Mike is now half way through his initial treatment, and I thought it would be a good time to send out an update. So far the doctors say Mike looks great, and I must agree! He seems to be tolerating the chemotherapy, radiation & Avastin infusions well. Not that there hasn't been any side effects, but much better than we had planned for. Mike's oncologist had told him to expect fatigue, which has been a factor. Last week the radiation oncologist said to expect the fatigue to kick in substantially in these final few weeks.

Recently Mike has been experiencing some small focal seizures, which the doctors say is expected with all that is happening with his treatment. They continue to be optimistic, as Mike has not shown any signs of neurological impairment. The initial six week radiation/chemotherapy treatment will end on December 27th. Mike is scheduled for a follow-up MRI on 1/8/08, which will tell us how the tumor has responded to the treatment. After a two week break, Mike will then continue on the chemotherapy for the first 5 days of each month, and with the Avastin every two weeks.

Mike had been planning on returning to work at the beginning of the new year, yet last week the radiation oncologist informed us that the side effects from radiation would likely remain for a few weeks, and she did not recommend that he return to work that soon. He is now considering a return to work at the end of January.

Well, that's a lot of information for now. Please keep some positive vibes going our way, as we both continue to work at being optimistic. As soon as this initial period is over, Mike and I hope to plan some time away. Maybe at some exotic location!

I hope you are all enjoying the joy of the holiday season.

Dan