Update

I will be starting Radiation Treatments tomorrow morning, so that means I'll be done before Christmas.  I may sail through without any immediate side effects, but can expect some nausea and fatigue.   Hmmm. Sounds like Chemo.  In fact, it sounds like the side effects of just about everything medical, doesn't it? In the meantime, I've been generally feeling so much better!  I'm out and about more, so my attitude is more positive.  I have hardly any nausea and I'm starting to recover from the fatigue from the Chemotherapy.  I still have some neuropathy (numbness and pain in feet and legs) from the Chemotherapy, but it could decrease or go away as time goes on.  I am still dealing with back pain, but at least I have a bit more clarity about what is causing it.  I've had some MRIs and a couple of visits with an Orthopedic doctor.  I'll have a few sessions of Physical Therapy to help me with exercises etc.  The doctor feels that mid-back...

   I finished chemo and had a CT scan done at the end of October. I was disappointed to learn that the bile duct tumor in my liver is still the size of a tennis ball - about 7cm X 6cm. It shrank about 1 cm during the first half of the chemo treatments, but didn't change at all during the second half.  For that reason, the Medical Oncologist said that there is no reason to repeat that particular chemotherapy again. Not disappointed about that part AT ALL! Yesterday, we went to see a Radiation Oncologist at Rush University in Chicago.  He examined that CT scan and surprised us by telling us that I CAN have radiation!  We really did not expect him to say that! It is called IMRT, a highly focused radiation treatment that delivers high doses of radiation and is less likely to damage surrounding tissue.  To learn more, fellow-NERDS can click here .  Since the tumor is still in close proximity to major blood vessels and the main branch of the bile duct, the d...