Radiation treatments begin this week...

I will start taking my radiation treatments on Thursday this week in Houston. My oncologist strongly suggested I take my radiation at MD Anderson due to the location of my Lymphoma. It is very close to my heart and lungs and they need to make sure to avoid those vital organs and they feel better about doing this treatment at MD Anderson. Also, the radiation will enhance my remission rate.

So...I will have a total of 22 treatments starting on Thursday, March 27th and ending on Friday, April 25th. I will be staying in Houston during the week and traveling home to Fort Worth on the weekends. I know Houston very well, so I am not stressing over it. I will however, miss 2 of Daniel's golf tournaments, but he tells me he will not make any hole-in-ones without me there to witness!

Easter celebrates new life...

Today I recognize and celebrate how Christ was raised from death. It is an appropriate time to look to the future and hope for new life which God can give.

This reminds me of how all cancer patients feel when they are finished with chemo. They feel they have been raised from the dead! They have new energy. They have new purpose. They have that look in their eyes which says, "I'm back".

I pray that everyone has a sense of that feeling this Easter day. Even if you have not gone through chemo, we all have issues and can experience hope for the future. I have hope for the future that I did not once have. I pray for healing in everyone this Easter.

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! According to his great mercy, he has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead.—Saved by his life.

“For God has made me fruitful in the land of my affliction.”

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our affliction, so that we may be able to comfort those who are in any affliction, with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God. For as we share abundantly in Christ's sufferings, so through Christ we share abundantly in comfort too.

Now for a little while, if necessary, you have been grieved by various trials, so that the tested genuineness of your faith—more precious than gold that perishes though it is tested by fire—may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ.—But the Lord stood by me and strengthened me.

Therefore let those who suffer according to God's will entrust their souls to a faithful Creator while doing good.

1 Pet. 1:3; Gen. 41:52; 2 Cor. 1:3-5; 1 Pet. 1:6, 7; 2 Tim. 4:17; 1 Pet. 4:19

New Study on NHL...

This is a picture of a Non-Hodgkin's Lymphoma cell (pink) being attacked by the chemo drug "Rituxan". I took this chemo drug 6 times over 4 months and was a big reason for my remission. The picture was taken from a recent article in Scientific American which discusses the recent study confirming the increase in patients living longer using these drugs. This drug is made by Genentech and has been used since 1997. I am hopeful that I will be one of the "long lifers". It also mentions that 20 in 100,000 will get NHL. That is incredible odds against most people getting NHL. I think it is 1 in 5,000 or 2 in 10,000 or 8 in 40, 000. How many of you have been to a Ranger's baseball game? That means that 8 people in the entirely full stadium would get NHL. That seems like pretty good odds for most people. So, the next time you are at the Ballpark...look around and see if you can find the 8 people. And, for people under age 45 who are using Rituxan, 56% of the 8 will live 10 years or longer.

Counts back up...in the snow!

My latest lab test showed improvement in my blood counts! One of the things I have been doing all along is keeping a pretty detailed record of my counts over the weeks. Here is a snapshot of the past 3 weeks and how it has moved up and down through chemo and recovery. The numbers at the top are what "normal" ranges should be in a person my age.

(The PLT count is actually pretty low; it should be over 100. Some of you remember when I had a blood transfusion, the PLT count was at 3).

I am now on the "upper end" of normal lows, which is pretty good. That means that for a chemo patient, they are pretty normal, but for a non-chemo patient, they would be pretty low. I feel much better today and am still a bit tired, but feel more energy today than in the past 2 weeks. I should start improving with each day as my body continues to replace much of the cell loss over the past 4 months. I have another test on Tuesday and Friday of next week.

I have several tests and dr. appts in Houston the week of March 18th at MD Anderson. These tests will indicate the current stage and ultimate results of the 4 months of chemo. Each of the last 3 tests have all showed no cancer growth and reduced tumor size in my medial stinal (chest) area, so I am looking forward to the same progression results. The tests in 2 weeks will also give a base-line for the radiation oncologists to recommend radiation in the next phase. As indicated by my oncologist, he recommends 4 weeks of radiation once chemo is completed. I should be able to start the radiation treatments the last week of March here in Fort Worth.

I am looking forward to the radiation treatments as the final stage of this incredible process. I have heard that radiation is not as intense as chemo, so I am hoping to be able to return to more normal activities during this treatment. ...can I remember what "normal" activities means?

It snowed here in Fort Worth on Monday and Thursday of this week. It has been so warm and sunny in the 60s and 70s for many days prior to this week. We all were getting use to the warmth and expecting Spring to be here for good. However, life can be unexpected at times! We enjoyed one more week of winter in Cowtown.... we will be longing for these days in August.

Low counts today...

I am entering my low blood count stage of chemo today through Friday and so I will be watching things pretty closely. My WBC and Platletes are all very low today. The issue (as always) is fighting simple infections with such a low WBC and also the threat of excess bleeding with a low Platelete count. I will stay away from un-cooked foods for several days and also keep my "contact sports" to a minimum to avoid possible bruising.

My RBC and HGB are low, but not too low like in past rounds. The RBC is where my energy comes from and it has been decent so far relative to past rounds. I still don't feel great, but am pushing to the finish line as much as I can because I can't stand this any more! Feeling tired and sick for 4 months kinda gets old. I know that my low counts today through the week will get better, so that keeps me staying positive.