Ok, so most of you have probably heard my bad news by now, but there is a small update, so keep reading!

Friday, Jan 20, I had yet another CT scan of my chest which showed about 7 spots.  According the doc, in hindsight, he could see most of those spots in the scan from Jan, but couldn't be sure what they were. The good news is that they haven't grown a ton since Jan, and all are still very small - The biggest is about 5-6 mm (about 1/4") . But they are still growing, and my doctor thinks the time has come to begin looking into clinical trials that would treat this systemically, instead of playing whack-a-mole with the spots that keep popping up. 

So, the doc and I have been looking into clinical trials.  He has confirmed that there are none here in Pgh, or in Ohio that would be a good fit for me.  There might be one in Maryland that is an option, but I still don't have all of the details.  I do plan on heading to another system to get a second opinion, but I am not expecting them to say anything terribly different than I already have heard from all of my docs here. 

So, what happens if I don't get into a clinical trial this time around?  Not much.  We would keep up with the scans, and play that trusty game of whack-a-mole  on any spots that appear they might start causing symptoms due to their size or location. And we pray for a promising clinical trial to open up.  There is a chance that if things get bad, I can try traditional chemo, but there is no guarantee that it would help much, since my cancer is so stubborn against treatment. 

For now, I continue to feel fine - which is a big part of why all of this is so surreal.  I am going to keep doing everything I can to enjoy life, work hard, and stay on top of this.  And I might try to check a few things off my "Bucket-list." Anybody want to go hang-gliding?  :)