My Favorite PET

 

On Thursday, November 16, 2017, I had a PET Scan. It revealed that the Multiple Myeloma has been contained. The bone marrow transplant procedure was a success.

 

I am finished with my tenure at the Houston Methodist Stem Cell Transplant Center and will move back to long-term “maintenance” care with my original oncologist. I will receive a bi-weekly injection of a low dose chemo drug for several years, but the side effects should be minimal.

 

I’m still carrying Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia, but it is a mostly benign version of the disease. The three tumors are still in place, but not threatening and will remain empty monuments to my experience. There is a hole in my right shoulder blade which may or may not fill in over the next decade.

 

This is all very good news after a long year of hospital visits and home care. I want to thank the folks that stepped up and filled in at home and at Landscape Art.

 

A very special thankyou with love and kisses to my wife, Anita who dedicated her entire year to my care. It was not the year she would have chosen, but she put her head down and stuck with it. I will be eternally grateful.

 

 

To lighter news…I almost combed my hair yesterday! It’s growing back slowly and is now beginning to stick up and out in a few places.

 

About a week after my heavy-dose chemo blast on June 30, I started losing my hair in hunks and had the Patient Care Assistant shave what was remaining on July 7. Four months later, I have about a half-inch of hair.

 

One of the bright spots of the process is that I didn’t have to shave for almost three months. I don’t really mind shaving, but it was a nice break.

 

I kept most of the hair on my legs, but I did eventually lose all five of my chest hairs. I had been cajoling and encouraging those obvious signs of manliness since I was a teenager, to no avail. Now, they may have abandoned me forever. Truth be told, I never looked good with an open shirt and gold medallion anyway.

 

So, this may be the last actual Medical Update. I don’t have as much time to write now, but that’s a good thing. Although not as frequent, I promise to post other stories and observations. If you enjoy them, please click on the follow button and forward to all who may be interested.

 

Jay