Hello Again

No news is good news, right? Turns out this is the case.  My last set of scans showed not only no new growth or spread but also had measurable shrinkage!!!  We are talking 3mm or about an 1/8th of an inch but I will take it!

The new drug continues to be so much easier to deal with than any other treatment regiment I have been on. Since my last post I have tried to be more physically active and have done a 5k run and sprint triathlon.  Still painfully slow according to my standards but I have come a long way from even six months ago. I had planned on doing RAMROD this year (event is today) but it is best I did not as the 11 mile bike during the super flat sprint triathlon course was enough for me.  Definitely not in a good condition to knock out a 150 mile and 10,000 ft elevation course today. Maybe next year :)

In other good news, we got a new puppy! Her name is Cider and she is 14 weeks old today and quite the handful.  It is a good thing she is cute so I can forgive her for all the accidents in the house.

First meeting

Don't I look cute at 7 weeks old?

Cider and Jack.  She has nearly tripled in weight since we first took her home.

The older dog has come around to mostly enjoying her company. I think he doesn't quite like all the chewing she does on his tail, legs, ears, lips, basically anything she can get a hold of.  They play together which helps wear out the near endless puppy energy she has.  As for the two cats, they still aren't appreciating the new fur ball as Cider likes to chase after them.  

Here's to hoping that my next update isn't in another five months. Stay cool in this heatwave!

Stable is Good

It has been another six weeks so scan time is here.  Results are in and things are stable. Stable means nothing really has changed in six weeks, no new tumors and no appreciable growth or shrinkage of existing.  Of course we would like to see it disappear off scans stable is pretty good, especially when the immunotherapy I am on has little side effects.  Oh, and I am also being treated here in Portland now so no more trips down to LA every two weeks which should free up some time.  I have been enjoying the nice unseasonably sunny weather here.  In fact we have had the chance to take the convertible out a few times already this year.

Speaking of sunny weather I had the chance to visit the big island of Hawaii a few weeks ago and had a great time, stay tuned for a post on that later!

First Scan on New Trial

Good news folks! Scan results came back with no spread of disease and a decrease in size from 3.1 to 2.8cm. I am so excited and happy with this result. Still not the end but a great step in the right direction. I have even started talks to move treatment up to Portland which will help with the commute. If the trend continues we may even get to start talking about removing the affected node and keeping a good eye on things. 

I am sitting in the chair getting my next dose. Side effects with this are minimal but make me a bit drowsy the first day especially. Time to take a nap and relax.