may we have...

4 out of 5 doctors agree... i still have brain cancer.

last friday i got my first MRI since my surgery in february. throughout the week i have been making the rounds with all my doctors who have been giving their 2 cents on what they 'see' in the MRI. today, i saw the last of them, the surgeon.

so, the long-story-short is that most of my doctors think the MRI shows light shadows at the tumor extraction site. in the words of the surgeon, with recurrent primary cancer of this type we have to assume these shadows indicate a progression of the remains of the tumor itself.

in the last set of our cancer game the ball was mainly in the court of the radiologist. in the next set, all the doctors will be looking to the oncologist for our primary mode of treatment. on monday, after seeing my MRI, my oncologist took the liberty to double my chemo dosages going forward, and to add a third trial drug. my new chemo regimen starts on this monday with 2-1/2 hours of IV chemo and a double-down of chemo pills.

for the next four months it will be up to prayer and chemo. it has been a bit discouraging to hear this week that we are not healed. it's also been hard to hear that the chemo is going to intensify, a lot. sometimes i'm really afraid of the chemo and possible side effects. but there was some good news this week too. all the doctors seem to agree there is no cause for alarm and feel the chemo course is a reasonable one. there is no evidence of swelling or spreading beyond the original tumor site, and i don't have to go under the knife or get more radiation (for now).

so all-in-all, life could always be better, but it could be worse. i'm thankful i'm not getting a needle biopsy next week, or being readmitted for surgery, or getting more radiation. i'm praying for the strength to endure the new chemo. i continue to pray for healing and for the avoidance of bad chemo side effects. thank you all for joining me in those prayers.

john