Entry 73
Greetings! Just wanted to give you an update on a change in the direction of my prostate cancer treatment.
As you may recall back in July of last summer a CT Scan and Bone Scan detected the prostate cancer had migrated into the pelvic bone of my left hip. Shortly after, the spot was radiated at Health Sciences Centre and it seemed to address the problem.
Unfortunately, another CT Scan and Bone Scan in mid November found that the cancer had returned. Once again, cancer showed in the left hip and once again it was immediately radiated at the Health Sciences Centre.
The second set of scans also picked up additional small lesions in the pelvic bone structure. Early stages, but nevertheless, it calls into question the continued efficacy of the medication I am on.
Statue of the angel polar bear looking in the window toward the Hematology Lab of Cancer Care
So where do we go from here?
As of this week Dr Saranchuk, my urologist for the past 11 years has handed me over to the Medical Oncology department at Cancer Care. That just occurred a couple of days ago so nothing has happened as yet. That Oncologist, when appointed will take over my treatment in its entirety, both medication and radiology.
With that in mind and in discussions with Margaret, Dana and Tom, we thought it prudent to scale back our Christmas interactions to immediate family only. This is a shame but in light of the potential impact of the Omicron variant of Covid, probably for the best.
I have been reminded that my immune system is under stress and I should be careful. Several times a week, I've been keeping fit with walks in the ~4 km range along with stretching and weight bearing exercises for about 50 minutes at a time.
I'd like to take this opportunity to thank Dr. Saranchuk and all the staff at the Prostate Centre in Cancer Care who have been instrumental in maintaining my health since prostate cancer was diagnosed eleven years ago. Dr. Saranchuk has been a very caring and skillful professional in this part of my experience from the original prostatectomy in 2010 until I transition to the Oncology team in January, 2022.
