May 7, 2008

Hi Friends,
Well thing are improving. Joe started chemo on Monday with Gemcitibine which he will get for two or three Mondays and then a week off. He started oral chemo with Xeloda yesterday and will be on that, one week on, one week off. So far no side effects but is it early. His bilirubin came down to 2 which is the lowest it has been since he was jaundiced. His blood counts are all good although a little low. His platelets came up to 143,000 which is great. Yesterday was a beautiful day and we walked outside for a half hour. That was a big effort for Joe but he definitely feels he is getting stronger. He has had work started on planting his garden and he is really looking forward to that happening. His favorite thing to do is sit on the deck and look out at the pond, the golfers, the gardens. It is a bonus if our neighbors Ed and Jayne are around and they stop over to chat. He even went all day yesterday with no nap!
Please pray for shrinkage of the tumors and that soon he can get rid of the catheter in his bile duct and switch to an internal stent. People with cc have seen some good results with this chemo combination and we are hoping Joe will get a good response with few side effects. Take care and God Bless. Mary Anne