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In the absence of a tumor mass to inject, there is no precedent for this, but there are<br />
certainly tumor cells in the area. In fact, I may be feeling another mass in the area of<br />
tumor resection. Is this good news? They will have something to inject. Or bad news?<br />
Rapid tumor growth.<br />
Posted by docshu at 11:15AM (-07:00)<br />
<strong>My</strong> Visit <strong>with</strong> Dr Nghiem<br />
Saturday, July 24, 2010<br />
Sunday, June 20 2010.<br />
We are back in Fresno from our cruise. I must admit that it was not entirely successful in<br />
distracting me from thinking about my condition. I think the tumor is already growing at<br />
the surgical site, only 2 1/2 weeks since it was removed.<br />
I am busy getting material together for Seattle.<br />
Tomorrow, I will visit Dr Teitelbaum and Dr Tashjian to get copies of my records. I will<br />
also visit Dr Flam and have a 2 hour appointment <strong>with</strong> Dr. Mahdu John, who will be my<br />
radiation oncologist in Fresno. I will try to find out about the off label use of Beta<br />
Interferon and whether my insurance will cover it.<br />
I have a dentist appointment for a tooth cleaning and to get a prescription toothpaste to<br />
preserve my teeth during the radiation.<br />
Tuesday June 22, 2010.<br />
Yesterday was spent getting ready for the trip to Seattle. I have everything needed but<br />
quite disorganized. I will try to get it organized today.<br />
Radiation will be no fun. It is likely to last 7 weeks. They make a mask which looks like a<br />
Fencer’s mask to hold you still. I hope it does not make me claustrophobic.<br />
The most likely problems are skin burn, dry mouth from loss of parotid and<br />
submandibular gland function, loss of sense of taste, difficulty swallowing and<br />
hoarseness. The issue of damage to the mandible is reduced by their modern devices.<br />
There is also general malaise, fatigue and loss of appetite.<br />
I have arranged <strong>with</strong> Kaiser to work when I can.<br />
Treatment planning takes a week so I will not start treatment until July 6, exactly two<br />
months from the date I discovered the initial mass.<br />
Friday, June 25, 2010.<br />
We flew to Seattle on Tuesday evening and arrived at our lodging just before midnight.<br />
We stayed at a place called SCCA house. This is a residence which has been developed<br />
for cancer patients and many of the residents stayed for a fair length of time during<br />
treatment. The setup was very nice. Although rather Spartan, we had a nice room <strong>with</strong><br />
queen bed, a separate area for a caregiver if needed, microwave, smaller for greater,<br />
<strong>My</strong> <strong>Battle</strong> <strong>with</strong> <strong>Merkel</strong> <strong>Cell</strong> <strong>Cancer</strong><br />
15
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