Update after medical oncology review – 1 May 2025
We went to a review consultation with my Medical Oncologist (chemo-therapy) specialist, Dr Melvin Chin, this morning (1 May, 2025). The news was resoundingly good.
1 Blood tests
Blood tests showed that all vital systems, including my immune system, are within, or very close to, normal ranges for a man my age. Yippee! These results relieve my anxieties about having a severely depressed immune system, or long-term problems with liver and kidney function. Even my cholesterol and blood sugars are in normal range.
2 Symptoms that seem to have gone
2.1 The stomach cramps that wreak havoc on causing me so much grief throughout the treatments and during the New Zealand trip, have all but disappeared.
2.2 I have not had afternoon sleeps for 5 weeks. I still have times when I “hit a wall” and I feel that I have run out of energy. My sense of fatigue is decreasing and my energy levels seem to be on the rise. This is good news.
3 Other minor ongoing symptoms
Radiation related symptoms, (occasional cough, tightness in my right lung when I breathe deeply, occasional tightness in throat when I swallow, and intermittent fatigue), are likely to continue for some time and may end up being my “new normal”. Only time will tell. These symptoms are not big issues but I did not have them before the treatments.
4 Outcome of treatment
I asked Dr Chin for his opinion as to the status of my lung cancer. Melvin said that the chemo-radiation-targeted therapy treatments had been selected and given with “curative intent” – meaning that although complete response (cure) was not predicted, they hoped that the treatments would get close to leaving no cancer in my body. He said that he would describe my condition as “in remission” or “no measurable disease” – meaning that cancer is not currently detectable in the body. Melvin was cautious and said that current technology was unable to determine definitively if there were any microscopic cancer cells lurking. Time will tell if and when progression (cancer returns) occurs.
Encouragingly, Melvin said that patients who had the kind of response that I have had are likely to have limited amounts of residual cancer cells lurking and that being the case, the target therapy drug Tagrisso is likely to be more effective in controlling any cancer cells.
5 Low blood pressure as possible cause of side effects
In late February/early MarchI thought that I was experiencing severe radiation fatigue or an adverse reaction to the target therapy drug Tagrisso. I was feeling very unwell, had no energy, was sleeping a lot, not able to eat. On 18 March, I visited my GP and after hearing my tales of recent miseries he started his examinations by taking my blood pressure. The reading was 100/63 – way too low for me. He was going to reduce my medication from 5mg to 2.5 mg but then decided to stop it altogether. He asked us to buy a BP monitor and monitor closely. My BP slowly climbed towards normal. On 30 March my BP hit 120/80 .. wow, at last. Then I was concerned that it might keep climbing and may require a return to medication. The BP has stabilised at a little lower than the previous medication “normal”. Within a week of stopping the BP meds and slowly rising BP my energy, eating, and wellbeing started to improve. It was great.
6 My current sense of wellbeing
I admit that I have been anxious about the status of the cancer and whether progression was near at hand. I was also concerned that even though the scans and blood tests showed no indications of anything needing treatment, I felt unwell. With the improved BP I am sensing a simultaneous increase in my wellbeing. I am back at aqua and gym classes. I feel that I have more energy and I do not sleep as long. I feel that I am on the mend and I am not constantly scanning my body for symptoms. These are excellent signs that I am on the improve. Thank goodness.
