Yesterday was a bit of a milestone in the treatment process. My family and I met with Dr. Dean first thing in the morning to review the results from Friday's interim PET scan. The scan shows the rate at which cells "uptake" or metabolize a radioactive sugar that is injected before the test is administered. Highly active cells appear to glow in the image, so naturally cancer cells appear to glow more than the normal tissue cells around them. Using my original scan as a baseline Dr. Dean could determine that the cancerous lymph nodes in my chest are responding well to the treatment, shrinking and approaching normal size again. This trend should continue with more chemo therapy, and following the meeting I went in for my fifth treatment (the beginning of my 3rd cycle). My prognosis is excellent, just gotta' keep on truckin'!
Last week was a good week with some welcome visits from family and friends. First my good buddies Jeff and JD made the long drive from NYC and DC, respectively. We had a great time catching up and squeezed in some fishing and shooting during their stay. They also brought quite the care package on behalf of their families, with a least a weeks worth of AWESOME home cooked dinners and desserts. I have to say, as much as I'm looking forward to having this whole process behind me, it is going to be tough going back to eating my own lousy cooking when it' all said and done.
As if that wasn't enough, Tori and Amanda spoiled us on Tuesday with stuffed peppers and mashed potatoes - Thank you guys again! Tori also picked me up a sweatshirt specially designed for chemotherapy patients. The shirt is made by a company called "Libre", which was started by some fellow Miami alumni and friends of ours. Check out their website - they've got a really great concept going and their clothes would make great gift for anyone else you might know dealing with a similar situation.
We also got a visit from my future sister-in-law Leeann. After my treatment yesterday, with Becky stuck in the office her and I took a trip down to the new Greater Cleveland Aquarium. Being the fish-head/nature geek that I am I felt right at home with all the elementary school kids that were running around sticking their noses up to the tanks. The aquarium was built into the re-purposed FirstEnergy Powerhouse building and it was cool to see how they incorporated some of the original architecture into the aquarium layout.
We also got a visit from my future sister-in-law Leeann. After my treatment yesterday, with Becky stuck in the office her and I took a trip down to the new Greater Cleveland Aquarium. Being the fish-head/nature geek that I am I felt right at home with all the elementary school kids that were running around sticking their noses up to the tanks. The aquarium was built into the re-purposed FirstEnergy Powerhouse building and it was cool to see how they incorporated some of the original architecture into the aquarium layout.
Besides not being able to fish much recently all other news is good. Still holding onto a little bit of hair up top, enough that I haven't had to wear a hat to work yet. Blood counts were good again this week and aside from some fatigue in the evenings I've had plenty of energy and have yet to miss a day of work. Thanks as always for your support and for checking out the blog!
P.S. My fishing blog is only 4 followers shy of 100! If you haven't signed up, humor me and check it out by clicking here. Some of the fishing jargon may not register with you but you may find the pictures interesting if nothing else
P.S. My fishing blog is only 4 followers shy of 100! If you haven't signed up, humor me and check it out by clicking here. Some of the fishing jargon may not register with you but you may find the pictures interesting if nothing else
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