One of the lingering side effects of radiation poisoning is laziness, or is that caused by retirement.  Sorry I haven't kept you updated. The cold is finally gone for both of us.

 The treatment continues to be a non-event mostly.  My 10-15% tumor load on the liver was pretty low and to my benefit.  That negated the reports I had heard about the pain after the treatment.  Evidently, the post treatment swelling of a significantly involved liver as it is constrained within its sack, of sorts, is what causes the pain.  One of the older-than-me gentlemen in the next room had significant pain.  I've heard the same story from others who had had the treatment too.  I was concerned about the pancreas swelling and causing compression on the stomach, duodenum, and bile duct.  Dr. Forrer, OberArtz explained any swelling of the pancreas should be tolerated well, and it was.

The fatigue is pretty much gone now three weeks after the treatment.  When I got back home, I found my resting heart rate had gone up to the mid-90's and stayed there for an additional 9 days.  On the tenth day it dropped by 10-15 beats/min and has stayed there.  During this same time, the morning blood glucose was up by about twenty points.  When the heart rate dropped so did the blood glucose. What’s the linkage?  Now, with the meds I normally take and watching my diet, it stays around 100.  I am hoping the treatment will yield a long term improvement in blood glucose.  

 An interesting tidbit ---  The drug license for the treatment I had is held by Molecular Insight Pharmaceuticals (MI) in Boston, MA.  MI bought this license and several others from Novartis.  (The Novartis HQ is in Basel, Switzerland too.)  One of the drugs Novarits called OcteoTher is now called ONALTA by MI.  MI is in the process of getting Phase III trial approval in Europe. Another drug called AZEDRA is in preparation for a trial by (I think I heard this correctly) Dr. Sue O'dorsio at the University of Iowa (She specializes in children.).  I'm not really familiar with MIBG - 131, but I think MI uses the names AZEDRA, or ULTRATRACE, or LOBENGUANE I-131.  Anyway,  all these are radionuclides using octreotide and DPTA or DOTATOC as a chelator.  Sure wish there was more activity for NETS in the U.S.  My guess is the U.S. is at least 5-10 years behind Europe for this type of treatment.

 Basel treats 3-4 Americans every week.  Just think about how much this is saving our country's Medicare and private insurance companies.  I'm so proud.

Terry