TWO WEEKS TO GO

Jon received a fairly good spanking from the physicians assistant at chemo yesterday. He does promise to do the abdominal x-rays and take Zantac twice a day for the next week (he's had terrible heartburn all week). I think he just likes all of this female attention so he acts up on purpose!

We have a little more information on the Interferon. Apparently most of the patients have little or no side effects and it does and excellent job of boosting the immune system. After the PET scan Jon can expect to be on Tarceva for one week to one month and Interferon for 3 months (providing the tumors have continued to shrink as expected). At the end of the three months they will rescan him to insure that the cancer has not grown or returned. If it has he will need more intravenous chemo, if not he will continue on the Interferon for a year. They feel that it is realistic for Jon to expect to guide in Alaska this October, however we will have to await all of these results.

Keep up the prayers and positive thoughts. Although he is tired and his stomach hurts, he continues to amaze all the docs with his progress

The Old Jon Is Back

True to form, Jon felt so much better today he cancelled his abdominal x-ray.

What can I say??? The man's going to live or die on his terms. I am confident that his stubbornness will keep him alive for a very long time.

He assures me that he will have it done immediately should his symptoms return. I will just let him explain it all to the Chue Master next Tuesday.

Things are Looking Up

Jon's doing pretty well today. He has some difficulty sleeping because of the steroids so he's a little tired. He and Howard (Father-in-law #1) worked at one of his foreclosure houses together this morning and then met me for lunch. They are quite a colorful pair!

THREE MORE CHEMOS TO GO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

We've researched a bit more on the Interferon and found that just like the chemo, Dr Chue prescribes it at a lower dose with an increased frequency. Although it makes you tired it's tolerated much better that way. Aaron (the other pancreatic cancer cure) is still on it after a year and is riding the Seattle to Portand Bike ride next month. He has also returned to work and is living what appears to be an cancer-free, normal life.

Please send extra prayers and positive thoughts tomorrow. Thursday is always Jons worst day after chemo and he could use the extra boost. He is also having the abdominal x-ray series in the afternoon and we are expecting a positive result.

I Knew He Was Full of S#%!

This has probably been Jon's worst week since he got out of the hospital. He went to bed on Thursday and stayed there until Monday morning. He has been exhausted and experiencing abdominal pain which has caused some concern. Today he is feeling much better after taking a special "Maryjane Voodoo Cure" designed to clean-out the liver, gall bladder, and colon.

We are back at chemotherapy today. All of the doctors have come in to evaluate Jon and have concluded that his abdominal pain is some type of gastrointestinal irritation or blockage and not tumor related. Just to be sure he is having an ultrasound and x-ray this week. If any problems persist Dr. Chue will move up the PET scan/CT scan. His red count and white counts are excellent but his alkaline phosphotase is slightly elevated (also GI related). He has no pain today and his energy level is back to normal on the "cancer scale". We are looking forward to a better week!

Yes everyone, I really did say Tarceva.

Jon feels strongly that his pneumonia was caused by infection, not the Tarceva, but he has promised to discontinue it immediately if he has any adverse side effects. Dr Chue agrees.

CHEMO NUMBER TWENTY-TWO

It's hard to believe that this man has endured 22 intravenous chemos! His bloodwork today was actually in the normal range in red cells, white cells, and platelets. He asks..."then why do I feel like shit??" The answer..."this is chemotherapy".

It was a pretty good weekend. Jon and Kelsey camped and jeeped with Levi but Jon was ready to head home with fatigue and swollen feet by the time I arrived on Saturday. We spent Memorial Day in Seattle at the Sculpture Park and Folk Life Festival. Jon was beat by the end of the day but is back in excellent spirits by Tuesday morning.

His message for today...."Keep those prayers coming"

Four more chemos to go until the PET scan. Probably onto Tarceva and Interferon in July. Tarceva is oral chemo, Interferon is a subdermal immune booster. Both are self-administered and don't require one day a week hooked up to an IV bag.

A Surprisingly Good Week

All in all this has been a pretty good week. Jon continues the dance of the red and white blood cells...one day they're up the next they're down. This week it was good red cells, bad white cells. He laughed when he realized he had convinced himself that he was going to feel bad for the next six weeks because his red count was down last week, only to find it was back in the normal range this Tuesday. Amazing what your mind can do!

Jon, Levi, and Kelsey left for Nachees yesterday for a long weekend of camping and jeeping. Levi calls this the "Two best days of the year...the First Jeep Weekend of Summer and Christmas morning." His enthusiasm is contagious! I will be meeting them tomorrow morning. I hear a rumor that Chinook pass is littered with "Dr. Pooh" signs directing me to their campsite :)