Tough News

Some tough news this week.

As we approached chemo yesterday, I was feeling pretty good. Dry mouth was the only thing of note bothering me.

My numbers were okay before I met with Dr. Patel. But my White Blood Cells and Red Blood Cells were low and my platelet count was very low at 88. When I ask about the numbers, I am told that they are okay for someone on chemo. I am not sure that reassures me.

Then I met with Dr. Patel who advised me that no matter how good my petscan was next week, he was recommending another 4 rounds of chemo. He indicated that the full 6 months of chemo followed by maintenance was the most effective treatment. I, obviously am not delighted by this, but, it is what it is.

The research manager said that she thought that Dr. Patel wanted to do four more sessions because I am a good responder. Do you think that allows me to join events that recognize first responders? Or to get free things offered for first responders?

Some interesting observations from the week.

I went to buy a few shirts and picked up a neat red and black shirt (size L) that went well with my tennis shorts. When I put on the shirt, it looked more like a muscle shirt and I decided to return it. When I looked at the labels, I realized that I had purchased a kids large! Talk about chemo brain.

We had a great Kentucky Derby party this past Saturday. I won first prize for the best men's costume as I dressed up as a bookie. The interesting thing is that I forgot how to tie a tie. I finally figured it out, but it is indicative of what life in Florida does for you.

The cleaning lady comes every other Monday. I have always wondered what she thinks of the rubber duckies. Monday evening, I found that they were all moved from the places that I had left them Sunday night. Now I don't know how to interpret their locations since they have been interfered with.

Finally, I have found myself migrating to black shirts and dark gray shirts. I wear them when I know that I will not be seeing anyone that knows about red shirts. Imagine my surprise when I dropped into Halong Bay in a dark gray shirt and one of the waitresses asked why I was not wearing a red shirt!

So, folks, I want you to know that a black or dark gray shirt is now also a good sign. Green and Blue is still away down the list. Yellow is in the middle.

That's about it for tonight. Last night, I slept for 11 hours and I am hoping to do the same tonight. Rest is good.

One final note. My friend from Tampa who has pancreatic cancer has had a very tough time. She needs all the support and prayers that we can offer.