The very latest...

There is not much news to report from our latest appointment. Mid-cycle of round eleven was one of our easiest and quickest days at the clinic. Most of the discussion was around my losing another three pounds since our last visit. It is still believed that the sense of taste issue is a side-effect of the drug, and it may become necessary for us to decrease the dosage to see if it will help. We continue to watch this closely.

The magnesium pills I have been taking do seem to be helping. For the first time in four visits, I didn't have to have an infusion. That was a blessing. When we arrived at the clinic, we found that all of the "Phase I" treatment personnel and equipment had been moved to the other end of the building. They had been talking about such a move for months, so we began to believe it wasn't going to happen. The new treatment room is much more attractive and spacious. It should be quite an improvement.

We feel so blessed to have a place like CTRC. We love all of the caregivers there, from the doctors and nurses to the volunteers to the schedulers and everyone in between. The care we have received has been administered with love. We have gotten to know so many fellow cancer survivors and their spouses, each one with their own unique story. We are inspired by all of them, warriors who refuse to give in and won't give up. Almost every visit we are given the opportunity to meet someone new and share pieces of our common journey together. We have been blessed so much! God is so Good!

Love you all

Another Monday at CTRC...

...this time began cycle # 11 on LDE225, which translates into 40 weeks completed. That's over nine months on this drug. CT scans were done first thing, and in order to continue on the present course, tumors must be deemed "stable or better." Dr. Mita jokingly said the radiologists were wondering what treatment had caused the disappearance of the masses in my left lung. The ones in the right lung were virtually the same size, so we were very happy with that.

We have been considering the possibility of surgery on the right lung, but feel that I need more time to get over this one before doing so. So the "stable" report means that there should be no urgency to do the surgery. My next scan is in eight weeks, so we will see what is going on at that time. In the meantime, our schedule looks the same as it has been for most of the past nine months.

I have not been doing much for the past couple of weeks. We have enjoyed our time at home, and it has given me some time to recover from surgery. My regular breathing is pretty close to normal, but any time I exert I am easily winded. Time will help with that, as well as gradually increasing my level of activity. I haven't been back to work yet, but plan to begin on Monday.

The biggest problem I am having, and it seems to be working into a bigger one, is eating. Much tougher than I anticipated, it's gotten to a point where absolutely nothing tastes good--everything tastes bad. It's a struggle every day to figure out something I can eat, and it is becoming a real problem. Please pray for us about this.

Thanks to all of you so much for all of your love and support.

It's good to be home again.

We have spent the bigger part of the past couple of weeks away. We are looking forward to spending the next several days with our dogs, our girls, our family, and our friends, not necessarily in that order. We have such a super good home away from home with Janis and Don, and we have such great fellowship with them, but, as the girl in the red shoes said, there's no place like home.

We had a mostly routine mid-cycle visit today with Dr. Mita's PA, with the exception of another hour-long infusion of magnesium. For some reason, my level is lower than normal. I guess it's time to start back up on the mag pills and the almonds. In the past two-and-a-half years, I may have the world record for eating almonds, mostly during the time I was being treated with Reolysin. That really knocked my magnesium down. Anyway, as I've said before, routine is good at this point. Our next visit involves CT scans, the first since surgery. Should be interesting to see what it all looks like.

I have been eating better the last two days. Helen made me a nuclear milkshake last night, using chocolate flavored Ensure and chocolate ice cream. It was loaded and probably the reason I've gained two pounds back. I think it had enough calories in it to boil water. Food has not tasted as bad, for which we are thankful. I know several of you have prayed about that on our behalf. (to Dora's Daddy: If I didn't like lobster before surgery, do you think it's possible I will like it after surgery? Maybe I should try it! :) )

We are tired, as usual, and Helen works tomorrow. I'm not sure how she does everything she does. She has become my bodyguard, my caretaker, my chauffeur, as well as everything else she's always been to me. It's just God's sustaining grace as she yields to Him. I'm so thankful for her. God has so blessed me with her.

"Praise the Lord, my soul; all my inmost being, praise His holy name. Praise the Lord, my soul, and forget not all his benefits--who forgives all your sins and heals all your diseases, who redeems your life from the pit and crowns you with love and compassion, who satisfies your desires with good things so that your youth is renewed like the eagle's..." (from one of my favorite psalms, Psalm 103.)

Kenny