Last week I had a CT scan and appointment with my oncologist at Hopkins. Good news - my tumor has shrunk slightly and there are no new ones, the four rounds of chemo in September and October seem to have been effective. The bad news is that he suggested that I do 8-12 more rounds, though he did recommend a 20% lower dose. But ugh, nevertheless.

So in the new tradition of shopping for a "yes", I went to see my local oncologist, Dr. Wadlow, who oversees my chemo treatments. Dr. Wadlow, as I have mentioned before is heir to Drs. Ben Casey and Kildaire in charisma and compassion, so I was hoping for a more palatable recommendation. And I got it; he suggested that I move to oral chemotherapy, with a daily dose of Xeloda, which is one of the four nasty concoctions that I've been taking in the previous chemo sessions. He is concerned that the Folfirinox (the acronym for all four drugs) treatments have been taking too much of a toll on my body in terms of neuropathy, bone marrow depletion, etc, not to mention making me a depressed and crabby old fart.

So, on Monday I will start with Xeloda. It has possible side effects, too: fatigue, mouth sores, hand irritation, and diarrhea, to name just a few. But still it should be much easier than Folfirinox. So, I am relieved and feeling positive about going forward. In fact I feel better today than I have since August. With luck the side effects will be minimal, and I can manage this indefinitely. Stay tuned, and a Happy Thanksgiving to you all! We have much to be thankful for.