In 2012 I had a cryoablation of a tumor in my lung. I wrote about it here: https://healingjourneys.org/ablation-accomplished/.

Since I now have tumors in my lungs and liver, I wondered if I could have another ablation. I was told that insurance wouldn’t cover ablations once cancer spreads. Ablations are not a systemic treatment and my cancer is now systemic.

When I started having symptoms related to my esophagus and stomach, my oncologist said she thought the symptoms could be caused by tumors in my lungs pressing against my esophagus. I wondered if an interventional radiologist could identify them (from the CT scan) and ablate them. It might lessen my symptoms, and insurance might pay for symptom management rather than cancer treatment.

I had been feeling intuitively that I needed to see Chris Laing, the interventional radiologist who did my ablation in 2012. I asked my oncologist for a referral to him and she agreed. In the appointment, he showed me the CT scan that had been done in late October. It’s the first time I’ve actually seen a CT scan instead of just reading the report. It was fascinating, and a little scary to see how many tumors there are in the lining of my left lung (and in my liver). Dr. Laing said even though there are lots of tumors, none of them are in any way putting pressure on my esophagus. This was disappointing news, and I thought this may be the end of our appointment, but it was only the beginning.

He described a new “project” he is excited about. He is currently working on a new “treatment” that is being used in Europe, but isn’t available in the United States yet. He is doing ablations using electrical stimulation, using a tool called Aliya instead of either heat or cold. While he is ablating the tumor, he also injects drugs designed to stimulate the immune system. When they ablate some tumors in a specific location (like the lung or lining of the lung), 20% to 30% of those patients are then experiencing their other tumors also disappearing. It seems to trigger the immune system to be more effective in killing cancer in that area.

I put quotation marks around “treatment” because the laws are very clear in California that it is only legal to treat cancer with surgery, radiation, or chemotherapy. On the website of the company that makes the tool we are using, it says, “The Aliya System is a tool for the surgical ablation of soft tissues, and is not intended to treat, cure, prevent or mitigate any specific disease or condition.” They make it clear we are not treating cancer.

Dr. Laing was looking for patients who have numerous tumors, no longer respond to conventional treatment, and are on Medicare (the only insurance that pays for it). I fit all of his criterion. The numbers aren’t encouraging. If 30% experience remission, that means 70% don’t. But it does give me a source of hope I didn’t have before. Participating in this treatment will also contribute to medical science no matter what happens. Dr. Laing has only done this procedure on 3 patients before me, but he is in touch with European doctors who are doing many.

I have often asked a doctor who is going to do a procedure or surgery on me how many of these he has done. I want that number to be more than 50 at a minimum. I want him to know what he (or she) is doing. But in this case, my intuition was so strong that I needed to see Chris Laing, and it seems like such synchronicity that he was looking for me, that I trust the process.

I had the first procedure done on January 7th. He wants to do it at least 3 times, 6 weeks apart. He predicted I would be there about 5 hours – 2 hours for prep, 1 ½ hours for the procedure, and 1 ½ hours in the recovery room. I had conscious sedation and needed a driver.

In our meeting before January 7th, he said side effects in other patients have just been soreness for a few days. On the morning of the procedure, he told me other effects could be fatigue, lack of appetite, night sweats, flu-like symptoms, nausea, and diarrhea. He reminded me that when we have the flu, our symptoms are actually the immune system fighting an intruder. If this treatment would stimulate the immune system, I would have those same symptoms. He emphasized that if my fever was over 104 or couldn’t be lowered with Tylenol or Aleve, I had to go to the hospital. This information left me feeling a little more nervous.

To add to my nervousness, he was 1 ½ hours late because they had a glitch with the machine with the patient before me. Waiting is always stressful, no matter what the reason. But did I now have to worry about the machine not functioning properly?

There were 5 other people in the room besides Chris Laing and me. I found out later that two of them were employees from the factory that is making the machine. Seems like all the bugs haven’t been worked out.

The event happened in a CT scanner so he could locate the tumors. Although I was supposedly conscious, I don’t remember all of it. I had Versed (a medication that helps you relax or sleep before a surgical procedure; it can also block your memory of the procedure) . I do remember about 4 or 5 times saying “ouch!” when he hit a nerve and pain radiated down my left leg.

Since the procedure, I have been incredibly fatigued. I have run a slight fever every night and had night sweats triggering daily laundry. I’m taking this as a good sign that my immune system has been responding. And I’m learning to take lots of naps.

I still feel a little nervous, and excited at the same time. Of course there are no long-term studies, and I am ready for anything. Being with uncertainty is a skill that is useful in dealing with the world right now. I feel like a pro.