Chemo update

After three weeks of a weekly infusion (on Wednesdays) and 21 days of taking the everolimus pill, (I missed one day last week, so I had to make up for it by taking the last one at the ned of the cycle), I get a week off.  So what does a snow bird do when he gets a week off?  Head south, of course to palm trees, yucca plants, green grass, and sunshine.  We are now in St. George where we have just finished a great meal with my cousin Loni and her husband Allen at the Gun Barrel, a restaurant that specializes in western fare:  Buffalo, Elk, and Beef.  I had the Elk steak and enjoyed every bite.  That probably is a no-no for what I am supposed to eat . . . but never having had elk before, and having heard that it is pretty good, I couldn't resist.  But, the other stuff on the plate included onions, and garlic potatoes.  Since I am supposed to eat those things, I figured that a little elk would be OK.  It was better than OK, it was delicious.  Besides, I must get lots of calories;  LaRue has forbidden me to lose any more weight.  She says we can't afford a second new wardrobe. The only body parts on me that haven't shrunk are my feet and my ears.

A word about the side effects mentioned in the last post:  The kidney issue has not re-occurred, but the sweet taste problem continues.   However, I am undaunted: I eat my berries like a good boy, even if I can't enjoy the taste.  Mangoes, pineapple, key lime pie all taste funny if they taste at all; even those little mandarins, or clementines, or Cuties - whatever they are called - taste a little off.  I sometimes wonder if they are going bad, or if it is just my taster that is bad.  I consider that a very small price to pay for the opportunity to shrink tumors and have an otherwise normal life.

Looking to the near term future, in roughly four weeks - after three more doses of carboplatin and 21 more days of everolimus, we will be taking some more pictures of my lungs to see what progress has been made against those little fellers that had the doctors so concerned a few months ago.  In the meantime, if anything of interest pops up, I will do another post.