The Results Are In

Well I’ve seen all the Doctors and all the test results are in. The best news is that Dr. Weiner, the nephrologist, determined that my kidneys are still functioning properly. He cautioned that they could start to fail at any time because they are under a lot of stress. But for now they’re good.

Dr. George advised me that the MUGA scan, for the heart, showed some improvement but my heart function is not back to the point it needs to be in order to resume the Herceptin. The danger is congestive heart failure. Keep this in mind.

Dr. Rybalov, the gastroenterologist, delivered some unexpected news although I think it may be very useful. I saw him primarily to determine whether or not I am a candidate for the semi-permanent catheter to drain the abdominal fluid myself. As you may recall from my last post, if the ascites is caused by portal hypertension the risk of infection is greater and they will not put in the catheter. According to Dr. Rybalov, the test results were “suggestive” of some portal hypertension. Portal hypertension is usually caused by alcohol consumption which cannot be the cause in my case. It can also be caused by none other than congestive heart failure. Hmmm. Here’s an example of how multiple doctors don’t always coordinate well. I don’t know how much Dr. George knows about portal hypertension and Dr. Rybalov had no way of knowing about the MUGA scan results. That’s why it’s important to stay informed and act as your own advocate. I told Dr. Rybalov about the MUGA results and he said the ascites was probably being caused by a combination of that and some liver disease. Interestingly, I pondered about the possibility of the ascites being caused by my heart back in my December 21st post. The bottom line is that Dr. Rybalov said he would approve the catheter if I wanted it for comfort. I don’t for now. Rather than take the risk I want to give my heart time to improve more and get some more chemo hoping to knock back the disease somewhat. If that alleviates the ascites I would be real comfortable.

Dr. George agreed that we can go full speed with the chemo now except for the Herceptin. That’s probably good for longer term heart well being. That’s what we’ll do next week.

One more thing. I’ve read a lot about how important it is to exercise as much as possible to help the immune system, the heart and general health. So I’ve been going to LA Fitness as much as I can. I have a pretty intense workout regimen which I recommend. I start with 20 minutes in the Jacuzzi followed by 10 to 15 minutes in the sauna. This routine is made even tougher by the fact that I don’t take a break in between. My fellow patients, push yourself to try this. It works for me.

Carry on.
--------------------------------------------