Mike's triumphant return; ta da! (fanfare)

I'm back! The funny problem I had for about a month was caused by the treatments I've been receiving along with chemotherapy. It's a variant on what they call "Chemo burn" and can cause your skin to break out almost anywhere; which is why I was lucky. I only got infected in my hands. Of course that caused me to miss several pickup basketball games with Barak Obama, but he's old news anyway.

I am gratefull to Jody for keeping everyone up to date and keeping the communications open.

On Monday, Nov. 17 I saw the Oncologist, Dr. Schultz, along with the team (Carolyn, who comes for the moka coffee, Jody, who is my doctor's star visitor and Michelle who is the adult in the team).

Dr. reviewed the results of last Thursday's CtScan and said my condition is "stable", which, I guess, means that the treatment is holding the cancer at bay. For now, I can stop taking chemo and rely on the oral treatment that I take every day to prevent the cancer from becoming active again. Meanwhile, they will take chest xrays every 30 days and Ctscans every 60 days.

But enough about my fun and games, Al has started his new job as a Fire Lieutenant (see pictures below) and Marty is working about 90 hours a week. Krista and Kevin are doing great. Meanwhile, Carolyn and I are enjoying Paradise here in Oregon, Il. If you haven't been to Oregon, you need to stretch you imagination to understand the perfect 1970's beauty of it. Probably, nothing has changed here in 30 years and that's too soon.

Thanks, everyone, for letting me check in with my update. Please stay in touch.

Mike, (dad, gran'pa, uncle, brother), I love you all and look forward to seeing you soonest.

More Updates

Lt. Alan and Michelle Greene
Krista retiring Alan's FF badge

Kevin pinning on Alan's Lt. badge

Hi all,

Well, Lizzie's hubby ended up with the sniffles, so we have rescheduled our visit for this coming week.

Michelle said my dad's hands are looking great! I am going out there tomorrow, so I can see for myself. He had a CT Scan Thursday of this past week, and we get the results of the test on Monday. My parents, Michelle, and I will all make the journey to the doctor to hear; it's a family affair.

Hopefully with the continued improvements, he will be typing on his own soon. I am posting some of the pictures from Al's pinning so you can all enjoy.

Love,

Jody

A New Direction

Good morning all,

Liz is on her way out with the boys, I will post some photos later on today or tomorrow. Michelle will be joining us for lunch today as she has not met Will and Charlie either.

Since my dad's hands are still healing and he is unable to type just yet, I would like to invite everyone to post words of encouragement, a prayer, or just a simple hello. I think he would really enjoy reading everyone's thoughts.

He is back on the trial drugs per the doctor, every other day instead of every day like before. This will be closely monitored by the doctor and we have another CT Scan scheduled for next week to see his progress internally. The doctor will be checking on his hands when he goes in for the results. He is also scheduled for an EKG next week.

We look forward to reading...
Love,
Jody

Continued Updates on Dad

His burns are healing, slowly, but that is expected as his immune system is compromised from the chemo. He is alternating cortaid, emu oil, and utter balm to help the dryness and itching. He wears cotton gloves to avoid accidentally hitting his hands and also to keep the moisture in. My best friend Liz is coming out next week to visit with her two boys, Will and Charlie, and we are all looking forward to having that energy in the house. My parents have not met the boys yet, and they are too cute for words, so a great time will be had by all.

Dad has a doctors appointment Monday to see if he is ready to continue the trial drugs, which he most likely will.

Hope everyone is well. Much love,
Jody