients first" attitude; not sure I could stand anything else. And I don't know that doctors with other views would stand having me for a patient, so I guess we're all even. (Note to self: how much continued progress can be made when measured in percentages of something? Is it to total reduction, or only to the point that nothing can be measured further? And that may be one and the same thing ...)
Ohio is providing its very worst summer weather now - hot, humid, hazy, rainy. I think it's too early for this; but we lucked out with June so I guess I won't complain too much.
Labels: doctors
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