Tackling the Pyrenees

So I met with my second oncologist, Dr. Figeroa today. I learned that my tumor has caused a bit of controversy because there has been some disagreement on the diagnosis. Dr. Figeroa states that for the most part my tumor is a grade II Astrocytoma, but that there was an independent pathologist who presented my case as exhibiting characteristics of a grade III Astrocytoma. As a result, my pathology was sent off to the Mayo Clinic for further analysis and confirmation. The course of treatment will remain the same regardless of the diagnosis, so there hasn't been too much change there.

I went in this morning to get fitted for my radiation mask which will make even the most sane person crazy. The mask is a piece of plastic that is heated to 150 degrees and then removed to cool just long enough to be smashed over my face to allow for absolutely no movement of my head during radiation treatment. I'm not claustrophobic, but I had to talk myself down off a ledge this morning because I could feel my heart rate rising quickly and I wanted so badly to scream for someone to come take the mask off. It took about 5 minutes but I finally got my breathing under control and was able to "find my happy place". Thankfully I will only spend a max time of 15-30 minutes in that mask a day.

I was very happy to receive a release for returning to work because I am not the type of person to sit and wait and I'd like to maintain as much of a sense of normalcy during this process as I most possibly can. A lot of it will be dependent on my response to chemotherapy and radiation, but Dr. Figeroa was very optimistic about minimal side effects with the chemo. He informed me that this version of chemo is the only version available that can cross the blood brain barrier and so it is effective in treating brain tumors and certain brain cancers. He also informed me that it is very well tolerated (10 years ago I would have a much worse prognosis because chemotherapy was ineffective at treating my condition due to its inability to cross the blood brain barrier). I received a slew of prescriptions today and will require weekly blood draws to monitor my response to the chemotherapy and radiation. I will receive a very low dose of chemotherapy for 6 weeks while on radiation and then once radiation is completed, I will require an additional 6 months of chemotherapy alone to hopefully further stabilize my condition and improve my longevity. Along with the chemotherapy scans, I will require MRIs every 3 months for 2 years and then the frequency will be reduced after that time until the 5 year point. Once I make it to the 5 year mark I will most likely receive a clean bill of health. I have done  a lot of processing over the past few days and I am beginning to come to terms with my condition and recognize that this is just another hurdle to be cleared. I'm ready to fight the good fight and look forward to putting this behind me so I can move on with my life and get back to running marathons and triathlons.