Been Too Long Again

It has been awhile, yet again, since I updated things.  Unfortunately there is not much to add on walking side of things.  I am able to walk, but it is unclear if I will progress further.  

A new brace, which I started wearing about a month ago, is supposed to help trigger the muscles that have atrophied and engage them more.  I am able to walk with it for short distances at a time, and I do feel some pain/stress/activation in my hips and other areas that have been weakened.  But I do not feel that much more sure footed.

I do manage to go 1-1/2 miles a day, with many days going between 2.5 to 4 miles when I am taking photographs.  I am tired and walking slower by the end of those days, but I am moving.  I really wish I could be training more and working on my cardio.  I keep on telling myself I will get on the treadmill and hold the rails tightly.  I cannot use a bike trainer - there is no way I can raise my leg to get over the seat - but I may get one that has the low bar.  I still want to get into a pool, even just to walk.  I am often too tired to do many things, but I think it has been improving some the last 6 weeks.  Occasionally I still have the crashes.  I slept from about 8PM Friday until 10AM today, Sunday, with occasionally getting up for some water or food.  I had gone almost 24 hours without eating.  

I had a CT scan last week and results were overall very good.  The cancer is controlled and not growing.  Except for the few big ones in my lungs.  

It is now time for at least two, possibly more, to have proton therapy.  Proton therapy is more precise and causes less damage than usual radiation treatment.  Due to the proximity of the tumors to my heart, trachea and esophagus, it will be used.  Otherwise there is a good chance I would have damage .  

Proton therapy is coming along quickly, meaning that there should be much more availability and lowering costs in the not so distant future.  It will be a great day when it can be used routinely for tumors in sensitive areas or where surgery is the only option now. If it was used instead of the surgery and radiation on my spine, I probably would be in better shape and my leg may not have been trashed like it was.  It makes me smile to know that the mets in my spine will be easier to treat for others.  What I have seen in the last 10 years has been remarkable.

I am fortunate that based on the particulars of my case and overall health, despite the walking issues, proton therapy is on the table.  

So I will have 10-15 treatments on consecutive days, with weekends off.  The side effects, such as nausea, are also less than radiation. ''

I have not really been looking at my CT scans much since I started immunotherapy, though I had the discs.  I popped one in today after seeing it on the computer when I met with my radiation oncologist last week.   The effect of the immunotherapy was clear.  Where there was once white fuzz of the cancer tumors, there is now black, the remnants of the tumors that.  I have posted a couple of images showing this.  I also have posted a movie to go through my lungs and see the multiple black spots.  It really is awesome.  Unfortunately though, it needs to be 100%, especially when the tumors are in a bad spot.  So far my radiation treatments have been effective in knocking down the cancer.  I knew this was coming down the pike and have been waiting.  I figure the main troublemakers will be put in there place, then back to getting to walk and run.  

#iTRI4aCURE