Time for an update

Well I’m on the road again sitting in Frankfurt airport, Germany, waiting for a flight so I figured this would be a good time to provide an update.  I know it’s been awhile, but I guess that’s good news.


I recently had a Positron emission tomography (PET) scan done and I’ve seen all of my doctors within the last few weeks.  The PET scan came back negative for cancer, so I’m good to go there.  It’s been 18 months since my last treatment and I’ve now had 2 negative PET scans.  My new Ear, Nose & Throat (ENT) doctor is happy with my status, but still requires a visit every 3 months.  My Chemo and Radiology doctors are happy to see me at 6 month intervals now.


One down side, I had blood drawn to check my cholesterol level and my thyroid hormone level is low, so I’ve been put on thyroid medication.  I go back for a blood test in a few weeks to see if the medication is set at the right level.  I had no symptoms tipping the doctors off that the hormone level was low, and I’ve been on the medication for 2 weeks and haven’t seen a change in anything.  Probable cause is the radiation treatment, it’s known to damage the thyroid and cause low hormone levels.


My weight is up a bit, I’m now at 168.  That’s a 26 lb gain since my low of about a year ago.  I don’t necessarily mind the weight gain, I just wish it was more muscle mass than fat. I need to spend more time in the gym and less time at the table.  A year ago I could eat anything I wanted and not worry about it, now I need to watch the high calorie stuff. 


Physically, other than the weight gain, not much has changed.  I’m sleeping better and not waking up too often for a drink of water.  I still suffer from dry mouth and have to carry a bottle of water around with me.  I still have junk in my throat when I wake up, but once I’ve eaten breakfast it seems to clear it away for the most part.  I can taste pretty much everything, but that doesn’t mean it all tastes right.  I still have a hard time eating most meat, it’s too dry.  Meat is also fairly tasteless, so the idea of enjoying a good steak is out of the question.  Almost anything with a sauce is enjoyable and the flavor seems to last longer than something dry.  I haven’t given up eating anything in particular or changed what I cook at home.


I’m looking forward to fall; we’ve had a record number of 100+ degree days so far this summer in San Antonio.


That's it for now, I'll check in again in a bit, hopefully with even better news.  Until then, y'all take care.


Cheers,
Miller, out

Spring has sprung.

Sorry it’s been so long since my last update. I’m back to a full work load and pretty much back to a normal schedule – busy. Where I would normally write these updates on Sunday afternoons, I’m now back to doing those weekend catch-up jobs in-between business trips. The up side is I’m doing better, so cancer is in the back of my mind and not taking up anywhere near the time it did only a few months ago.

I write this from the airport in Madrid, Spain. I just finished up a week in Estroil, Portugal, this is my 3rd trip to Europe so far this year – I’m going to apply for EU membership.

I’ve seen all three doctors within the last 3 weeks and I’m told I’m doing very well. Still have some issues with my throat and dry mouth, but I’ve seen some improvement. I can taste most things now and the ability to taste seems to last longer before going a bit muted. Salivary glands are still not up to par, and I still need to have water available 24 hours a day. I only wake up once or twice a night for a drink of water. I’ve gained back a total of 20 pounds and I’m happy with that weight. More time in the gym will keep it off my waist.

Two of my doctors will be leaving San Antonio in the next couple of months, so we said good bye. I thanked them profusely and they said I was one of their good patients. I guess that’s a little dubious, I managed to come out on this side cancer free, not all their patients are as lucky. My third doctor has moved to another military hospital here in San Antonio, so I still see him. My appointments are now at 3 month intervals vice 1 month. It shouldn’t be too long before I move to 6 month intervals.

Thanks for checking in on me, I wish you all well.

Take care,
Miller, out

Happy New Year! – Good riddens 2010 !!!!

Ok, I’m glad to see 2010 behind me. I guess I could rail on about how bad it was, but that would be a waste of time, instead I’ll say I learned a lot about life and how important it is to pay attention to your family and friends. I tend not to do that and it’s a serious fault. I’m going to try and do better in the future.

This time last year I was in the middle of the gut wrenching dilemma of deciding on what treatment to choose to treat my cancer. It was a terrible time and Terry and I were trying to make decisions based on very poor information and no one to guide us through the process but my doctors. The three of them each had their own opinions and needless to say they focused on their own specialties. I guess that’s to be understood, but we could have used a good arbitrator. In the end I guess we made the right decision, I’m cancer free.

I’ve seen all three of my doctors over the last month and they are happy as usual with my progress. I still have issues with my throat and mouth, but they are improving slowly. My taste buds seem to be healing and I can taste more for longer periods of time. I don’t need as much water to get through the day (and night). I’ve been told that I won’t need to come in and see the doctors as often, we’ll be going to a 3 month check-up schedule over the next 12 months.

We went to Green Bay over the holidays, I got to attend the Packer / New York Giants football game (it was cold , but we won !!) My brother offered up one of his tickets, I don’t know why his wife Katey didn’t want to go to the game. It was a good reminder why I live in Texas. We had a couple of feet of snow on the ground and I’m not sure it got above 30 degrees while we were there. We had a white Christmas and got to spend some time with our friends and family and that was very special.

I’m writing this in a hotel in California. I’m on the first week of a 4 week travel session, so I guess I’m back in the swing of things. I spend a couple of days at home this coming weekend, but then it’s off across the pond to my other home Europe for two weeks. Then a stop off at home to do some laundry then a few days in Maryland, then back to Texas for a couple of weeks, before it’s time to head to Paris. What a life. What time zone am I in?

Miller, out