Wed. July 22nd

Well, it is good to be back home with Jamie and in familiar surroundings. Today I am going to be headed up to a satellite facility to Sloan-Kettering in Basking Ridge, NJ. This location was recommended to me by the other two guys, (Nick and Hiram) whom I met up in New York City and they said it to be more convenient and closer than going all the way into the city.

I have to get labwork done today along with a CT Scan. From the CT Scan they will be making a determination if anything additional needs to be done with my procedure for the left neck lymph node dissection on Aug 8th.

I will be having pre-admissions testing performed in NYC next Thursday which will require a trip into the city. That is pretty much where all of the treatment stands at this point. I can't explain how nice it is to be home.

A quick note to Tommie and Laurie Davis, I got your package and the Shawnee Mission West T-Shirt fits fine and in fact I have already worn it. It isn't quite as "soft" as my 16-year old shirt but I will be sure to break it in. Thanks.

Update

I haven't posted for a few days because there hasn't been any real new news. It now has been set that the next step that needs to be done is having the lymph nodes dissected from the left of my neck. I was in hopes of getting it done soon. The procedure for the left neck lymph node dissection has been set for Saturday August 8th. I have a couple of appointments between now and then but mostly will be awaiting to get this done and once done a follow up CT Scan to allow my doctor to review my scan to make sure all is clean. If this is the case then next steps would be follow-up doctors visits and tests to make sure all remains clear.

B-I-N-G-O

Well, it has come down to this. Last night my Dad and I went to the Bingo and Pizza party down on the 6th floor of the Hope Lodge. The people at the lodge played some games that really confused some of the people here. They played a: ("T", "X", "+", "U" and many others). We had people at our table who actually claimed they didn't know how to play BINGO.

Anyway, the real story was my Dad who cleaned up winning three times last night taking home a collection of chatzke items: a pewter salt and pepper shaker, 2 decks of playing cards and poker chips, and a duffel bag. My Dad was glowing ear to ear claiming he has never won at BINGO in his life. Well, he made up for it last night.

I still haven't gotten a call from the surgeons office as to scheduling my left neck lymph node dissection. They will be getting a call from me today.

In a Holding Pattern

We have met with the Head and Neck doctor and he is in agreement with Dr. Feldman's initial recommendation. He said that for him it is a more minor surgery than what he normally performs, but that he typically does about 100 of these procedures a year. I don't know what he was looking for but he stuck a scope far down my nose and in my throat yesterday, my Dad said that he was able to see it on the TV screen attached to the scope. The doctor asked if I had any questions and my main one was, "How soon can we get this done?" Dr. Kraus said that he would have his secretary call me in the next couple of days to schedule the procedure. He said that it would likely be scheduled in the next couple of weeks.

I also had labwork done yesterday and received a phone call from Dr. Feldman late in the day with encouraging words, my counts are all starting to come back and more than anything he was happy to see that the Creatinine number which he has been so closely watching came down again from 2.2 to 1.9. This number is a reflection of my kidney functions. Although still high it is coming more into where my initial baseline was of around 1.5.

So at this point we are waiting to get a surgery date for this lymph node removal and also the dates and times for the pre-admission testing that accompanies it.

Dad Settling In...

Dad has settled in here at the Hope Lodge and is helping me clean my cupboards of all of the food I have stored in them. It seems to rain every day here in New York. I can't wait to leave this city, although I don't know when that is going to be. Dad and I met with Dr. Feldman yesterday and the CT Scan shows the lymph nodes in my neck did take to the chemo having shrunk some. Dr. Feldman believes this to be the root cause of why my tumor markers went up. To correct this I will likely be having surgery to have these removed. We have a consultation with the head and neck doctor next Monday to get his opinion and if it is to be removed schedule a date....the sooner the better.

Nothing else new here, have a good 4th of July.

Mom Departs

Well, after a week being in the Big Apple my Mom returns to Kansas City. I think she was ready for the slower pace of life. Things are bigger, brighter, and move faster here in NYC. Dad has remained on as my caregiver thru the remainder of my treatment.

We visited today with the Kidney Doctor who said that they will continue to monitor my kidney functions and would like to see me in another month.

We have an appointment tomorrow w/ Dr. Feldman to review my most recent CT Scan and determine what the course of action is at this point.

Jamie is busy working back home and also being kept busy by Roy the dog. I miss her dearly, it has been over two weeks since I've seen my wife and can't wait to get home and be with her.