I have been doing pretty well for
the past few weeks. We saw Dr. Tolentino a couple of times in the past month. I
have completed all radiation treatments scheduled for now. There will not be
more radiation in those same areas already radiated. The old brain can only
take so much of those gamma rays. If I grow a new tumor in a different area,
more radiation is a possibility.
I have been started on infusions of
Avastin now. We go in once every two weeks for an infusion treatment. The first
two went well, so now the third will take only 30 minutes or so. It takes a bit
longer because first you go in and have labs drawn, then you see the oncologist
to make sure everything is going well, then you are sent down to get the
infusion treatment. The two most common side effects of this drug are elevated
blood pressure and nose bleeds. I get pretty tired, but if I get in a nap each
day for about an hour, I do pretty well. I get a slight headache in the front
of my head when I get really tired – not too bad overall. I feel pretty normal
right now.
We will get an MRI of the brain
every three months to see how things are going. After that, we decide on any
treatment changes needed.
Margaret has been busy cleaning and
getting ready for a September 1st wedding for Tom and Michelle. I
told Johnny that at our house if you sit still you will be painted, dusted, or
sent to Goodwill in a bag. We are hosting the pre-nuptial dinner in our back
yard, so we are cleaning and greening to beat everything around here.
I am on my crash two week diet to
make sure I can tie a neck tie and button my dress shirt for the wedding.
All else goes well. I have not seen
many cardinals lately, but I still hear them once in a while. I do get to see a
few of the little yellow finches that I also enjoy. I am reading a book about
John the Baptist, and have one waiting called “Rome Sweet Home” by Scott Hahn. I
also got a book from a friend about miracles that do happen that I need to read
yet. The more I read, the more I learn about my faith and about God’s great
plan for all of us. We waste a lot of our lives worrying about things that are
not going to mean so much in the next step of our journey. It takes a terminal
illness or a great tragedy for many of us to realize what is important and what
is trivial in the grand scheme of things. I want to thank all of you for your
prayers and concerns for our family through all of this. We do greatly
appreciate all of the love we have been given.
Let’s live each day to its fullest, be the best version of
ourselves we can be, and stop to listen to a songbird once in a while!
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