Overcoming Upper Tract Urothelial Carcinoma: Michael Miller's Journey with JELMYTO® Treatment - Michael Miller
July 7, 2023
Diagnosed with upper tract urothelial carcinoma, Michael Miller is initially shaken by the possibility of losing his kidney. However, he finds a less invasive alternative with JELMYTO®, a treatment offered at the Georgia Cancer Center. The process involves six weekly infusions, with minimal discomfort and disruption to his daily life. Despite a minor infection, the procedure is smooth, and he successfully retains both functioning kidneys. Miller underscores the psychological relief this brings, reflecting positively on his health outcomes and emphasizing the impact on his future.
Biography:
Michael Miller
Biography:
Michael Miller
Read the Full Video Transcript
Michael Miller: I was diagnosed with upper tract kidney cancer. Well, when I heard about the diagnosis, I was completely devastated. The urologist that determined that I did have cancer said that we'll have to take your kidney all the way down to your bladder, and that's the hardest kind of news anybody wants to hear. When the urologist gave me the news that I had cancer, he gave me the option to come over here to the Georgia Cancer Center at AU Health and he said they will probably be able to remove the kidney.
When I came over here and talked to Dr. Terrace, she gave me the option of using JELMYTO® because I had a low, low, low grade of upper kidney cancer. The JELMYTO® consisted of six infusions once a week of JELMYTO®, and I decided to go that route. Instead of removing a kidney, now I have two functioning kidneys. In order for me to get to the JELMYTO® infusion, I would have to have a tube inserted into my kidney via my back. The process took less than about an hour to get done and it was over at the IR department. There was no pain, nothing discomforting with it. Now, later in the infusion, the tube did get infected and I went back to the IR and they did clean it up, gave me some antibiotics, and allowed me to complete the infusions with no problem or no distress. Bathing with it was considerably easy. All we had to do is tape over the tube with special adhesive that we were able to get from the pharmacist, and I was able to take hot showers with no issues whatsoever.
The infusion process itself was very simple, very easy. All I had to do was go to the second floor and there were two nurses that treated me, Marsha, Stacy, and all I had to do was go into one room, lay down on a cot, they would prepare the JELMYTO®, and the infusion would take anywhere between 5 to 10 minutes to complete. And then I was done and I could go about my day with no issues whatsoever.
So far I've had two scopes that determined exactly how the shape of my kidney is in, what status it is in. The doctor I have is Dr. Klaassen, and he's been a real good addition to my physicians. He scoped my kidney the first time, I believe he cleaned out a couple of tumors that were leftover from the JELMYTO®. We had another scope after that and there was some bladder cancer, and he also got rid of that. Luckily enough, none of the cancer has grown into the muscle wall.
The healing of the perc tube was pretty easy in itself. All I had to do was make sure I kept it bandaged or I would pee myself out through my back.it took about 4 days for it to really seal up. So, as a precaution, I would sleep on shower curtains to make sure that it wouldn't leak into my bedding. Other than that, there were no other issues with the tube itself.
My wife has been really great about helping me through all of this. She's been very supportive. Of course, it's not like any other chemo like I'm constantly throwing up or something of that nature. The only side effect that I had with JELMYTO® was a little bit of psoriasis here, and that was it. To have two functioning kidneys, just the thought of that when you have to think about it. In August, the doctor said, "We're going to remove your kidney." And you start thinking, "Okay, I'm going to be walking around with just one kidney. Now what's going to stop that one from getting cancerous or it failing?"
Now I can actually look and see that I have two functioning kidneys, so I still have a future. I still have stuff to do and I can do things. So that's what it means to me to have two functioning kidneys, no dialysis, no nothing. My creatinine is fine. I just had a series of blood tests done and all the blood tests are coming back with a kidney function of superb, normal.
Michael Miller: I was diagnosed with upper tract kidney cancer. Well, when I heard about the diagnosis, I was completely devastated. The urologist that determined that I did have cancer said that we'll have to take your kidney all the way down to your bladder, and that's the hardest kind of news anybody wants to hear. When the urologist gave me the news that I had cancer, he gave me the option to come over here to the Georgia Cancer Center at AU Health and he said they will probably be able to remove the kidney.
When I came over here and talked to Dr. Terrace, she gave me the option of using JELMYTO® because I had a low, low, low grade of upper kidney cancer. The JELMYTO® consisted of six infusions once a week of JELMYTO®, and I decided to go that route. Instead of removing a kidney, now I have two functioning kidneys. In order for me to get to the JELMYTO® infusion, I would have to have a tube inserted into my kidney via my back. The process took less than about an hour to get done and it was over at the IR department. There was no pain, nothing discomforting with it. Now, later in the infusion, the tube did get infected and I went back to the IR and they did clean it up, gave me some antibiotics, and allowed me to complete the infusions with no problem or no distress. Bathing with it was considerably easy. All we had to do is tape over the tube with special adhesive that we were able to get from the pharmacist, and I was able to take hot showers with no issues whatsoever.
The infusion process itself was very simple, very easy. All I had to do was go to the second floor and there were two nurses that treated me, Marsha, Stacy, and all I had to do was go into one room, lay down on a cot, they would prepare the JELMYTO®, and the infusion would take anywhere between 5 to 10 minutes to complete. And then I was done and I could go about my day with no issues whatsoever.
So far I've had two scopes that determined exactly how the shape of my kidney is in, what status it is in. The doctor I have is Dr. Klaassen, and he's been a real good addition to my physicians. He scoped my kidney the first time, I believe he cleaned out a couple of tumors that were leftover from the JELMYTO®. We had another scope after that and there was some bladder cancer, and he also got rid of that. Luckily enough, none of the cancer has grown into the muscle wall.
The healing of the perc tube was pretty easy in itself. All I had to do was make sure I kept it bandaged or I would pee myself out through my back.it took about 4 days for it to really seal up. So, as a precaution, I would sleep on shower curtains to make sure that it wouldn't leak into my bedding. Other than that, there were no other issues with the tube itself.
My wife has been really great about helping me through all of this. She's been very supportive. Of course, it's not like any other chemo like I'm constantly throwing up or something of that nature. The only side effect that I had with JELMYTO® was a little bit of psoriasis here, and that was it. To have two functioning kidneys, just the thought of that when you have to think about it. In August, the doctor said, "We're going to remove your kidney." And you start thinking, "Okay, I'm going to be walking around with just one kidney. Now what's going to stop that one from getting cancerous or it failing?"
Now I can actually look and see that I have two functioning kidneys, so I still have a future. I still have stuff to do and I can do things. So that's what it means to me to have two functioning kidneys, no dialysis, no nothing. My creatinine is fine. I just had a series of blood tests done and all the blood tests are coming back with a kidney function of superb, normal.