Radiologist appointment: Good news/Bad news

I saw my radiologist today to discuss treatment. Sounds like the location of the growth is in a bit different spot... more in the bony ring at the base of my left hip. Those are thin flexible bones designed to flex when you walk. As such, they are more delicate to treat but it is treatable with radiation. He believes the treatment will again stop the growth. The bad news is that I am likely to have chronic pain there for the rest of my life. Unlike the last treatment when the pain was alleviated by the radiation, it likely won't get any better. He was ready to sign a form for a permanent disabled parking permit, which took me aback a bit. He also thought about sending me for cyberknife treatment, but thought better of it. Most likely because he didn't think insurance would approve when regular radiation would do the same job.

So... treatment planning session on Friday, a week to put a plan together and radiation will commence about June 7th. This will be a lower/slower treatment, so it will be drawn out over 5 weeks, unlike the 3 weeks I did last time. He also thought there would be minimal side effects, just like last time. Another tidbit of good news.

Latest CT Scan results -- Back to treatment I go

I was really expecting this, this time, but that doesn't make it any easier to actually hear it. For a full 14 months after finishing radiation to my hip I'd had no pain in my hip/groin at all. In February I pushed a big stack of carts at Costco into a holding bin and that evening started feeling that old ache in my groin. It got better after a while and when I had my March check-up the oncologist really felt around the groin area throroughly and didn't feel anything. Things kept feeling better until mid April when I really overdid it one weekend and my hip/groin got really sore again. It didn't really get any better and then it started getting kindof achy on top of that. I was scheduled to return for a regular check-up in June, but the persistent discomfort that was so similar to how it felt in November 2008 led me to call them up early for an early CT Scan. I had that done yesterday... got the results this morning.

The tumor in my hip is growing again. Apparently there's one in my right groin that has also grown a half centimeter, but I have no symptoms from that. My spleen is still stable and there is no new growth so that's all positive news. But I'm getting referred back for more radiation to the hip and will also get back on chemo once I finish the radiation. I'll be doing the taxol/carboplatin regimine again initially. If that doesn't work as well this time, he'll switch to another type. But I'll lose my hair either way. It'll be different being bald in the summer. Could be interesting. I'm considering dying my hair blue again right before it falls out. :)