Early Scope Procedure

John was supposed to have his urology scope on December 7.  But at the last minute (Monday) it was moved to today.  That being said, everything "looks" fine.  Other than some mild ureter swelling -- why Dr. Pettit doesn't know -- there is no sign of cancer.  Whew!  We can take a breath.  The doctor removed the stent that had been placed a few weeks ago when John had experienced pain caused by the narrowing of the ureter.
Where do we go from here?  Well, we had planned to stay at a friend-of-a-friend's Whidbey Island cottage the first part of December.  But John's original "scope schedule" put the kibosh on that.  So we're just going to stay close to home...See the oncologist, Dr. Nestor, next week for a follow-up and -- hopefully -- enjoy the HECK out of Christmas!  Then we'll wait around for scans, more appointments, etc.
This posting seems so anti-climactic.  When one first gets a cancer diagnosis, the world is instantly turned upside down and you jump on the cancer treadmill and GO!  When treatment is over and you enter the world of monitoring, waiting for the words "you're in remission," it's like someone pulled the plug on the treadmill and everyone disappears.  John and I look at each other as if to say, "Holy crap!  What was all that about?!?!?"  But now...we wait...and continue to pray and hope...and especially thank God for all of you.  We'll be around.  I'll keep you posted on any developments -- especially the good ones.
Merry Christmas, Happy Hanukah...and always our love and thanks...Nancy

Thankful

Don't have much to report as John doesn't have any appointments until next Tuesday, Nov. 29, when he sees his urologist, Dr. Pettit, for his "pre-op" consult.
I just wanted to wish you all a Happy Thanksgiving.  John and I will be giving thanks for all of our blessings this year.  Namely our gratitude and true appreciation for having you in our lives.  You will all be at our table, in loving spirit, this Thursday...Nancy

VM Final Follow-Up...Until Spring

The last two days have seen more doctor's appointments; some to follow-up and one to continue a process.  The continuing process is with Dr. Pettit, John's urologist.  Dr. Pettit will be doing a scope procedure December 7 to remove the stent from John's right ureter that was put in about three weeks ago to alleviate a stricture and he'll take a closer look at "things."  Hopefully Dr. Pettit will find nothing and conclude that the ureter stricture was a complication of chemo.
John also had labs drawn on Tuesday.  His counts are all moving in the right direction with the exception of a slight decline in his red cell count.  Nobody seemed concerned, but I'll see if I can't sneak some liver into John's diet for good measure.  (Yeah, I know...good luck with that!)
Yesterday we went to Seattle to see Dr. Low, John's surgeon.  He was very pleased with John progress, delighted to hear that John's able eat a varied diet and -- best of all -- removed John's feeding tube.  I watched the removal which was pretty "gutsy" for me.  Get it?  "Gutsy?"  It was no big deal, but John said he could feel the longer-than-we-thought-possible tube snaking through his body as it came out.  (Sorry if you're reading this as you're having breakfast.)
Dr. Low will be following up with an endoscopy in a few months which will actually be performed by his G.I. doctor here in Bellingham, Dr. Stiner.  Dr. Low will himself want to see John in May and will want a EGD done.  An EGD is similar to an endoscopy but gives more complete information that involves the duodenum.  EGD is short for "Esophagogastroduodenoscopy."  In non-medical terms that means "Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious."  You can look up "EGD" on Wikipedia.
In summary, we're on cancer maintenance.  As is Rachel Dedrickson, the daughter of dear friends Amy and Kevin Dedrickson.  Amy and I go all the way back to junior-high (middle-school for you post-baby-boomers) but didn't really get to be good friends until college.  Amy, who also majored in Advertising/Communications at Wazzu, interned at the ad agency that was my first post-college job.  The rest is history.  Anyway, I was talking to Amy this week and was told that her daughter, 25-year-old Rachel, had been diagnosed and treated for thyroid cancer earlier this year.  With all John and I have been going through, she decided not to share their cancer "journey" with us until now.
Rachel, you -- along with John and all cancer survivors -- are real heroes.  You inspire, you bring out the very best in people, and you bring us all together.  You are held in my thoughts and prayers.  And via this blog, you have a host of people...some you've never met and probably will never meet...who will hold you there, too.
To all of you, life's a journey and a challenge.  And the best way to take that journey is together...Thanks for joining us...Nancy

Getting Over Chemo

Not much to report (thank God!!!) this week.  On Tuesday, Nov. 1, we went in for labs to make sure John's counts are going in the right direction -- which is up.  They are, slowly, but this coming Tuesday's results will hopefully show a bigger upswing.  He's still battling nausea, although not as frequently or as severe.  Mostly after he eats; and then not consistently.  So we are taking this as a sign that chemo side effects are waning.
John's appointment with his urologist (Dr. Pettit) has been moved up to Nov. 8.  There will be some testing done to determine what caused the ureter narrowing.
So on we go.  January and our trip to Maui can't get here soon enough!  As always, thank you for your enduring friendship, prayers and support...You've made our world a much better place...Nancy