Thursday...June 25th....2009

Friday...tomorrow morning we head out for Moscow, Idaho.....today has been a day of packing the RV....we are ready! The reason I am reporting this way is to continue the comments of support.....you are all on a team....a team of support....YOU do make a difference....your words of support translate to a strength that is unbelievable.....Linda looked at these comments numerous times today...she draws strength and resolve....thank you...thank you...thank you....again...YOU make a difference.....thanks team!

Thursday:

Linda passed and has a green light for Nebraska!

The Oncologist started by saying she got a "B" on her tests because he doesn't give "A's"..... then reading her tests further, he gave her a "B+" and said he doesn't give "A+'s".

He said the blood tests were fine..Linda had worried about some bruising but he said they were superficial...

He said there was a small mark on the spleen..same as before..nothing different...couldn't tell what it was...so that is discounted for now at least.

The left lung looks the same...no new growth..hard to see if it has diminished further...so stable at least....Right lung looked good...some scarring.

The T1 and T2 vertebrae still show some "metastasic with healing"....whatever that means (could be cancer spreading to the bone)....but no growth....can't tell yet if cancerous for sure...same or better than last scan....could be radiation damage....

After this discussion, he upgraded her to an "A-" but still refused to consider an "A+"....we think another hour of discussion, we could have forced the issue and got the "A+".

What now....Linda has moved to the "maintenance" schedule as discussed in earlier posts....she will receive (started today) Avastin every three weeks. Please remember Avastin is not chemo....as discussed a couple of times, it convinces the body that blood is not needed in the tumor(s) and the capillaries "withdraw" thereby "starving" the tumor. As a safeguard with the bone potential issue, the Oncologist started Linda on Zometa today....it is a medication given by infusion that treats cancer symptoms in the bone....better "safe than sorry".....it will be given every 6 weeks, starting today. It is for "bone building".....

That's about it....Linda was very relieved and excited to get her trip to Nebraska on schedule (we leave Saturday morning....the motorhome is in the driveway).

If you read this you are required to leave a comment....directions are at the top of the page....it is simple....leaving a comment earns you a "BLOG Point"....accumulations of these points gets you "blogging rights" and "yes" you can leave multiple comments......not leaving a comment earns you a "negative BLOG point" which accumulates also and can only be reversed by leaving comments.....how do we know?....we have our ways....

Thanks for your support...this has been another chapter in Linda's Journey...to be continued....


Linda.............................What a great day! I am so fortunate to feel as good as I do for having stage 4 cancer, and to be controlling it as well as I am. If I can just hang on till a cure. They are so close it seems. I look forward to my hair growing back now that the chemo is over. Maybe by the end of summer. I'll be glad to put the hats and wig away. In a week we'll be arriving in Nebraska and seeing some of you which has me really jazzed. May I stay healthy the entire three weeks I am gone. I promised Dave no drama.

Love and gratitude........Linda