Update and Next Steps

Last night we drove down to Houston for Shawn Jr's second immunotherapy treatment appointment. It was a long day and night as Jr was not doing well. He was feeling pain and was having shortness of breath. He thought his left lung was beginning to fill with fluid this past week like his right lung did (which is how we learned he had melanoma originally). His stomach has been bothering him and eating continues to be a challenge.  We could not drive fast enough to Houston. We made it to the hotel near MD Anderson in time to watch the end of the Warriors vs Rockets game - so that was nice. We settled in for the night.  Misty and I fell asleep fast but Jr did not sleep.  He struggled all night. 

Our appointments always begin with lab work and today was no different.  After taking his blood, Shawn was feeling very nauseous.  He dashed to the bathroom and got sick.  After he gathered himself, we headed up to the melanoma department to meet with Dr. Hwu and his team before the treatment. However, after discussing Jr's issues, it was suggested that his second treatment be held off until they could determine if it was the cancer causing his troubles or the cancer treatment medicines. More blood work was needed and an x-ray of his lungs was scheduled.

Shawn Jr was tired, frustrated, and didn't feel well.  He just sat in a chair before working up the energy to go get his blood drawn again.  After completing blood work and x-rays, we met with a pulmonologist for the first time at MD Anderson.  We officially learned that fluid was building up in Jr's left lung. It was decided that a thoracentesis would be done so that Jr could breathe easier, the pain would be reduced and he could hopefully get some rest. Although this would be Jr's 4th time having this procedure, it was the first time on his left lung. We were anxious but also knew it would help Jr feel better immediately. They drained 1.3L of fluid off his lung, but unfortunately, that was not all of it.  Another x-ray was done so they would have a baseline to compare for later x-rays.  The pulmonologist will see him again in a week for another x-ray to see if the fluid is building back up.  If needed, they will do a surgery where they use talc to seal the space between the tissues covering the lung so that there is no space for the fluid to collect. This is a painful procedure and a hospital stay of a couple of days will be required for pain management. But, we will cross that bridge later. 

He now has an appointment for his second immunotherapy treatment on Friday morning. 

For now, we are praying non-stop for (1) Jr's body to continue identifying and attacking the cancer cells only, (2) his stomach to stop hurting so his appetite returns and (3) the fluid to stop collecting in his lungs. 

After a long day of moving around to different appointments on no sleep and little food, it is nice to see Jr feeling a little better and breathing easier. We hope he rests well tonight. But first, there's a hockey game. Go Stars!