Things are Good!

What can I say about this past week?

Not much, but a few things.

First, many have commented on the good news of the petscan and say that it is a great thing to celebrate during this holiday season. Heck, I will celebrate it any time of the year and all year if things go according to plan.

Hand/Foot Syndrome continues to be the most pervasive side effect of the Xeloda pills. It is certainly bearable and far better than dealing with chemo infusions, but it does take some care to deal with. Thank goodness for Udderly Smooth cream. We buy it in bulk. I also have neuropathy symptoms and I find some things harder to do. Sorting cards is a little more challenging and this morning, I dropped a glass bottle of pills that shattered and spread all over the floor.

This week I also did something interesting. I was cooking some meat and set the oven for a certain temperature and waited for the oven to come to temperature. Once it was at the proper temperature, I set the timer for one hour and went off to do a little work while the meat cooked. I returned an hour later to take the meat out of the oven to baste it, only to discover that I had neglected to put the meat in the oven. As a result, we ate an hour later than planned and I am now on Alzheimer watch. I am glad that forgetting things is part of chemo and I will use that as my defense if the men in white coats come knocking at the door.

I mentioned earlier that we are sleeping in the guest room which has no television. I create a tv program vignette each night to make up for the lack. Christmas Eve, we had an amateur Christmas Song program. Believe it or not, we spent a full hour singing Christmas songs and reminiscing about Christmas's past. Anyone walking by would have thought we were crazy. But being crazy can be good.

All in all, all things are good. I am grateful for so much - the research manager, supplements, Xeloda, your support and prayers. Thank you to all involved.

Christmas Letters

We all get Christmas letters from relatives and friends. I am no exception. Some times they are a little hard to take.

Today, I would like to feature two such letters from two of my nephews who are polar opposites.

In summary, Harry writes that his children are wonderful, the family went on two exciting vacation trips. Harry is working as a missionary in the Yukon and his wife Matilda was elected chairwoman of the Home and School Association for Yellowknife..

He then discussed relatives and amazingly included me. He indicated that I had stage 4 colon cancer, but that my current treatment was working better than my doctor expected. He noted that my hand/foot syndrome was continuing to be an issue and perhaps having a little more effect on my tennis hand.

Sammy, his brother, is conducting research in Antartica (I told you they were polar opposites,) He is single but  indicates that he enjoys his work and boasts of travelling extensively. He is quite the researcher and had recommended Turkey Tail Mushroom capsules when he learned of my diagnosis, He wrote in hand at the bottom of his letter that he was upset that I did not mention Turkey Tail in my blog last week when I listed the many supplements that were helping in my cancer fight.

As I get more letters, I will share them if they are interesting. Maybe even on a night other than Wednesday.

Meanwhile, my dry mouth is getting slightly better and a bridge friend, whose daughter is a dentist has arranged to get me several samples of items that will help dry mouth.

I had one very proud moment this week. When the nurse at the cancer center injected the needle into my port for the infusion of Avastin yesterday, she was quite excited that I had "Good Blood Return." I have never been told this before and am so excited to have achieved this lofty goal.

It has made my Christmas. May you also have a Happy Christmas/Holiday. And a big THANK YOU for your support.

Good News.......er Great News

I am excited to tell you that the results from my petscan last Friday were better than I could have hoped for. My liver was very close to background, which is great. Anything in my lymph nodes is getting smaller.

So, the big question is why?

It could be any, part or all of the following:

The Xeloda
Curcumin
AHCC
Essiac Tea
Beta Glucan
Chaga Mushroom Tea
Far Infrared Saunas
Epsom Salt Soaks
My positive attitude
Exercise
The prayers and support of many.

I don't care which of these are effective. I will keep taking all these things. I am so happy that something(s) is(are) working as well as it(they) appear(s) to be.

Sure, I have hand/foot syndrome. Yes, I still have dry mouth. Yes, it took Jillian, a new tech at the petscan center three pokes to get blood out of me. But these things are worth it.

Meanwhile, people continue to tell me that I look younger. I was beginning to think about my roots. Would you believe that 23 and Me identified that I come from Ork!?

Thanks to the research manager for helping to get me to this point. Thanks to you all for your prayers and support. Don't take me off your or your church's prayer list yet. I need all the help that I can get.

Professional, Petscan and Publishing

Here we are,,,,,,another week and only a little change.

In terms of my health, the hand/foot syndrome is slightly worse, I think. You might think that this is not good news. However, there is an element of good news to this. I am going to wear two pairs of socks when I play tennis. Why is this good news? I have learned that most professional tennis players wear two pairs of socks when they play. So, I am being elevated to the professional ranks. I will effectively be the first 1.0 professional tennis player!

My mouth dryness persists, but the Biotene Gel is fairly effective.

This coming Friday, I will have my next Petscan, I am anxious to see the results, but also a touch anxious about the results.

Everyone knows that french fries are not great for my diet, but some days, I weaken and we get an order of fish and chips to share. The other day, I took about 9/16 of the fries and left the rest for the research manager. She alleges that she took 5/16 of the total number of fries and left 1/8 in the box. When I took my plate into the kitchen, there were no fries in the box.

Now, the research manager alleges that I took the 1/8 portion and that my guilt about it has repressed my memory.

I know that she must have taken the 1/8 portion and am sure that her guilt has repressed her memory of it,

If anyone has a video of our kitchen activities this past Monday, I would appreciate being able to prove the research manager wrong.

Speaking of wrong, based on last week's reveal about my recreating television shows, given that there is no television in the guest bedroom, I thought that I might recreate a "Days of Our Lives" scene (verbally!), As I began "John's" words, the research manager yelled "NO!" several times. Apparently, she does not enjoy that show.

Oh well, I will have a video of my Petscan on Friday and I hope that it will be a show that we can both enjoy.

On other fronts, I have submitted my book to a publisher and they are beginning an editing process. I will keep you informed.