2.29.08

Doc visit today...

Here's the deal:

Combination of steroids and chemo seems to be working so we are going to decrease the steroids to 30 mg tomorrow and then if his body handles that ok we'll go to 20 mg in 7 days. To date John has ceased the pain meds but can take them as needed if he chooses.

Too high a dose of steroids for a long time (which has been the case for him) can cause shoulder/hip/bone deterioration. It also causes the tendons to be weak and prone to stretch, break or rupture. So, let's decrease those steriods please. It's been as high as 80 mg for long enough.

Diabetes will probably go away after he's off the steroids. He's down to only checking his glucose about 2 times a day and sometimes doesn't even need any insulin. That's good. He has lost about 20 lbs but that seems to be leveling out now a bit.

Chemo will continue for 2.5 more months during which time every Monday blood and urine screens will continue to check for leukemia and also make sure that John's T cell count (white blood cells) is remaining level. He will reamin on the antibiotics as long as he's on the chemo though it has been reduced from an every day dose to only M,W,F for the rest of the 2.5 months.

He no longer has to wear the mask in public but he still needs to be careful around sick people. He also needs to take it easy b/c even that simple walk around the block the other day wiped him out for the whole next day. Can't over do.

John continues on his heart medication that he's been on for years due to his kidney disease, and the kidney biopsy only showed the kidney disease that he has always had. We go to see the kidney doc and get the "formal" results next Tues. Right now the results are just verbal.

John will be scheduling a colonoscopy to take place soon b/c he continues ot have blood in the stool here and there, and also the doc wants to do a second sinus cat scan in a few weeks (months?) b/c John is continuing to have blood from the nose.

John and I strongly believe in the power of prayer. Please keep it coming. He says that he doesn't feel well but he doesn't feel as sick either. Sort of in between. We're choosing to see that as a step in the right direction.

Love and thanks,
k