After my trip to New York, I had my CT scan, and unfortunately it was bad news. Below are the findings:
- Progression of metastatic disease in the lungs with interval enlargement of 2 nodules in the right lower lobe.
- No new sites of disease.
This makes it my fourth recurrence. You would think by now that I would be used to receiving bad news, but it’s devastating every time. I felt that things were just getting good, and that I was finally moving forward in life, and now I was being dragged back to the cancer world. Fighting this battle is extremely exhausting, and I was just so tired of having to do it over and over again. It was so frustrating that I just couldn’t catch a break. As strong as I wanted to be, I was very sad and I felt sorry for myself. I didn’t even bother trying to put on a brave face, and I allowed myself to have a few bad days.
Eventually, I did what I had always done in the past; I got back up. There was nothing I could do that would change my situation, and I needed to focus on the next step. I met with my oncologist, and as expected, it was a difficult discussion.
The conventional treatment of chemo and surgery was not an option anymore. I had just finished undergoing chemo treatment less than six months ago, and having more would put me at high risk of chemo resistance, and developing secondary cancers. While I could have surgery to remove the nodules, it would not be a sustainable solution due to limited lung tissue. It was time to explore other alternative treatment plans.
The conventional treatment of chemo and surgery was not an option anymore. I had just finished undergoing chemo treatment less than six months ago, and having more would put me at high risk of chemo resistance, and developing secondary cancers. While I could have surgery to remove the nodules, it would not be a sustainable solution due to limited lung tissue. It was time to explore other alternative treatment plans.
What my oncologist recommended was microwave ablation. Microwave ablation is a minimally invasive treatment and image-guided technique used to heat and destroy tumors. It’s considered the “surgery of the new millennium” and there are very few doctors skilled enough to offer this treatment to patients. Stanford Hospital began this program in 2013, initially for treatment of liver cancers, but now it’s application has expanded to include many types of cancers as long as the tumors are localized and small, which luckily mine were.
How does microwave ablation work?
- Small incisions are made through the skin, and probes are inserted.
- Guided by imaging (ultrasound, CT, or MRI), the probes are positioned at different angles to bracket the tumor.
- Near the tips of the probes, the antennaes transmit microwaves. The microwaves heat the tissue by oscillating nearby water molecules.
- The patient is reimaged to confirm that the heat has reached the entire tumor before removing the probes.
- The tumor cells are destroyed, and will eventually be replaced by scar tissue.
Below are examples of the ablation treatment:
Ultrasound-Guided ablation.
CT-Guided ablation.
(This was the type of ablation I underwent).
Since both of my nodules were positioned in different areas of my right lung, only one could be ablated at a time. We decided to ablate the largest one first, and we would monitor the remaining one. If the last one remained stable, then no action would be needed. If it grew larger, it would be ablated too.
In comparison to VATS, I’d say microwave ablation was a piece of cake. I had no large incisions or a chest tube inserted, and I was able to go home the very same day. In addition, the pain was minimal, and my back was sore for only a few days. The advancements in medical technology never cease to amaze me, and it gives me hope that someday I may beat this.
San Bruno Mountain State Park, CA
San Bruno Mountain State Park area is at the northern end of the Santa Cruz Mountain Range. The area was formerly occupied by the Costonoan Indian tribe, and after the arrival of Europeans, this group was quickly integrated into the Spanish/Mexican Mission System.
At the summit, there are remnants of an old Nike Missile early warning radar site which was used as a defensive system during the Cold War. Today, a number of radio and microwave transmitters can be seen.
Beautiful views of the city and the bay.
The park is home to a wide variety of birds and animals as well as several endangered plant and butterfly species. Watch out for the banana slug!
Legion of Honor, San Francisco CA
Houghton Hall was designed in the 1720s for Britain's first prime minister, Sir Robert Walpole. It remains today as one of Britain's grandest aristocratic houses.
The Occupations of the Months, late 17th century, England, Wool and silk.
The scenes are a mix of genre and courtly figures in idealized tableaus of country life.
Wallpaper, ca. 1780, China, Hand-printed and -painted paper.
Fashion for decorating interior spaces with Chinese wallpaper developed in Britain due to a new taste for the exotic and the increased availability from the Asian markets through European trading companies.
Soup's on!
Marin Headlands, Sausalito CA
The Marin Headlands stand nearly 1,000 ft. above the sea. These stunning coastal bluffs are the result of the collision of two tectonic plates of the Earth's crust pushed from the sea floor skyward, exposing some of the finest examples of pillow basalt and radiolarian chert.
Coast Miwok native peoples originally lived here, followed later by diary ranchers, lighthouse keepers and soldiers.
The area played a key role in coastal defense during WWII and during the Cold War of the 1950s and 1960s.
Point Bonita Lighthouse (0.5 miles)
The trail led steeply down to a tunnel hand carved in the 1870s. The tunnel door to the lighthouse is open on Saturdays, Sundays and Mondays from 12:30-3:30 pm.
Bonita Cove is home to dozens of harbor seals.
View of the San Francisco and the wild Pacific.
Point Bonita was built in 1855, and was originally placed on a hill above the current location. It was the third lighthouse to be built on the West Coast after San Francisco’s fog sent many ships crashing against the headlands’ rocky shoreline.
Surprisingly, this 160 year old lighthouse is still active and maintained by the U.S. Coast Guard.
The Marine Mammal Center
In the 1950s, the army constructed two batteries in the Marin Headlands equipped with surface-to-air missiles. These "Nike" missiles were in position for nearly 20 years, but were never launched. The Nike Missile Launch Area, SF 87L was closed in 1972, and became the now rescue and rehabilitation hospital.
Patients receive the best veterinary care, and are later release back to the wild.
Judith and Richard Lang, Ghost Net Monster, Ghost nets, rope, plastic.
On March 2008, a 51 ft. long sperm whale washed ashore near Tomales Point in Point Reyes National Seashore. Scientists discovered that it had died from ingesting 450 pounds of ghost nets and ropes. The Langs were shocked with the large amount eaten, and were moved to create this work.
On our way out we spotted a family of black tail deer.
de Young Museum - Keith Haring: The Political Line
This was the first exhibition presented in the United States to highlight the art of the 1980s pop icon Keith Haring (1958-1990).
More than 130 works were featured, including large-scale paintings on tarpaulins and canvases, sculptures, and subway drawings.
More than 130 works were featured, including large-scale paintings on tarpaulins and canvases, sculptures, and subway drawings.
Statue of Liberty, 1982, Acrylic and fluorescent enamel on fiberglass with black light.
The streets of New York served as a laboratory for Haring's first forays into public art.
His work unapologetically denounced racism, capitalism, homophobia, dictatorship, atomic war, environment degradation, and the excesses of technology and mass media.
Untitled, 1983, Acrylic on canvas.
Untitled (Gold Vase), 1981, Enamel and marker on fiberglass vase.
Images for his art were often inspired by artistic traditions such as American cartoons, graffiti art, club music, and hip-hop culture.
Untitled, September 25, 1985. Acrylic and enamel on canvas.
Haring was attracted to the power and potential of mass media, but he also was suspicious of its ability to thwart creativity and individual expression. Televisions, computer screens, and keyboards often stand in as surrogates for heads or brains.
Untitled, 1983, Enamel on incised wood.
"Art should be something that liberates the soul, provokes the imagination, and encourages people to go further."
Microwave Ablation Therapy - Stanford Hospital, Palo Alto CA
Piece of cake!
