January 2, 2003

Update # 34

Happy New Year 

We hope this finds all of you well.  We are enjoying our third snow of the season.

Jeff and I spent a large majority of Thursday the 26th at Cardinal Glennon and St. Louis University Hospital.  Jeff prefers an early PET Scan so they scheduled him for 7:00 AM.  (We left a little after 5:00.)  Then we went to Costas for blood work and a visit with Dr. Chu.  Blood was drawn for a CBC, SED rate, and thyroid.  Dr. Chu was very pleased to feel no nodes and to see how well Jeff was doing.  Dr. Chu did not seem too concerned about the continued weight gain.  11:00 AM was Jeff's CT Scan.  He was thrilled when 15 minutes later he returned saying he was finished since they had a new CT scanner that worked much faster than the old!

We were then free for lunch until our 1:30 appointment with Dr. Roy, the radiation oncologist.  We arrived to find that Dr. Roy got married and was in the process of moving to a new town.  We met the new radiation oncologist for SLUH, Dr. Norton.  We mostly introduced ourselves to each other and he looked over Jeff's chart.  He was happy to hear that the only real side effect of the radiation seems to be the teeth.  He wants to see Jeff again in six months.

Monday the 30th we heard from Dr. Chu with only part of the test results.  The CT Scan showed basically no change.  The shell of the tumor outside the left lung was a little lighter in color which means it has absorbed a little.  Jeff's CBC were all in the normal range.  This was a first!!!  The last one still showed his white count below normal.  The SED rate was also normal.  The TSH of the thyroid is back up close to where it was in July.  Dr. Chu is still hesitant about starting Jeff on thyroid medication.  He'll do more blood work later.  

This afternoon, Dr. Chu called with the PET Scan results.  Again, there is nothing there.  So all results were as we expected.  

Jeff had his 3 month check-up with our regular dentist on Dec. 23.  Three more divets were found so Jeff goes tomorrow to get those teeth bonded before he returns to Wartburg on Sunday the 5th.

The protocol for the treatment that Dr. Chu used on Jeff calls for certain tests on the one year date of the last treatment.  Jeff's last radiation was February 21st.  Jeff has a break the first week in March so that will be pretty close and he will not have to make a special trip home for the tests.  Dr. Chu mentioned only part of what they'll do but it includes x-ray, liver enzymes, echocardiogram and pulmonary function.  I'll call them in February and they'll set everything up for one of the days.  Dr. Chu said he would also check the thyroid again.

We are truly thankful for the amazing progress we see in Jeff.  We know how powerful your prayers have been in healing Jeff.  Please continue to keep him in your prayers.  The next update will be sometime after the middle of March so until then enjoy 2003.

Love,

Marcia