July 4 - First appointment with oncologists

On Tuesday, July 2 my dad met with the oncologist specializing in his radiation (Dr. Doll) and then yesterday, July 3, my dad met with the oncologist specializing in his chemotherapy (Dr. Lipichuk).  Here is information that they gave him:

• his cancer is likely quite an aggressive cancer
• he will be getting a number of tests in the next few weeks, including an MRI (July 16), a PET scan (July 31), and bloodwork
• he is meeting with Dr. Datta next week to determine when he can begin radiation and chemo.  Also, there is still cancer left in my dad and one of the oncologists wondered about the possibility of another surgery to remove more cancer.  My dad will ask Dr. Datta about this, but we all remember Dr. Datta already telling us that he took out everything he could, so we don't think another surgery is likely at this point
• the increased pain my dad has been feeling in his butt the past week or so could be cancer returning.  If the pain increases at all before his appointment with Dr. Datta, he is supposed to go to the Emergency Room at the Peter Lougheed hospital.  
•  radiation could start within the next month or so.  It will involve getting to the hospital Monday to Friday for five or six weeks for radiation treatment (and low dose chemo).  Unless my dad is up to driving at that point, he will definitely need help getting to and from the hospital. 
• radiation will be followed by four months of chemotherapy.  This will involve a day surgery where a line will be inserted into the artery closest to my dad's heart and then the chemo will be injected through that line.  Chemo varies quite a bit depending on the cancer.  The chemo-therapies used for bowel/colon cancer tend to have less intense side effects than those used to treat many other cancers (like breast cancer).  However, because of complications with Crohn's disease, the doctor told my dad that chemo will probably hit him harder than the average patient.  No one handles pain or suffering better than my dad though, so I won't be surprised if he surprises the doctors. 

My dad is feeling okay these days.  He told me that he isn't thinking much about the big picture, but rather is very focused on his immediate goal, which is to gain weight.  He has to do this by eating a very high fat, low sugar diet.  Sugar speeds up his ostomy output and then he can't put on as much weight.  I'm sure I'm not the only one who wishes that increased sugar intake helped me lose weight. Life is full of irony.

Papa John and Grammy Barb with their 11 grandkids last summer.  

Now they have one more and another one on the way.