Step One: Initial Treatments Done!

OK, so the good news is that I've completed my radiation treatments. No, I do not glow in the dark. The radiation will continue to work on my body for several weeks and gradually, over the next 6 weeks or so, I should begin to recover. I expect I'll be able to eat, something, again in a month or so and I'm excited. Even something as simple as pudding.

Right now, I'm still progressing through the waves of my last chemo treatment as well, so in another week or so, I should be pretty much in the recovery business.

There are two big looming things in my cancer fight now.

1. The tumor on the side of my neck is very small, but has not yet completely disappeared. The radiation, as I noted, will continue to work and there is a real possibility that it will destroy what's left of the tumor. However, there's also the possibility that it will not. This would most likely mean surgery to remove these lymph nodes. This is a very big deal and if you're wondering what specifically to pray for, pray that the radiation destroys this tumor.

2. My second series of chemotherapy treatments begin in about a month. These will be a series of three 96-hour hospital stays where I will have chemo drugs pumped into me around the clock. I'm not thrilled by this prospect, but I'm told this is an extremely effective followup to my iniital treatments. I've seen few people who've gone through it, and my doc explained that few people make it through the initial chemo/rad treatments as well as I can. Very often, the toxicity of the initial treatments is too much to allow patients to pursue this Phase II. So, I guess it's a testimony to my youth and toughness.

So, that's what's ahead. What's going on now? I'm feeling ok'ish. Like I said, battling chemo nausea and the ever-present mucositis. I'm at least well enough to blog, so that says something.

I'm very blessed to have the care of my mom, Kristina, Shelly, my dad, and the well-wishing of so many good people.