Today we spent 2 1/2 hours at OHSU. We first talked to a "Fellow Doctor" of Dr. Chui's. He said there was a significant change in the tumor from last November. It is growing down around Curt's carotid artery and up towards his brain. If it continued to grow unchecked into the brain, Curt could have symptoms of meningitis (stiff neck, sensitivity to light, confusion, etc.). Growing around the carotid artery could lead to serious bleeding. They said we could go to Illinois, but if he has any of these symptoms, he might have to go to emergency and we should to return to Oregon as soon as possible. They said he would probably feel more pain now, if they hadn't removed so many nerves during his operations. To be safe, Dr. Chui gave Curt a prescription for more oxcodone. The "good news" is that they think there is more than a 50% chance they can shrink the tumor with strong doses of chemotherapy. However, they cannot get rid of the tumor completely. They want to get started as soon as we return from Illinois (he will start on Friday, May 22). They will use 2 drugs (Cisplatin and Taxotere) one day every 3 weeks for a total of 6 treatments (depending on how things go). After the first treatment through a vein in his arm, he will have a port inserted in his chest for further treatments and blood draws. The veins in the arms are destroyed after a treatment. He will take a steroid pill the day before and have a Neupogen shot (against infection) 24-48 hours after the treatment. We will only have to go to Portland the day of the treatment (when it is early in the morning, we will probably stay at Angie's the night before). They are going to see if Curt can get the shot the day after in Corvallis. He will gradually feel worse for 4 to 10 days after the treatment and then gradually feel better. There are lots of possible side effects he could have, but everyone is different. Because Curt is in good shape, there might not be as many side effects. He can be as active as he feels like. After a couple treatments, they will do another MRI to see if the tumor is shrinking. They think he will have fast relief from the headache pain he is having now after the first treatment. They would like for us to take a class there about chemotherapy, before he starts but there is not enough time. We spent quite a bit of time with a nurse(?) who explained some things, gave us some literature, and showed us where he will have treatments (on the 7th floor of the building by the river with good views looking south and looking at Mt. Hood). Another good thing today, was that he weighed about 157 lbs.! Curt also cancelled his surgery on his eye on June 1 today.
I hope I remembered everything (Curt helps me). We had a lot thrown at us today!
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