Good News

After having the PET-CT scan yesterday, I was able to see Dr. Lindgren today regarding the results. He was very encouraging. He compared the scan to infrared helping a soldier to tell whether some shadow in the distance might be an enemy. The infrared would show a hot spot for life, rather than just the shadow. My scan shows NO hot spots at this time. Most of the lymph nodes are greatly reduced in size and he expressed that my body was reacting in a very positive manner to the treatment. He also mentioned that my blood counts were great and gave his blessing on my trip to ND. Again, thanks for your prayers!

Chemo - Day 4

After an extra week for my platelets to catch up, I had my 4th chemotherapy today. It went very well and I feel great.

Now I need to apologize. A couple of you said that you had made comments, but I never saw them. I now realize that in "Blogger" where I create the post, there is a button for me to moderate comments before they get posted. I love the comments and will look forward to more.

During the next couple weeks, they want to "restage" me. This means bone marrow test, blood tests, and PET Scan. They will try to get the PET done before I leave for about an 8 or 9 day trip to North Dakota. My home town (Powers Lake) is celebrating its centennial and I want to visit with a bunch of old buddies who will be there.

Postponement

I am sure many of you were expecting Chemo - Day 4. Because of low platelet count, Dr. Lindgren postponed chemo for 1 week. He said that it is normal for the body to need a little extra time to catch up this way. You may also wonder about this picture. If you look closely to the right side, you should see a semicircular area of red. I played golf yesterday and this is the area in the back of the cap above the strap. After a round of golf, Anita and I went square dancing - a very full day.

Chemo - Day 3

This was taken this morning. You may not be able to see the amount of hair loss, but it is very significant. I am going to post the previous pictures on Day 1 and Day 2. By the way, the Hawaiian shirts allow for easier access to my portacath so that is my uniform. I am now 50% through with chemotherapy. I feel great even though I am missing some hair. I have some days where energy is an issue, but overall I really do feel good. I square dance every Monday and actually played golf about a week ago (went well). Thanks for all your prayers on my behalf.