Hello from Madison where it's warm & muggy...
Treatment has gone very well today. It was procedure as usual today...potassium and then chemo drugs (2) then more potassium. Tuesday's our long day...Wednesday & Thursday will be much shorter for administering the drugs.

We met with the doc (not our usual Dr. Rose, but another in the group we've met with before and like, Dr. Bailey). I am scheduled for a PETscan on Monday, August 16 with treatment following as usual on the 17th, 18th, and 19th - assuming all goes well with the PETscan. "Well" means that the scan will show, after this 3rd treatment has had time to do its thing, that the cancer is shrinking - is GONE too much to hope for??? - and remission is hopeful. He said the scan could show "no change" and in that case, we would keep on for another 3 cycles with another PETscan after that. The scan could also show that things have progressed or grown and in that case, we'll take a step back and look at what else can be done. He said that if the scan shows growth - not a good thing - even then, we are still in this "together", meaning that we will explore options together and they won't turn me out with a "have a good life, what's left" attitude.

I voiced my concern about the effectiveness of the chemo now since I have not lost my hair as expected. He said that we are not to gauge the effectiveness of the chemo on the inside of my body with what I see on the outside. Most people do, he said. But it is not an accurate test.

My "numbers" were good, though my blood pressure shot sky high just when they took it before giving me the "scull & crossbones" drugs (that's what I call the chemo stuff...comes with bright orange warning labels, nurses are suited up in protective garb...and they hang that stuff and run it into my IV...but we pray it's working!). However, when they took it early during the doc appointment, it was very normal. Just before they took it before the chemo, we had waited over 2 hours for the chemo appointment. When I went to check why so long, the receptionist said that I hadn't checked in - but I had, and with her! She just forgot to check me in...so by the time I got in for chemo, I guess I was stressed. I wasn't feeling that way particularly because we were visiting, but I was anxious about being next & getting started. And I hadn't eaten anything at all yet and it was nearly 11:00. So - to make a long, boring story come to an end, I ate lunch and "calmed down" and my blood pressure came right down to the normal range again. Good.

We had supper at Porky Pine Pete's BBQ. Very good...smoked pulled pork and smoked brisket...yumm! We also had smoked mashed sweet potatoes - that was excellent - and smoked chocolate chip cookies...very unique!!!

Oh - and earlier with lunch we had Babcock ice cream. Very good and creamy. See, we really come to Madison to eat; the chemo is just a guise to get us here!

All is well...very well. THANK YOU, FATHER!!!!!!!! The scriptures about dancing and praising God - that's us, except we're too tired to do much dancing on the outside. We ARE dancing on the inside!!!!!

Love you...
Don & Deb