Briefly...

More later for I am pressed by other matters:

• My parents just came back from a long appointment at UCSF.
  
• They really liked the physician. He was very straightforward and had facts and figures at his fingertips, much more than Dr. Cainin.
  
• The appointment was paid for by a family friend, for which I am grateful.
  
• The physician...
  
  
  
  • Added a third drug to my dad’s chemotherapy cocktail.
    
  • Asked that my father get a Doppler (type of ultrasound) to check for a bloodclot (thrombosis).
    
  • Estimated that the cancer probably started last spring, in April or May. (This is in line with my estimates and far contrary to 1995 as suggested by my dad.)
    
  • Said that my dad had a 50% chance of responding to chemotherapy.
    
  • Did not give any estimates as to remaining lifetime. (Neither did Dr. Cainin.)
  
  
• I guess my dad won’t be going to Anderson.
  

On the whole, I am somewhat appeased and my spirits are a little buoyed. It is clear he is getting care superior to Kaiser in Walnut Creek, albeit the physician (whose name I do not know) said that of the three local East Bay facilities, Walnut Creek is far superior to Kaiser in either Richmond or Oakland and that he is generally impressed with them. And UCSF is a National Comprehensive Cancer Center, just like Anderson, and certainly offers far better and more informed care than Kaiser.

For all this, we still have no idea how long he is going to live. But according to one source, given his stage and symptoms, his chances of suriving two years are 1:20. And his age and overall health factors are strongly against his living even that long.