Day 94, Year 7: Mark Meets His Cape Oncologist
Date: Friday, February 10, 2012
Weather: Sunny and Beautiful with Temps in the High 30’s
Location: Brewer Fiddler’s Cove Marina, N Falmouth, MA
Today was all about meeting Mark’s oncologist here on the Cape. We thought we were meeting a man named Dr. Aviles. But when we arrived we were told that we were meeting with his colleague, a woman named Dr. Crook. When we got home from our last appointment at Mass General where we met Mark’s Boston oncologist, Dr. Kwak, our daughter exclaimed, “Oh my. My father has a silly (Dr. Sylla), a quack (Dr. Kwak), and a cutie (Dr. Cutie) for doctors at Mass General. And now we can add a crook (Dr. Crook). I’m certain she is not a crook, Dr. Sylla, our hero surgeon, is certainly not silly, and Dr. Kwak is certainly not a quack. Dr. Cutie, Mark’s urologist, is a nice looking man, but cute is not a word that I would use to describe him. But even Dr. Crook had to admit that she just has to meet a doctor named Dr. Cutie. Dr. Crook has worked with Dr. Kwak, Mark’s oncologist at Mass General, and has had patients who told her that they really messed up by calling her Dr. Quack (should be pronounced as Kw-ock). Dr. Crook rounds out Mark’s colon cancer team of all female doctors. At first we were hesitant to accept anyone but Dr. Aviles, but after spending two hours talking to Dr. Crook, she won us over. And by the way, her father was a lawyer and she assures us that having a ‘crook’ for a doctor is better than having a ‘crook’ for a lawyer! Note: I’m having a little fun here with the names, but believe me, we are eternally grateful to our team of doctors that have brought Mark through to this point.
Mark will have a blood test early on Monday morning and if the results show that the anemia is under control, the chemo treatments will begin on Tuesday, February 21. They will then continue every 14 days for almost six months. After the first treatment, his following visits will be on Mondays. He will get three drugs infused during the three hour treatment and then leave with a box in a fanny pack with a tube running into the port that will be implanted in his chest. The box will continue to infuse one of the three drugs over the next 48 hours. Then the company that supplies the “box” will come to us and remove it and the tube running into the port. Dr. Crook says that the drugs used in chemo treatment for colon cancer are “kinder” than most chemo drugs and she doesn’t anticipate many of the problems that we confronted her with. Mark’s hair might thin, but he will not lose it. He has to be careful about being around people with infections, but he can certainly still lead a normal life and be around the grandchildren unless they have a fever. There will be fatigue that is cumulative and there will probably be a side effect called peripheral neuropathy. One of the drugs in Mark’s regimen is Oxaliplatin and it causes the problem. It can cause tingling fingertips and numbness in the bottom of the feet. If the numbness in the feet continues, they actually stop the chemo treatments early to try and avoid permanent damage. Dr. Crook says if Mark is meticulous with hand washing and the use of hand sanitizers, the risk of infection from others is low and that he should be able to continue life as usual. After all is said and done, there will still be a 30 per cent chance of the cancer reoccurring in the first five years. The odds aren’t what we would like, but it is what it is. Being in good physical shape plays a large part in the outcome, so daily exercise and a healthy diet will become the rule on Windbird.
It is a relief to know when the treatments will begin and end. Now we just have to focus on the upcoming surgery on Monday. After fasting overnight, we will go to the hospital here at 7 am for a blood test and then head to Boston for surgery. We have to be there by 11 am. Dr. Cutie will perform a TURP (Transurethral Resection of the Prostate). Mark will be in the hospital overnight and on Tuesday we will find out if the procedure worked. This is a laser procedure that trims away excess prostate tissue that might be blocking urine flow. If the procedure is a success, Mark will no longer have to self-catheterize. He has high hopes for his Valentine’s Day present this year, so stay tuned on that one.
