Half Way Point

I am half way through treatments; I had surgery Monday morning to remove the tumor. The mass removed from my leg was approximately 3.5 inches long; the incision is about 9 inches long. I am surprised how well I am feeling. For me, the surgery has been easier than the chemo; the chemo side effects last much longer. I haven't needed pain medication since Tuesday morning. I plan to return to work this Friday.

The hardest part is giving myself shots in the stomach to prevent post-surgery blood clots. I now have some understanding of what diabetics go through. In two weeks, I meet with the surgeon and oncologist. If the tumor has responded to chemo (i.e. shows signs of dying) then I will have three more chemo cycles. If there has been no effect on the tumor then I may not have any more chemo.

I want to thank everyone for the phone calls, texts, thoughts and prayers sent my way. I truly appreciate it.

Room With a View

I’m sorry I haven’t written for some time. During my third chemo treatment, I had a room with a great view of downtown , Mt Hood, Mt Adams and Mt St Helens.

Here is a quick update on were things are right now. I am half way through my chemo treatments and I completed eight days of radiation. The end of this month the surgeon will remove my tumor. I have been very fortunate and haven’t felt ill from chemo or the radiation treatments. The biggest side effect for me is fatigue.

My doctor did a rough measurement and believes my tumor shrunk by 1 cm. I had an MRI today so I will know more accurate measures later this week.