Today's Clinic Visit

Jeff had a CT of chest, abdomen, and pelvis along with lab work this morning at NIH and we just finished our first clinic visit with Dr. Drennan and Dr. Hughes. They reported that the procedure has had a positive effect on the liver tumors (they are starting to die) and that the pancreatic tumors are stable (not growing). His blood work is good and everything is set for our second procedure in a couple of weeks. Jeff will come back to NIH on March 21st for the pre-procedure testing which will include an MRI. If everything still looks good, the second PHP will be done on March 29th followed by 24 hours in the ICU and a day or two in the Adult Oncology Unit (3NW) here at NIH. Since Jeff's blood sugars have been normal since the first procedure, we are hoping not to have the extended stay this time. Dr. Hughes explained that there is no way to tell if Jeff's platelets will cause problems with the filters again but they will adjust the procedure accordingly again if needed. Unfortunately, there isn't any way to tell if his blood counts/platelets will react the same again or not. We'll just have to continue taking things one day at a time

I apologize for not updating the post this week. We are trying to get life back to a somewhat normal status and as everyone knows, that means long hours at work, time with the family and maintaining the household. Jeff's spirits have been better than normal this past week. We completely shaved Jeff's hair/head on Tuesday and it looks MUCH better...it's soooo handsome!!! He's still trying to get used to it but it gets more comfortable for him as each day goes by.

We also celebrated Brittany & Bradley's 16th Birthday this past Wednesday. It's hard to believe that they are growing up so fast. Brittany is counting the days until she can get her provisional drivers license. She is so looking forward to getting past the stage of asking for rides to dinner and movies with her friends. Brad is planning for the upcomming paintball tournament and has decided to use the money he received for his birthday to buy a much needed "hopper" for his paintball gun. He's pretty much decided that playing paintball is much more important than driving.