Updates

Word from South Florida this morning is that my Uncle Bob pulled through surgery well yesterday. He'll have a couple weeks of recovery ahead of him. I hope he's patient and allows his body to heal. You know those stubborn Pennsylvania dutchmen.

And speaking of stubborn PA dutchmen, word from Lebanon is that my Dad and a cohort of his at the nursing center are plotting an escape. Yesterday they were trying to convince someone to help them sneak out and give them a ride to Myerstown. Exactly what they would do once they reached Myerstown - I don't know.

It's not funny, but sometimes you still have to laugh. It sounds like there could be a movie plot in all of that.

Barb and I will be heading into the cancer center this afternoon for my second IV on the new chemo. I'll have to time out my day to take a nice power nap before we take off. We should be back around dinner time.

Yesterday Barb's Mom kindly took Barb to the butcher and the grocery store. I really did not feel up to the trip. She brought with her all kinds of fruits and vegetables from various family members gardens. I now have the biggest zucchini I've ever seen in my life. I'm a little intimidated trying to think of what to do with it. It's HUGE!

Thank you so much Susan!

Our cupboards were getting pretty bare. But this morning I'm dancing around the kitchen, looking at all this great food, trying to decide where to start. It's a good problem. I have to start with the fresh stuff, and not let anything go bad.

I think my situation now is very similar to my situation in December and January. Back then my chemo stopped working and the cancer ran wild. Things weren't looking good.

The doctor switched me to a new chemo. I endured some radiation treatments. Then my February things really started to turn around for the better.

Once again, here in July my chemo stopped working. The cancer ran wild. Now I'm enduring more radiation treatments and on a new chemo. As long as the new chemo digs in and knocks the cancer down, I am expecting a repeat of early this year.

A little over five-years ago new chemo treatments were introduced to fight kidney cancer. Before that, there was only one possible treatment, and it did not work very well at all.

The new treatments do not cure kidney cancer, but they do stall it and hold it in place. The problem is, they all stop working after a period of time. The idea right now is to just keep revolving the new chemos that are available to try to lengthen life as long as possible.

As one doctor explained to me, once the first new chemo was released, all the pharmaceutical companies try to jump on board. The chemical structure of the chemo is altered a little to be the same, but a little different. This is the fourth different chemo for me over three-years. It is all the chemos that are available right now, although more are in clinical trials looking for approval by the FDA.

The chemo is extremely expensive. It's a big money maker for the pharmaceutical companies. It costs between $4,000 and $7,000 a month. I don't know anyone who could afford that. Thankfully we've been able to receive them through patient assistance programs offered by the drug companies themselves.

In the ever-present logic of the insurance companies - an IV based chemo administered at the health facility is covered by insurance, but a pill based chemo taken at home is not covered. ???????