Quiet Weekend

Things are on hold here until Monday when Dave his his PET scan. He did have his first physical therapy appointment yesterday for the neuropathy in his foot. We are not sure this is a correctable problem, but they will make a custom brace to help him with his walking. His left foot "drops" so, hopefully, the brace will correct that. The neuropathy is one of the possible side-effects from a chemo drug called Vincristine. We can't believe we have been here a month already. We are sure missing Whitefish and all our friends. Having contact through the blog and e-mail makes being away much easier, and we check those numerous times a day. Feel free to comment below (be sure to check the anonymous circle so it will go through, and sign your name after your comment). You can also e-mail at sipejennifer@hotmail.com. If you have questions, feel free to ask. Thanks, everyone!

Excitement in the City

No "medical news" to report today as Dave had a day off! We did have a little excitement though; as Dave and I were walking Ripley behind the hotel, we saw some guy trying to break into parked cars! We reported it to the hotel security, so will see if anything became of it. Also, yesterday, some crazy guy started yelling at Dave (who was sitting on the balcony outside our room, 2nd floor) and spit at him. Of course, that fired Dave up who would have gone after him if he could have moved faster! We are going to start taking our camera everywhere we go! Life is exciting in the city.

Preliminary Test Results

Although the final results aren't it yet, it appears that Dave's spinal fluid and bone marrow is free of cancer, and the mass has shrunk enough to qualify for one of the two proposed studies. We aren't breathing easy yet though, as he still has to have a PET scan to be sure there is no spread to other parts of his body. Keep the prayers coming! The PET scan will be the last diagnostic test before treatment begins, and that will take place early next week. Tomorrow he has a day of rest and we plan on taking the shuttle to Westlake Center for a couple of hours. I was able to spend some time with Brenda Howke and her children today; it was so nice to see her. She is hoping to be back in Whitefish at the end of the month. It's been a busy day and we're pretty tired, but have tomorrow to look forward to.

View from 7th floor of our hotel; we are on the 2nd floor

Glad That's Over

Dave is now resting after his lumbar puncture (spinal tap) and bone marrow biopsy (both hips). Things went well and he "doesn't remember a thing"! He's a little sore this evening, but that's expected. We did find it interesting that he was told to drink coffee if he developed a headache. I had a little challenge myself today; I baked banana bread in a toaster oven!! It actually turned out pretty good, just a little brown on top! It was funny because I had to rotate it periodically so it wouldn't burn. It proves you can accomplish a lot without having all the conveniences of home, and boy does the hotel smell good!

A+

Today was dental exam day and everything was good - no need for any dental procedures before Dave's transplant. They are watching for any signs of infection or possible causes of infection once his chemo begins. Tomorrow is lumbar puncture and bone marrow biopsy! Dave will be under conscious sedation, so he's not too anxious about the tests. We had a great time visiting with Kathy and Ralph Swanson yesterday and plan to get together with them again soon. We are hoping we will know by Wed. if Dave qualifies for either of the two studies they propose to use. That will be determined by the size of his abdominal mass, which has to be half the size of the original mass, before he can be accepted into those studies. If he doesn't qualify for either of those studies, plan B will take effect, and we don't know what that will be yet, but it's a relief to know they have a plan! We are asking for prayers that he qualifies for one of the two studies. Thank you!

Happy Father's Day

Dave at the Mariner's game

Yesterday was quiet and we enjoyed being "lazy". Dave's really enjoying all the "fine dining" that comes from the crockpot and toaster oven!!! Thank goodness for the staff here at the hotel; they are very accommodating and see that we have everything we need. Even though we have a kitchen, it doesn't have an oven. They have furnished us also with a blender just in case Dave develops "mucositis" (mouth and throat sores) from his chemo. They sure take care of all the cancer patients who stay here. We got a call from Ralph Swanson and his wife Kathy yesterday (both originally from Whitefish), They are going to pick us up today and take us to their home for dinner. We are really looking forward to visiting with them, and it will be so nice seeing a familar face. Dave would like to say "hi" to everyone and we love hearing from you! Hope everyone has a great day -