Merry Christmas

I hope all of you had a very pleasant Christmas. We sure did. The kids have received many thoughtful gifts from lots of people. This has probably been their "biggest" Christmas ever. Several of them had asked me what we were going to do for Christmas. They understood that this year would be quite different from the norm, and they were worried they would have to forgo presents altogether. But many of you made sure their Christmas was beyond their dreams. They've had so much fun.

The review of my ongoing blood tests a few days ago brought good news. My tumor markers have begun to fall again. As of a week ago, they had fallen to 175. So we're still making progress. My PET scan is scheduled for January 7, and that will give a picture of how much things have changed.

Although the chemo I'm receiving at this treatment center is a world different from standard chemotherapy (it's only about 10% of the standard chemo dose for one thing), it still has side effects that tend to accumulate. I had lots of trouble with red blood cell counts during my first round of cancer and chemo, but this time, it has gone much better. Probably that's because of all the green juice as well as the regular chlorophyll supplements I've been taking. My white blood cells, on the other hand, have been presenting a problem. I've had to have weekly Neupogen shots to boost my white blood cell production. Last week, I began fighting a severe cold which evidently complicated matters even more because I had to have 3 Neupogen shots in 6 days. I hope the need for that diminishes. That's an expensive shot - $400.00. At least I'm not being prescribed Neulasta which is what I was given for white blood cells in 2009. That shot costs $4,000 per dose.

I have also begun losing my hair again. It's not coming out fast and furiously like it did the first time around, but I'm definitely losing much more than is normal. People who choose this treatment option with the first occurrence of cancer do not tend to lose their hair. But since I've already lost mine once, hair loss is much more likely to happen again. At least I've already been there, and I know the positive aspects of being bald.

The Lord has been so dear to me during all this. He has given me a true anticipation for whatever path he chooses to take me down. Trusting him completely is such a burden-reliever. And he doesn't let us down.