A
sort of quick update - my hair (facial, top of head etc) is starting to
grow back after taking a 2 month hiatus. Eyebrows are still pretty
thin and leg hair is quite patchy. All in all it looks pretty funny so
getting hair growth back is probably pretty good but I must admit I will
miss not having to shave. The beard has taken a turn and has a LOT of
white hair. Very salt and peppery - I would give Hodgy a good run for
his money. Hopefully that is not the case with the top of the head. I
guess we will find out but the hair on top will remain shaved until it
is coming in thick enough to look normal (as opposed to a commercial for
the Hair Club for Men or that stuff you spray on top of your head) and
then we will see what I end up with.
Should have some serious results in the next few days - I had a CT scan that showed the tumor is about 3cm by 3cm. This could be dead tissue and is not considered a major issue by the docs. I had a PET scan on Friday that will let us know if there is any activity that we should be worried about or if I am in remission. I got the PET scan only because I have signed up to be part of a clinical trial of a drug that is in stage 3 of testing. The drug is supposed to increase the chances of staying in remission permanently (current odds without the drug is between 20-30%). 66% chance I get the drug and 33% chance of placebo (1% chance the Leafs make the playoffs). I only qualify for the study if I am in remission so a lot hinges on the PET scan results.
Heart and lung tests show normal results although not as good as prior to the radiation and stem cell transfer. This just goes to show that there is still a ways to go until I fully recover.
I had promised some preaching with the next update so here it is.
What is important in your life? What are the priorities? Do you try and maximize your time with the priorities and most important things?
I have spent a lot of time in touch with a friend from Queen's who is living in Tokyo. He was in a building during the earthquake and he said it was swaying 20-30 feet for about 2 minutes. Luckily it was Japan and they are obsessed with building structures that can survive tremors (apparently even big ones). He got his family out of Tokyo as soon as possible but he stayed because he had responsibilities at work. A couple of days later when things at the nuke plant were looking grim he finally got out.
Why do I bring this up? Because you never know when the earthquake, tsunami or illness might hit and then it could be too late. Nobody ever says "I wish I had spent more time doing things that weren't that important to me in the grand scheme of things". Although Chandler may have wished to spend more time with his Weenus.
Also, there are times when we have responsibilities and these are important as well - we have to juggle these with the life priorities... but do not lose sight of what is MOST important. For the people from Queen's, that probably involves drinkng.
And of course, I would still love to get updates as to what is happening with you. Seriously. I am fully versed on what is happening with me so it would be a nice distraction to read about someone else for a change.
Cheers,
Rob
Should have some serious results in the next few days - I had a CT scan that showed the tumor is about 3cm by 3cm. This could be dead tissue and is not considered a major issue by the docs. I had a PET scan on Friday that will let us know if there is any activity that we should be worried about or if I am in remission. I got the PET scan only because I have signed up to be part of a clinical trial of a drug that is in stage 3 of testing. The drug is supposed to increase the chances of staying in remission permanently (current odds without the drug is between 20-30%). 66% chance I get the drug and 33% chance of placebo (1% chance the Leafs make the playoffs). I only qualify for the study if I am in remission so a lot hinges on the PET scan results.
Heart and lung tests show normal results although not as good as prior to the radiation and stem cell transfer. This just goes to show that there is still a ways to go until I fully recover.
I had promised some preaching with the next update so here it is.
What is important in your life? What are the priorities? Do you try and maximize your time with the priorities and most important things?
I have spent a lot of time in touch with a friend from Queen's who is living in Tokyo. He was in a building during the earthquake and he said it was swaying 20-30 feet for about 2 minutes. Luckily it was Japan and they are obsessed with building structures that can survive tremors (apparently even big ones). He got his family out of Tokyo as soon as possible but he stayed because he had responsibilities at work. A couple of days later when things at the nuke plant were looking grim he finally got out.
Why do I bring this up? Because you never know when the earthquake, tsunami or illness might hit and then it could be too late. Nobody ever says "I wish I had spent more time doing things that weren't that important to me in the grand scheme of things". Although Chandler may have wished to spend more time with his Weenus.
Also, there are times when we have responsibilities and these are important as well - we have to juggle these with the life priorities... but do not lose sight of what is MOST important. For the people from Queen's, that probably involves drinkng.
And of course, I would still love to get updates as to what is happening with you. Seriously. I am fully versed on what is happening with me so it would be a nice distraction to read about someone else for a change.
Cheers,
Rob
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