MRI Day - CLEAN!

There it was.

The arrow points to the empty space where the tumor was. The radiologist and my neurologist agreed unanimously that the white outline is something like scar tissue from the surgery.

The absence of any swelling is great news. Additional white areas likely would indicate growth of leftover cancer cells. The fact that there is little if any additional white doesn't mean there ARE no cancer cells, but it does mean there's no visible evidence of any further growth.

Friday I'll see the onks and get their opinion. I expect to also learn what my medical oncologists prescribe as far as more chemotherapy. I fully expect they will want to play it safe and put me on something like a 5/23 (5 days on, 23 off) for the next six months or so. As long as it doesn't make me sick as a dog, I suppose I'm OK with that. We shall see.

The good news is there is no evidence of further growth. If we have to balance the good with the bad, I suppose the bad news is that there's no guarantee for future MRIs. If the bad news never gets worse than that, I'll be thrilled.

I don't know if it's the chanting, the praying, the flaxseed, or something else. Whatever it was, let's celebrate it.

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Obviously I've returned safely from my journey out west. Except for the incident with the deer, I don't see how things could have gone better. But for a day or so, the weather was exceptional. I was in a bit of a race with some nasty weather on the way home but made it in plenty of time.

The best part was spending time with my family. Friday we celebrated the holiday with my folks, three of my siblings and their offspring.

I gotta give out a little special shout out to this guy. Often he acts like he doesn't want to talk to me but when it came time for me to leave he ran over and gave me a huge hug... had me pick him up to get it right. Then he insisted that his daddy take a picture of him and me. *sniff* *gulp* I think he likes me.

If you've never experienced sunrise on the high plains, I highly recommend it. I was tempted to take pictures but I know I'm incapable of coming close to capturing the reality. Breathtaking and gut-wrenching all at once.

All in all, the trip was a huge positive. I feel like my quality of life went up a couple notches because of the experience. At the same time, it is wonderful to be home. My reunion with my wife was joyous.

There's no place like home.