The History of Cancer in Joe Keresty
I've been asked by several people for more information about my husband Joe. Many people in our lives have been there since forever. Others we have met in real life and thru electronic media along the way. Those who lived these experiences with us - thank you. Those who have joined us along the way - thank you. Our support network is incredible in so many ways.
In August 2006 Joe was diagnosed with Stage IV Throat and Neck cancer. This started from a tumor at the base of his tongue that was never diagnosed or treated until it metastasized into his lymph nodes in his neck and the swelling became visible. Well, not to us but to a family member who had not seen him in a few years. Initial diagnosis from a ENT - you will be dead by the end of the month. OK - his exact words when Joe said he had to go back to work for an important meeting 10 days after diagnosis and before starting treatment "You might have a week but you don't have a month". Feel free to interpret that how you want. His treatment was a radical surgery called neck dissection. Very scary and painful stuff. Google it. Leaves all kinds of conditions behind - none of them pleasant. Joe decided to get a second opinion and chose Ironwood Cancer Center. At the first appointment the oncologist told us that Joe was 1.) not in an imminent danger of death, 2.) treatable and curable in his opinion with radiation and chemotherapy and 3.) not a normal statistic for this type of cancer. All of these points were good! Joe decided to do the chemo and radiation.
After several weeks of chemotherapy and radiation they took a break with treatment. Joe tolerated the treatment very well. Never was sick. Never lost any hair. He did have severe radiation burns and had to use a feeding tube to eat for several months because the burns with thru to his digestive system but all in all he did well. They decided to try another round of chemo "just to make sure" all disease was taken care of. This did not go well. After just three days of treatment Joe ended up in the hospital for 21 days with toxicity reaction. 10 days of that was spent in ICU where we did not know from one day to the next if he would live.
Obviously he did and after a healing process - all was well again. He followed up with all the appropriate tests and scans and nothing. Six years of nothing. So this cancer was just a distant nightmare with a happy ending. Life was good.
August 2012 - Julie got the flu that was going around and graciously shared it with everyone in the house. Joe was in California working thru his flu symptoms and started coughing up blood. His first thought - man I've coughed so hard I've torn something loose. He continued working, came home and went to urgent care because he was still coughing blood. X-Rays showed white cloudy shadows in his left lung so they sent him to the hospital for treatment for pneumonia. For some reason both of us knew but didn't speak that this was not pneumonia.
After a week of hospital stay and tests and tests and tests Joe was diagnosed with Stage III lung cancer. Totally new incidence of cancer. Had nothing to do with the first cancer. This time surgery was on the horizon. This was not treatable with chemo only or with chemo radiation. St. Joe's Heart and Lung Center was scheduled to do the surgery. BUT FIRST, let's run these tests. Every time a new scan was done a new "hot spot" would show up. Each time a hot spot would show up his surgeon was say that she was not going to do the surgery to remove the lung if there was cancer anywhere else. (Those are important words to remember.) Finally - an all clear CT Scan so surgery was scheduled for October for partial removal of the left bottom lobe and a wedge dissection of the top lobe. The surgeon's discovery was that the tumor was too large and intertwined into the lung to do anything other than a complete lung removal. OK. Lung out - cancer gone.
August 2013 - Joe started having some pretty serious balance and neurological problems. This went on for a couple of weeks and his doctor played with his blood pressure meds. From one Sunday to Wednesday I watched Joe change dramatically. I urged him to call his doctor on that Wednesday and they discovered a mass on his brain. To the hospital! Do not pass go! Do not collect $200! Diagnosis - lung cancer on his brain. WHAT?????? Apparently the lung cancer HAD metastasized but it was too small to be seen by any CT Scan prior to the surgery. This time they had to remove the mass and again, one more time, chemotherapy and radiation. After the treatment period more tests and a all clear. The oncologist scheduled more scans and test for the end of October and they came back all clear. He scheduled the same tests be repeated three months out and if they were all clear - return to work.
January 2014 - three month repeat. CT Scan, MRI and blood work. Appointment yesterday to get the all clear - well you know the rest of yesterday's outcome. Obviously that Stage III Lung Cancer was really Stage IV but the cells were so small and scattered they didn't show up. Are there more? Are we done? Don't know. This is clearly a one day at a time adventure.
In August 2006 Joe was diagnosed with Stage IV Throat and Neck cancer. This started from a tumor at the base of his tongue that was never diagnosed or treated until it metastasized into his lymph nodes in his neck and the swelling became visible. Well, not to us but to a family member who had not seen him in a few years. Initial diagnosis from a ENT - you will be dead by the end of the month. OK - his exact words when Joe said he had to go back to work for an important meeting 10 days after diagnosis and before starting treatment "You might have a week but you don't have a month". Feel free to interpret that how you want. His treatment was a radical surgery called neck dissection. Very scary and painful stuff. Google it. Leaves all kinds of conditions behind - none of them pleasant. Joe decided to get a second opinion and chose Ironwood Cancer Center. At the first appointment the oncologist told us that Joe was 1.) not in an imminent danger of death, 2.) treatable and curable in his opinion with radiation and chemotherapy and 3.) not a normal statistic for this type of cancer. All of these points were good! Joe decided to do the chemo and radiation.
After several weeks of chemotherapy and radiation they took a break with treatment. Joe tolerated the treatment very well. Never was sick. Never lost any hair. He did have severe radiation burns and had to use a feeding tube to eat for several months because the burns with thru to his digestive system but all in all he did well. They decided to try another round of chemo "just to make sure" all disease was taken care of. This did not go well. After just three days of treatment Joe ended up in the hospital for 21 days with toxicity reaction. 10 days of that was spent in ICU where we did not know from one day to the next if he would live.
Obviously he did and after a healing process - all was well again. He followed up with all the appropriate tests and scans and nothing. Six years of nothing. So this cancer was just a distant nightmare with a happy ending. Life was good.
August 2012 - Julie got the flu that was going around and graciously shared it with everyone in the house. Joe was in California working thru his flu symptoms and started coughing up blood. His first thought - man I've coughed so hard I've torn something loose. He continued working, came home and went to urgent care because he was still coughing blood. X-Rays showed white cloudy shadows in his left lung so they sent him to the hospital for treatment for pneumonia. For some reason both of us knew but didn't speak that this was not pneumonia.
After a week of hospital stay and tests and tests and tests Joe was diagnosed with Stage III lung cancer. Totally new incidence of cancer. Had nothing to do with the first cancer. This time surgery was on the horizon. This was not treatable with chemo only or with chemo radiation. St. Joe's Heart and Lung Center was scheduled to do the surgery. BUT FIRST, let's run these tests. Every time a new scan was done a new "hot spot" would show up. Each time a hot spot would show up his surgeon was say that she was not going to do the surgery to remove the lung if there was cancer anywhere else. (Those are important words to remember.) Finally - an all clear CT Scan so surgery was scheduled for October for partial removal of the left bottom lobe and a wedge dissection of the top lobe. The surgeon's discovery was that the tumor was too large and intertwined into the lung to do anything other than a complete lung removal. OK. Lung out - cancer gone.
August 2013 - Joe started having some pretty serious balance and neurological problems. This went on for a couple of weeks and his doctor played with his blood pressure meds. From one Sunday to Wednesday I watched Joe change dramatically. I urged him to call his doctor on that Wednesday and they discovered a mass on his brain. To the hospital! Do not pass go! Do not collect $200! Diagnosis - lung cancer on his brain. WHAT?????? Apparently the lung cancer HAD metastasized but it was too small to be seen by any CT Scan prior to the surgery. This time they had to remove the mass and again, one more time, chemotherapy and radiation. After the treatment period more tests and a all clear. The oncologist scheduled more scans and test for the end of October and they came back all clear. He scheduled the same tests be repeated three months out and if they were all clear - return to work.
January 2014 - three month repeat. CT Scan, MRI and blood work. Appointment yesterday to get the all clear - well you know the rest of yesterday's outcome. Obviously that Stage III Lung Cancer was really Stage IV but the cells were so small and scattered they didn't show up. Are there more? Are we done? Don't know. This is clearly a one day at a time adventure.
Thoughts and prayers going up for you and your family. Much love - Linda
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