July 22, 2025 – Saw all of the doctors

Apparently the chemo is working.  The sign is that the lymph nodes that took on some of the cancer are showing signs of improving.  Therefore we will be continuing with the treatments.  It is two weeks every Monday and then one week off.

Unfortunately the stent is still there.  It was replaced a couple of weeks ago and will have to be replaced in three months.  I hate this because it means a day of prep and going under anesthesia even though the procedure takes less than 5 minutes.  It is two hours of recovery time for me.  The stent has to be replaced because calcium builds up around it and can cause a blockage.  This is a real bummer. The infamous pictures from the urologist surgeon were nothing special

As for the potential renal carcinoma, the treatment is likely to be external beam radiation.  There is no huge rush on this because the mass has not changed in many months and maybe even years.  Doctors have a rule of thumb that for masses equal to or less than 35 mm the treatment is watchful waiting.  Mine is 35 mm and has been for a while, so we will be watching it.  The good news is that it can be watched with CT Scans without using contrast.  The problem with contrast is that it is really hard on the kidneys.  My upcoming lung CT scan is with contrast.

I still have my cough.  It isn’t really bad but it is annoying.  I’ve finished the antibiotics and have tried (Unsuccessfully) decongestants.  They just don’t work anymore!

That’s it for now…

Les