Journal entry by Oliver Habicht —
This morning we had our second consultation with Dr. Charles Garbo, with Amelia, my father, JP, and step-mother, Gretel. Dr. Garbo confirmed Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center's (MSK) treatment plan to begin with chemotherapy (chemo) for 4 months before considering surgery.
The 4-month plan, if all goes well, is for a "port" to be installed in my chest in Ithaca next Monday, with chemo likely starting then. Infusions are every 2 weeks, thus every other Monday. My chemo treatment can all be done in Ithaca, and MSK's doctors encourage this approach. Thus I will be well taken care of by Dr. Garbo and his team during this time. A CT scan will be conducted 2 months after treatment begins, at which point we hope to see the tumor getting smaller. Especially if that happens, treatment continues and another CT scan is conducted in another 2 months, with a subsequent consult with MSK's oncology surgeon and oncologist.
There are many reasons the above plan might change, and we'll post substantial changes to that plan on this website.
Infusion details: The infusion consists of multiple drugs and medications, each with its own "bag" and thus the process each time will take at least 4 hours. (It can take longer, depending on my reactions.) Many of the drugs (most infused, perhaps some in pill form) are calibrated to help manage the treatment's side-effect on me or to increase its effectiveness. The main treatment regimen is FOLFIRINOX, which includes a "bag" for each of its 3 medications. This includes one medication which must continue infusing for 46 hours. Fortunately, they make this particular "bag" (and pump) portable and it remains connected to the port day-and-night until it's connection to my chest port is removed the Wednesday following each treatment Monday.
I have so very much appreciated everyone's comments and tributes- thank you all! I remain largely without symptoms. For example, I biked up a local steep hill (Kline Road) at 8:30 last night after visiting with friends for dinner downtown, and it felt refreshingly like the pre-diagnosis days.
The 4-month plan, if all goes well, is for a "port" to be installed in my chest in Ithaca next Monday, with chemo likely starting then. Infusions are every 2 weeks, thus every other Monday. My chemo treatment can all be done in Ithaca, and MSK's doctors encourage this approach. Thus I will be well taken care of by Dr. Garbo and his team during this time. A CT scan will be conducted 2 months after treatment begins, at which point we hope to see the tumor getting smaller. Especially if that happens, treatment continues and another CT scan is conducted in another 2 months, with a subsequent consult with MSK's oncology surgeon and oncologist.
There are many reasons the above plan might change, and we'll post substantial changes to that plan on this website.
Infusion details: The infusion consists of multiple drugs and medications, each with its own "bag" and thus the process each time will take at least 4 hours. (It can take longer, depending on my reactions.) Many of the drugs (most infused, perhaps some in pill form) are calibrated to help manage the treatment's side-effect on me or to increase its effectiveness. The main treatment regimen is FOLFIRINOX, which includes a "bag" for each of its 3 medications. This includes one medication which must continue infusing for 46 hours. Fortunately, they make this particular "bag" (and pump) portable and it remains connected to the port day-and-night until it's connection to my chest port is removed the Wednesday following each treatment Monday.
I have so very much appreciated everyone's comments and tributes- thank you all! I remain largely without symptoms. For example, I biked up a local steep hill (Kline Road) at 8:30 last night after visiting with friends for dinner downtown, and it felt refreshingly like the pre-diagnosis days.
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