Here We Go Again…

This second round of cancer treatment begins in earnest this week. It actually began two weeks ago when I begin the second round of immuno-chemotherapy. It has been an interesting two weeks of recovering from the first chemo session as I've had a pretty different reaction than I had in the first round of chemo. So I'm not too sure what to expect in the second installment of this round. We are also probably looking at, at least, a two month odyssey as we go through this second round. Here's what is coming up…

Tuesday:  I get a complete blood test to see if I'm ready for the immuno-chemotherapy session that will take place on Friday. My blood numbers have been good over the last couple months so I'm anticipating this will go well.

Wednesday: Joyce and I will head down to Stanford for a consult on the upcoming stem cell transplant. The appointment is at 1PM and we will be there probably until about 4:30. I have a lot of questions about what a stem cell transplant consists of so I'm looking forward to this consult. One impressive thing about the doctors at Stanford is how much time they take with you. The first half of the consult will be with the doctors who will be doing the stem cell transplant. They'll be telling me what to expect, which I've been eager to hear. The second half of the consult will be with the social worker who will explain the side issues; insurance etc. that go with us. We will have some opportunity to discuss our future Insurance options, possible disability status, and other issues like that. Will drive back up to El Dorado after that appointment.

Friday: Friday morning we will begin the second session of the second round of the of immuno-chemotherapy. Last time it took about 2 hours. I would anticipate about the same time frame on this one. Hopefully, Joyce will stay upright throughout the whole procedure and be able to drive me home instead of having to go to the hospital in an ambulance.

Monday:  We are scheduled to go back to Stanford with another consult with the Stanford oncologists. They will be going over the bigger picture of our treatment over the next few months. At least I think that's what we'll be talking about. Hopefully after this consult we will know a lot more about what's going on.

So, this coming week is going to be a very busy one. We would appreciate your prayers for a good outcome to the chemotherapy and a good outlook in terms of the stem cell transplant. There are a lot of issues that are up in the air for us, but God knows what's coming and is walking through it with us. Thank you for praying for us. We appreciate it very much and would appreciate a few extra prayers being thrown up for us this week. God bless and thank you.