CT scan

I had a CT scan today. This is the first check point since starting the chemotherapy treatments. This will tell us if the chemotherapy is working or not. Whether or not the cancer is shrinking, staying the same, or continuing to grow. I might hear the results tomorrow, but most likely not until Monday when I meet with the doctor again for my next chemotherapy treatment. Obviously I am anxious to see the results.
This past week has been good. I have felt good and the fatigue has been minimal. Now that I know what affect the chemotherapy has on me, it's hard to get excited about going in for another treatment.
You can find more information about CT scans here:

http://www.ehealthmd.com/library/ctscan/CTS_whatis.html

Nadir Check 2

I went in for my Nadir check today. They do a blood test about 10 days after each chemotherapy dose to make sure your cell counts are not too low. They call this the Nadir check. I passed. My cell counts are sufficiently low as expected, but not too low to cause concern. Here is a link with more information about Nadir:

http://www.chemocare.com/whatis/what_is_nadir.asp

Throat Specialist

I had an appointment with an Ear Nose/Throat/Specialist today. We discussed surgical options for fixing my paralyzed left vocal chord. The hope was that over time the nerve that controls this paralyzed vocal chord would heal and start to function again, this has not happened and chances are that it won't at this point . Given the difficulty to speak, and realization that it is not going to fix itself, we determined it would be best to pursue the surgery. The doctor says that the surgery does a very good job of restoring the voice and correcting other side effects such as coughing and difficulty swallowing. The surgery involves surgically implanting what amounts to a prosthetic implant in the throat to close the gap where the non-functioning vocal chord is. This is done through a hole that is cut in the front of the neck/throat, all while I am partially awake!?!? I am looking forward to being able to carry on a conversation again, talk on the phone and be heard. The surgery is scheduled for March 19th.

Bald head

There have been many requests for a picture of my bald head, so here you go.

Last week was rough

Skipped church today to get some rest. Last week was rough. It amazes me that no matter how much sleep I get, when I wake up I still feel like I haven’t slept in a week. This only encourages me since this means the drugs are doing their job. Each day I seem to get back a little more strength, so if I can just hold on a few more days, things will be much better. Monica is awesome, I could not do this without her.

Antigua

Picture of us in Antigua on vacation.

Second round

This second round of chemo is kicking my butt. I can’t keep any food down, and I feel like someone ran me over with their truck, and then stopped and backed over me just to make sure they didn’t miss. I do feel better than I did yesterday, but I need to figure out how to get some food to stay down as I am feeling very weak. Happy Valentines Day. Monica made a wonderful looking cake for the occasion, I may not be able to enjoy it this year.