More Test Results

I had blood work done this morning.  Everything came back looking good, especially my creatinine level: 0.97.  That's the lowest it's been in years.

I also had a kidney scan yesterday.  It was pretty cool because I could watch it in real time.  They injected me with a lot of fluids with radioactive isotopes.  I could watch my kidneys fill with fluid and then watch the fluid leave the kidneys and fill the bladder.  I read the results and it read very positive.  I haven't heard from any of my doctors about their interpretation.  Here's what I read:

History: 56 year-old male with a history of left renal obstruction secondary to lymphoma involving the left perinephric region diagnosed in June 2015, with proximal left ureteral narrowing demonstrated on cystoscopy and ureteroscopy, followed by left 
ureteral stent placement and subsequent removal; assess relative renal perfusion and function and assess for obstruction

Comparison: CT scan of the chest, abdomen and pelvis 8/24/2015

Technique: A flow study was performed following intravenous administration of the dose. Sequential images were then obtained for 30 minutes. Time-activity curves were generated from background-corrected renal regions of interest.

The patient was injected with 40 mg of furosemide intravenously, and an additional 30 minutes of imaging was performed.
Wash-out curves were then generated from background-corrected renal regions of interest.

Findings: The flow study demonstrates minimally delayed, but symmetrical perfusion to both kidneys, which appear normal in size. Serial static images demonstrate prompt initial uptake bilaterally, with normal tubular transit time and prompt excretion 
into the bladder. There is only minimally prominent uptake of the calyces and right renal pelvis, with visualization of activity within both ureters, and with progressive partial clearance of activity from the upper collecting systems bilaterally 
throughout the remainder the baseline study. Further partial clearance is noted on an upright post-void image. Quantitative analysis demonstrates no significant asymmetry in renal function. Post-diuretic images demonstrate prompt clearance of remaining 
activity from the upper collecting systems bilaterally, with normal clearance half-times from the left and right kidneys of 9.2 minutes and 5.8 minutes, respectively. These values are valid, despite the fact that the patient was unable to tolerate the 
entire diuretic imaging sequence. There is minimal cortical activity bilaterally remaining at the conclusion of the study.

IMPRESSION: There is essentially normal renal perfusion and function bilaterally, as described above, without significant asymmetry noted. There is minimal prominence of the upper collecting systems initially, but there is no evidence of significant 
drainage impairment on either side. See above.
***Final Report***

Treatment with a twist

Since my bladder is no longer calling the shots, I decided to shake things up. Sunday I drove to Ingleside. Sorry,  Melissa, I didn't have time to stop by CHH. I spent the night at  Bob & Holly's.  Monday I went to work with Bob and met his staff. I drove into the city and spent the night at my favorite Botel.
I'm in middle of my 4th (out of 6) treatment. Dr. Ma just left. She had some good news:

• My blood work came back normal. The creatinine was 1.08.  With the stent being out, this is great! It means the kidney (s) are functioning well. Hopefully tomorrow's renal scan will prove the same. 
• The fluid drained from my lung last week came back fine. No malignancy! Even though there was a small amount of malignancy in the fluid from the first drainage, it's good to hear there is none, now. 

From today's x-ray, there was a small amount of fluid around the left lung. Bummer. Dr. Ma isn't too concerned. 

Marathon Tuesday

Thanks to Tim for getting me to the train station Tuesday morning.  Thanks to Barb for not only getting me home Tuesday night, but didn't complain as we went floor to floor getting all the procedures done.  The drive home took longer than expected.  A semi turned over on I 55 so it took over two hours to get from the hospital to the Lemont exit.
I'm not sure anyone has noticed, but the names of the people I've thanked for transportation is different each time. I'm very blessed for the family and friends that have helped us out.
I've read all of the written reports from yesterday, but hoping I can talk to Dr. Ma or Andrea to get a true interpretation.  Here's what I can tell you about yesterday:

1. 8th Floor.  They, Dr. Gillespie, his fellow (did all the work), and a nurse, drained another 1.9 Liters of fluid from around the left lung.  Barb and a medical sales rep watched.  Everyone was surprised when I told them I had no symptoms, shortness of breath, dizziness...  After the drainage, I had one symptom, sharp left sided chest pain on each deep inhalation.  The Dr. told me to expect that for a few days.  The left lung hasn't fully expanded in months and now that it is, it's crashing into the chest wall when it's been used to being "cushioned" by the fluid.  I couldn't lay flat last night so I slept in the Lazy Boy.  The chest pain isn't nearly as bad as last night, so it is improving.  Not sure where I'll sleep though.
2. 4th Floor.  Chest x-ray.  They'll compare that to a chest x-ray I'll take next week.  Hopefully it will look the same.  If the fluid returns, then another drainage.
3. 21st Floor.  Blood work.  From what I can interpret, everything is normal
4. 19th Floor.  Echo cardiogram.  Again, from what I read, everything looked normal.  If the Docs agree, then no adjustments will be made to the chemo regimen.
5. 20th Floor.  THE STENT WAS REMOVED!!!!  They were an hour late getting me back there.  The procedure took less than 2 minutes, but it was 2 minutes from Hell.  He placed his scope in my bladder, found the stent and pulled it out.  It was at this point I screamed like a (sorry, sexist comment) school girl.  He asked me if I wanted to see it and I of course said no.  I'm convinced it looked like a spiked dog collar.  Since its removal, I'm a new man.  Since I've had this in, I was warned that I would have "frequent & urgent" urination.  I'm not sure if there are adjectives that better describe my frequency and urgency.  But now... I walked around the block tonight for the first time in months!  I see golf, and mowing, and many other things I haven't done in months in my very near future.

September

Every cause has its month and every month has causes.  Guess what September is?

The Illini are not a a cause, YET.  I still have high hopes for basketball and golf.

I have extra Lymphoma car/refrigerator magnets if you're interested.