Update

Well the good news is I survived the tests yesterday. It seems the more MRI's that I do, the more I hate them. I am getting to the point I am lucky to get through them to be honest. The older I get the less I like enclosed spaces and not being able to move around. The CT's I can handle no problem. But the other thing is doing all of them in one day, including all the other test's, makes for a really long day. Not to mention the trips themselves are getting harder and harder. All I can say is I will be really glad to be home tomorrow night.

The test results. Bottom line, things are worse. There is a new spot in one of my lungs, and several of the nodules in my lungs are bigger. Several of the infefected lymph nodes under my arm have doubled in size. The latest chemo. has had no effect on the cancer at all. There still is a spot in my brain, but it still remains unchanged and they won't call it cancer. We talked about two other possible drugs. One of which simply hasn't shown much promise. The second, Yervoy (Ipilimumab), is the one we have decided to try. It has shown good results in some people but still not anything to get excited about. It has a lot of very tough and dangerous side effects. It is a drug that we can get at home but the doctor was very clear that due to the side effects being so tough, that he wants a doctor who is familiar with it to administer it. So at this point we are leaning on coming to Houston to get it. I will have to have an IV port put back in my arm. It is a drug that is given every three weeks and should only be about four rounds. We will come back to Houston in three weeks to have the port installed and do some other follow up issues. We asked about why I have been so sick lately. The doctor told us that one reason is probably due to the large mass under my arm. He told us that as it grows the cells in the center die because they aren't getting enough nutrition and as they die they get into the blood stream and go to the rest of the body. Thus causing fever and night sweats and other issues.

Needless to say it was a tough day for Rebecca and I. We even noticed, for the first time, a sense of defeat or frustration in the doctor. I think we all know that the options are getting slimmer, and with me feeling worse each week it is getting tougher. But we will press on, that is all we can do at this point. I am still hoping they will find a magic pill for nausea and vomiting. Well that is all for now. Been a long day and there is baseball on. Gonna see if I can get lost in the game for a few hours.

Remember every day to put one foot in front of the other, drink a lot of water and don't forget to breath.............

Quick Update

Well it was another beautiful fall day in Oklahoma. My wonderful wife and I got to go on an actual date tonight. What a wonderful and relaxing time it was. We actually got to go out to eat and to a movie. I have always loved spending time with my wife, but as you can imagine I value it these days even more. Plus with all the craziness of our schedules and the way I have been feeling we don't get to do it much anymore. Great night baby!

Not to mention today was a good day for me. The last week has been rough with lot's of nausea, fever and vomitting. And the typical no energy. We don't know if it is the cancer or the chemo. At this point I don't know if there is any telling the difference. I just know since getting home from Houston, it has been rough. We did manage to take the kids out of school early on Monday and take them to the Tulsa State Fair. What a great day that was. It always brings me great joy, not matter how bad I feel, to watch the kids laugh and have fun. Mom rode several of the rides with the kids, we ate lots of fair food and did lots of sight seeing. (My favorite thing is the people watching, which is a blog for another day!) It was a great day. The kids are doing good, staying busy as always. Lots of sports and school work. Rebecca is good with another crazy work week and taking care of me.

I have to tell you a story. Last week when Dad and I left for Houston we stopped in a small town in southeastern Oklahoma called Atoka. There is a Dariy Queen there where I love to eat. To make a really long story short, as we were leaving, I backed into a car that was pulling into the parking lot. It was a sweet older lady, and I felt horrible. After the proverbial exchanging of information we left to continue our trip. The following day Dad called her. Come to find out she and her late husband were members of the First Baptisit Church in Ada when Dad was the pastor there. After realizing that they each remembered each other, it was a homecoming of sorts. And after an almost 30 minute conversation two old friends were reunited. So I guess sometimes good can really come from bad. Speaking of driving to Houston, Rebecca and I leave next Tuesday to go back. This is the big trip. Testing to determine if the new drug is working, and decisions as to what will be done next. We are anxious as you can imagine. And no it never get's any easier not matter how many times we do it. So this will be a long week and weekend. Thank goodness there is football to watch. We will have answers a week from Thursday and I will let everyone know what we find out as soon as I can.

Hope everyone is doing well and having a great fall!

Remember everyday to put one foot in front of the other, drink a lot of water, and don't forget to breath................