Rasta "Papa" with Mad Scientist Madison on Halloween
Results from latest bone marrow biopsy show no detectable
cancers. So, I’m Minimum Residual
Disease Negative (MRD-). This means that
not one in 10,000 cells shows any sign of disease. An excellent outcome. Furthermore,
as I mentioned earlier, the cells were sent for a deeper analysis to another
lab that reports < 1 out of 1,000,000 cells are cancerous. These results were shared with me during my
regular visit with my nurse practitioner who is unable to interpret them…specifically
if <1 is equivalent to 0. My doctor
is on vacation, so we’ll have to wait till he gets back for the definitive
word. But it is certainly very encouraging. I’m guessing that it will be measured again
in a few months and if it gets to 2 or more, that would require some sort of
intervention. But that is just me
guessing. I’ll see what the doc says
when he gets back. Perhaps it is reflective that I’m on the road to cure. Fingers crossed.
I’m feeling quite good these days and getting back to my old
self. I’ve been going to the gym
regularly and lifting light weights. Riding
a bike on flat ground. Hitting tennis balls
with an instructor, although I don’t quite have the stamina yet to play a
match. I’ve resumed my role with UCLA on
an institutional review board, where I sit on a committee to review the ethical
and safety aspects of clinical trials in oncology. I’m not experiencing any major symptoms or
side effects. I’ve finally resolved a stubborn
cold I caught several months ago. I do
need to be extra careful in public gatherings as I’m rather susceptible to
catching a cold or the flu when flu season gets into full swing. Getting on an airplane is still not a good
idea, so we are limiting ourselves to local trips for the time being. For example, Susan and I drove up to Mammoth
(about 5 hours by car) to see some fall leaves last month. For the most part, my days are filled up with
daily exercise, reading clinical trials, watching impeachment hearings, and of
course, watching Wisconsin football and basketball. I also spend time with my granddaughter,
Madison. Hillary has a late class on
Tuesday nights, so we have a weekly pajama party with her. She is equal parts fun and exhausting, but we
love every second of having her around.
My hair is growing back (don't take the above photo as an indication!).
It’s wavier than my before but the color is about the same. Actually, fewer flecks of gray than
before. I’m still pretty scrawny, about
25 pounds lighter than before this all started. I’m wearing 31-inch waist jeans. But I find it to be a comfortable weight and hope
to stay right around here. People I run into, like the checker at the
grocery store and friends from the gym, all say I look a lot healthier. Man, I must have looked pretty awful before!
People often ask me how I managed to get through all
this. The only wisdom that comes to mind
is to never assume the worst possible outcome.
I’m not saying to ignore it. But
just don’t assume it. Like when you hear all the possible side effects of a
medication advertised on TV, don’t assume that you’ll get them. Gad…they sound like a Stephen King
novel! You COULD get them, but don’t
assume it. I was told a whole lot of scary
things could happen to me. And I was
even given odds that such as 1 in 3 people have such negative results. I just couldn’t bring myself to assume that I
would. It’s like living in
California. You can’t be blind to the
risk of an earthquake. You should definitely
prepare for it. But I refuse to assume
the worst possible outcome. I don’t expect we will fall into the Pacific Ocean
if it happens or my house will fall on top of my head. It will probably suck for a while, but we’ll be
OK. That’s how my cancer fight has been
so far. And if the worst possible outcome SHOULD
happen, at least I won’t have wasted time worrying about it.
Happy Thanksgiving!!!!
