Mesothelioma Cancer Awareness

A message from our friends at http://www.asbestos.com/


Mesothelioma is a rare and aggressive cancer. One of the primary mesothelioma causes is asbestos exposure. The cancer develops in the mesothelium, a protective membrane that lines three body cavities: the thoracic cavity (pleura), abdominal cavity (peritoneum) and the heart sac (pericardium).

A mesothelioma patient’s prognosis, or the probable course and outcome of a disease’s influence on the body, is influenced by numerous factors. Since a mesothelioma diagnosis often occurs once the cancer has progressed to later stages of development, prognosis is typically poor. However if a patient is diagnosed before the cancer has spread or elects to undergo treatment to combat the cancer, their prognosis may improve.
Asbestos is a naturally occurring toxic mineral that was commonly used throughout the 20th century in thousands of products and many industries. Asbestos is naturally resistant to heat and fire, making it ideal for use in insulation. The mineral was often used in insulation and the fine, flexible fibers were frequently mixed with cement and woven into fabrics. Exposure to asbestos can result in the development of serious illnesses such as malignant mesothelioma, lung cancer and asbestosis.







Monday, November 2, 2009

The radiation has been going on as planned. With the exception of 2 times they had to cancel my appointment because there was some trouble with the machine, I have completed 8 treatments so far.

After my first week of treatment my back had started to really hurt. When I talked to the doctor last Monday she gave me some pain medication. We talked about ways that could probably help the pain so we agreed that I should start taking some anti-flammatory pills and see how it goes. After all that was said and done she casually mentioned "Oh, yeah, I forgot to tell you that we found a spot in your right lung, it's really small, about 4mm, but we should look at it to make sure that everything is still OK.” I was devastated...

She said that she would compare my X-Ray with my previous CAT scan and see if the "spot" was something that pre-existed. It could be something completely innocent, like traces of a bad bronchitis that I had at some point etc. or something that would completely change things around, like a metastasis.

I spent an agonizing week, (no one called to give me an update or anything), thinking about all the different scenarios, and preparing my self for the worst. My Dr.’s appointments are usually on Mondays, so today was the day I was finally going to find out.

After my regular treatment was done a nurse took my vitals and led me to the Dr.'s office. A few minutes later a guy I had never seen before walked in. "Hello, I'm Dr. So and So", I didn't really catch his name. I thought "uh,oh they sent someone else to give me that bad news" but I didn't say anything. He started talking to me about the general side effects of radiation and such, which I found rather peculiar. I had been told all this before, several times as a matter of fact, what's the deal here? Soon after the Dr. finished all he had to say he asked politely "Do you have any questions?" Brian and I looked at each other. You have got to be kidding me!

I said "Dr. Leavik mentioned last week that she had noticed a spot in my right lung. She was supposed to compare the new X-Rays with my CAT scan and let me know..."
I saw his eyes twitch a little bit and he quickly looked down on the folder that was on his lap and started shifting all the papers around. "Uuuuh, I don't see anything here about that...How about I go find your scans and I'll cal you back later this afternoon. I’m really sorry!"

We thanked him and walked out of there pretty frustrated. Not only they hadn't called me, letting me stew on this for an entire week, but when I finally come this week, they act as if nothing had happened!

I'm grateful to that new Dr. that obviously felt really bad about this whole mess and looked into my file right away. He called me not once but twice! The first time to say that the "spot" pre-existed, so he's certain it's nothing serious, and the second time to tell me that the anti-flammatory the other Dr. told me to take, could cause nausea (which I had felt all of last week and couldn’t figure out why) stomach ulcers, and if combined with the Coumadin that I already take, it could cause serious bleeding!

I'm very relieved to hear that the cancer hasn't metastasized to my lung, and I'm glad that other doctor was decent enough to care and let me know, but I'm still very frustrated with my doctor! I think I'll call my oncologist. I want to see what he thinks about all this.

Well, other than that I’ve been feeling OK, compared to how I felt during chemo. I get pretty tired, especially in the afternoon, exactly how they said I would. I usually take a 2 hour nap and then I feel tired again around 11:00. I go to bed early so I wake up early. Not bad.

My chest has started to get a little red and I feel a little tingling and pain every now and then, but nothing serious so far.I get hot flashes and I sweat a lot but then get really cold within seconds. I feel dizzy and nauseous sometimes. Sounds like loads of fun, doesn't it? ;-)

I’m on week 3 and I really can’t wait to be done. There are so many things that I would like to do when this is all over. My list keeps growing. Will I have time?