Tuesday, 30 November 10
We enjoyed a Michael W. Smith Christmas concert at the Meyerson Symphony Center tonight. The traffic was ok, the buffet at the Opus restaurant was good and MWS with the Dallas Symphony Orchestra was great. I had never seen Smitty in concert, even though he is my favorite artist. If I had my pick of anyone in the world for a one hour visit, that person would be Michael W. Smith.
Friday, 26 November 10
I have adorned the house with Christmas lights and erected the Christmas tree. My iTunes library is set to play only Christmas songs, as is my custom every year. It is interesting that many well-known groups and personalities play Christmas tunes, such as Linda Ronstadt, Karen Carpenter, The Moody Blues, Céline Dion, Andy Williams, Barry Manilow, Destiny's Child, Nora Jones, The Rippingtons, Mariah Carey, Toni Braxton, Kenny G, Jimmy Buffett, Jon Secada, Luther Vandross, Vanessa Williams, Nat King Cole, Dave Koz and of course the Vince Guaraldi Trio (Charlie Brown), Larnelle Harris, Michael W. Smith, Amy Grant, Gloria Estefan, Steve Kamp, 4Him, First Call, Stacie Orrico, Michael English, Bob Segar, Spyro Gyra, Richard Elliot, Peter White, Larry Carlton, Chicago, José Feliciano, Carly Simon, Queen - all of these artists are represented in my Christmas music collection (131 songs).There's just something special about this time of the year. It is the advent of Emmanuel; God walking amongst us.
Thursday, 25 November 10
The traffic from
Dallas to Houston last night was horrific - no accidents, construction or detours, just way too many cars heading South. But Thanksgiving with
Kathy's relatives in Houston today made it all worthwhile. We have two policemen in the family, one of whom is part of a K9 unit. We were given
a demonstration of what this dog can do, and I can see why many criminals surrender outright rather than face the wrath of this animal. We arrived home at 1:30 am Friday morning. Traffic coming North was sparce; no issues at all!
Wednesday, 24 November 10
The Avastin infusion today was a simple affair. My Platelet count made its obligatory drop in response to the presence of the Carbo introduced 16 days ago. Now we are off to Houston for Thanksgiving.
Friday, 19 November 10
Last week was a bit rough, as expected, but the obligatory side effects from the Carbo IV of 11/8/10 faded by Monday of this week. I was able to attend the numerous concerts and football games and work full time through all of this. It is always great to feel great, one day at a time.
Wednesday, 10 November 10
An Avastin infusion was accomplished today. It took three times longer to find an accepting vein than the actual infusion itself.
Monday, 08 November 10
My CBC test results were favorable, so Carboplatin was administered to attack this tumor again. Assuming a clean scan in early December, we will switch to a mix of Carboplatin, Avastin and CPT-11.
Friday, 05 November 10
The tumor has returned for a fourth time, but the little degenerate is only about 2mm. See if you can find it in this image. I saw this tumorette even before hearing from my oncologist. The radiologist's report refers to a "subtle" area of enhancement seen on the sagittal and the axial sequences. The fact that it is seen on two sequences means it's less likely to be an artifact. The radiologist recommends getting a follow up MRI with "close" followup, meaning 3-4 weeks. It is possible this represents a tumor, according to my doctors. It is definitely a difficult call.
When in doubt, wash it out, I say. We will hit it again with Carboplatin and Avastin on Monday and scan again in early December. I must tell you that I am a bit disappointed that it keeps coming back, but I am encouraged that detection is occurring earlier and earlier (the tumor is smaller and smaller: first recurrence: 6mm, then second recurrence: 4mm, then third recurrence: 4mm x 3mm and now 2mm for the fourth recurrence).
Tuesday, 02 November 10
We have returned from San Antonio, where the Argyle High School Marching Band has again captured the UIL Division 3A marching band title! This is the fourth time that Argyle has been named best in class in the state of Texas. The first two titles were in division 2A; the two most recent number one ratings were bestowed as 3A. Three members of my family are in this band. It is difficult to describe the excitement and electricity in the air in the Alamodome Monday night preceeding the announcement that Argyle is the 2010 3A champion! This is yet another trip that I will never forget. Our next shot at state will be in 2012.
