Update 08/20/14

I went to see the oncologist yesterday, had my blood work done prior to my visit, and I learned a couple things and verified others. Long story short I will most likely have a total of six chemo treatments spaced three or four weeks apart. The spacing between treatments gives my body a chance to get my blood levels back to normal. So I started my third treatment today, so far so good, it was the double chemical, etoposide and carboplatin, the next two days I get the etoposide only, I believe.

I asked about the number of treatments and he explained it this way. The first treatment you have x number of cancer cells in your body and the first treatment kills a percentage of these cells, and each successive treatment kills a lessor percentage of cancer cells so by the six treatment the percentage of cells killed is at a level where another treatment would cause more harm to the body compared to the percentage of cells killed. So they stop the treatment and basically consider the cancer in remission until scheduling testing indicates the cancer growing, then treatments begin again. So that is our plan and hopefully and with the Good Lord’s help I will get to this point.

I am tired today but I attribute that to the fact I didn’t get to bed until almost midnight and up at six this morning, so it is early to bed tonight.

Sarah is going to stay at Daniel & Marie’s tonight, Thursday and Friday nights, while they are gone on a short trip for their anniversary. So I get the whole bed to myself.

If you are in our area call and come visit, I will tell you if I don’t feel up to visitors, there are only a couple days out of the treatment cycles where I don’t feel like getting together with anyone.

So bottom line is I feel better most days than I have for over a year, the doctor seems to think I am doing good enough to say I can travel any day I want within how I feel. So we are planning a couple of trips.

Thank you for all you prayers and thoughts they really do help.

Later.

Update 08/13/14

Here we are three weeks after my last chemo treatment and I feel really good. I have an appointment with the oncologist next Tuesday, Aug 19, for lab work and to determine if I need another round of chemo, which I will do immediately if it is needed. I keep praying for the cancer to be contained to the prostate and the lymph nodes only. If I don’t need more chemo right away and the doctor ok’s it I want to go visit some folks in Burlington and Des Moines area, so Sarah and I will make a road trip. If we can’t do it then we will make the trip another day.
We aren’t doing much, I haven’t felt like it for the last couple weeks. Cynthia has been over to visit, she went to Sarah and her great niece’s wedding in Houston Aug 2, I wanted to ago but there is no way we could so we didn’t. This week we have long time friends Orren & Norma visiting for a couple days, it is great to see them. We went out to eat last night and showed them a bit of the area where we live and then spent a nice evening at home.
Robert, Sarah, Mason and Madyson stopped on their way to Denver a week ago Monday. They stayed the night, we went to Daniel & Marie's for pizza and a nice visit. The kids stayed in a motel because I was just done with a chemo treatment. The kids liked the motel because there was a pool. It was great to see them, we haven't seen them since April and aren't sure when we will get up to WI next, depends on the doctor visit next week. Mason and Madyson told us all about their activities, Mason in baseball and Madyson in dance and gymnastics. What a busy family, I get tired just thinking about all they do. This past Monday they stopped for a short time on their way home. They left Denver at 0530 and arrived home at 10:35 pm, 17 hrs on the road, it is good they are young. I remember doing something like that when I was younger but I don't believe I would even attempt it today.
Today the person who handles the warranty work for our builder is coming over to fix some of the things the workers didn’t do correctly or forgot to do, it isn’t much mostly small things but I figured as long as it is covered under the warranty I want to get it done.
We are going to Daniel’s tonight, Emily’s birthday, 8 years old today, so we are going over for a family thing tonight and Saturday she will have a party for her friends.
We are busy but we aren’t, I still read a lot and spend too much time on the computer playing stupid games but I enjoy it. I am reading a series of books by WEB Griffin, I like his writing. Although as I have found a lot of the writers I like aren’t writing the books with their name on them, they have other writers do the writing and they put their names on the books. Is that ethical? I guess as long as you declare it on the cover it doesn’t make any difference.
Well that’s it for now.