Interesting news

Blood tests, Dr visit and chemo today. No new xrays until next visit Nov 4. Dr Einhorn said status is good and approved going ahead with chemo today - he needs to approve each chemo infusion based upon my status on that day. I have been doing pretty well the past couple weeks. Sleeping well with the ambien. Eating better and drinking the nutrion drink per orders.

The most interesting news is that Dr E is sending forms and samples from my lung pleurodesis to the NIH (National Intitute of Health) to apply for me to participate in a new very targeted drug trial. Apparently, the drug is targeted for male non-smokers who have a very specific, rare blood "marker". So...I don't know if I qualify until NIH analyzes the samples sent to them. I'm not quite sure what to expect if I qualify. But, Dr E seems to be pretty happy about the possibility.

Also, they didn't give me grief about eating this time because I gained a pound since my last visit - after many visits of losing weight every time. I am currently down about 46-47 lbs since February. Now, I am trying to deal with the fluid in my ears and the issue with my eyes.

My eyes have gotten a little better most days since I started using the ointment. I'm just impatient because I would like it to clear up faster. But, at least they are slowly getting better.

I finally made a bigger deal today about the fluid in my ears. It is getting to be enough that it is an annoyance. No pain and no infection at this time. He quickly told me that I would need to talk to Dr Henderson since it would be caused by the radiation. So...I emailed Dr Henderson. He said to start by trying Sudafed for nasal congestion. If that doesn't help, he will refer me to an ENT and I would probably get tubes in my ears to drain the fluid.