On to Plan B

Hi all! Well it has been a pretty uneventful few weeks! Dad has been feeling really great and been getting out on the golf course alot. It has been so hot in Arizona though I don't know how he doesn't melt to death.

Him and I also went shooting (or as Dad likes to say.."pop some caps") last week which was so much fun! He hadn't shot a gun since he was in the Navy but let me tell ya, Dad still has it!

Yesterday was CT Scan day. We were all wondering if the dye he has to drink before would taste as bad since he isn't getting as nauseous...well it still tastes terrible haha dangit.

Today we met with Dr. K to review the results of the Scan...here are the deets:

• The main lung tumor shrunk 2mm...not as significant as last time, but progress is progress.
• There are what the call "satellite nodules" or lesions appearing in the upper left lung near the main tumor. They are about the size of a piece of rice and they aren't sure if they are related to the cancer or if they are signs of an infection. Dr. K said Valley Fever was a possibility so he got tested for that today. We cant biopsy them because they are so small so it is more of a waiting game to see if they change.
• The tumor (actually we aren't completely sure its a tumor, the report says metastasis so we will go with that) on the adrenal gland grew from 1.3x1.1 cm to 3.0x2.3 cm. This was a big concern for Dr. K obviously so he said no chemo for Dad today. Dad will get a biopsy done over labor day weekend and since Avastin (chemo drug) promotes bleeding Dr. K wants it out of Dads system for a month. 
• His labs look really good with the exception of an elevated white blood cell count which means his body is fighting something!

So what now? Well when they do the biopsy they will test for the lung cancer gene to see if it is related to the lung cancer. If it isn't, they will start a new chemo plan that will hopefully work better.  He also let us know of a few other options including two oral drugs and an experimental study that has proved great success at TGen (Translational Genomics Research Institute). Radiation isn't an option because Dad needs whats called systemic treatment which means treatment that targets the whole body, not just one location which radiation does. We are also going to start scanning every 2 months instead of 3 so we can see change without it being too early or too long.

As of right now Dad is scheduled for the biopsy on the 3rd (yes that is labor day, yes they are closed, yes that date might just have to change) and meeting with Dr. K on the 14th to figure out what plan B is! 

Everyone, especially Dad, is doing well. We have a TON of hope and faith in Dad's team and know they are providing the absolute best care they can! All we can do is take it one day at a time and keep doing all that we have been doing! Please keep Dad and his medical team in your prayers, and if you have time leave him some sugar below :) We will keep you updated, have a great week!