The recommendations are in and Stem Cells Win!
First and foremost, THANK YOU for your calls and notes and concern about what my next course of action is. I am truly a blessed person for all your kindness and friendship/As you know, I met with a noted Oncologist in Chapel Hill on Wednesday and he gave me a peek at life for me over the next 6 to 8 Months! Talk about raining on my parade! I told the doctor he had just successfully eliminated my NC State Football games for this year BUT my wonderful wife quickly interjected that he had also spoiled our plans to go to Las Vegas and be married by Elvis for our 25th anniversary. I quickly told her we definitely would go in 2007 since that was our 26th and 26 is our luck number!
Doctor Gabriel said he would see if he could convert me over to the Heels with his frequent visits! I of course decline his invitation! He said they brainwash you subliminally through their stethoscopes! I KNEW IT!
So here is how it is gonna go. I will be in Raleigh taking a new Chemotherapy for the next 9 weeks. Three days of chemo followed by 2 and a half weeks off followed by three more days of chemo followed by the same weeks off. That will take me up to August. After a PET scan to determine the shrinkage of the spot, I will be go into a treatment that will stimulate the production of my stem cells. When I am ready, I will go and have them harvested and frozen. Shortly after that (Sept) I will be admitted to the hospital and will stay there undergoing chemotherapy and reinsertion of my stem cells. This process will take about 100 days! Sounds like a long time but it is short if you say it fast! After the hospital stay I will come home and be monitored closely by my lovely wife and caregiver for another 90 days.
After this (around Christmas) I will be ready for a vacation! Ha! Folks the hair is going away again! Hair is overrated anyway! I am going for that distinguished look. At any rate, I am planned out through Christmas and barring any infections and complications, I will be ready for spring baseball with Ryan and visits with Matthew at East Carolina University and Kaye will be ready to shoot me more than likely.
It sounds intense and it is a lot to digest but it is also the way to the cure. As Dr. Gabriel told us. this is common in 20 percent of Hodgkins patients and that I am not a special case this happens as he said a gazillion times a year! I told him that was pretty much me, ordinary and common and that I was ready for him to do his magic.
Is this going to be a piece of cake? No. Am I going to need your prayers? YES. Will we need for everyone to pitch in and help? YES. Kaye will have the hardest task of all and she is such a trooper and inspiration for me! I am excited about the future and what is in store for me and I am also mindful that I have a great family and friends who will make this journey smooth as possible and full of kindness. For that I thank you. God truly has me in his hands and has mine best interests in his will.
Anyway, Enough of this and on with the show! Talk to you again real soon!
I love you all
Tim
Doctor Gabriel said he would see if he could convert me over to the Heels with his frequent visits! I of course decline his invitation! He said they brainwash you subliminally through their stethoscopes! I KNEW IT!
So here is how it is gonna go. I will be in Raleigh taking a new Chemotherapy for the next 9 weeks. Three days of chemo followed by 2 and a half weeks off followed by three more days of chemo followed by the same weeks off. That will take me up to August. After a PET scan to determine the shrinkage of the spot, I will be go into a treatment that will stimulate the production of my stem cells. When I am ready, I will go and have them harvested and frozen. Shortly after that (Sept) I will be admitted to the hospital and will stay there undergoing chemotherapy and reinsertion of my stem cells. This process will take about 100 days! Sounds like a long time but it is short if you say it fast! After the hospital stay I will come home and be monitored closely by my lovely wife and caregiver for another 90 days.
After this (around Christmas) I will be ready for a vacation! Ha! Folks the hair is going away again! Hair is overrated anyway! I am going for that distinguished look. At any rate, I am planned out through Christmas and barring any infections and complications, I will be ready for spring baseball with Ryan and visits with Matthew at East Carolina University and Kaye will be ready to shoot me more than likely.
It sounds intense and it is a lot to digest but it is also the way to the cure. As Dr. Gabriel told us. this is common in 20 percent of Hodgkins patients and that I am not a special case this happens as he said a gazillion times a year! I told him that was pretty much me, ordinary and common and that I was ready for him to do his magic.
Is this going to be a piece of cake? No. Am I going to need your prayers? YES. Will we need for everyone to pitch in and help? YES. Kaye will have the hardest task of all and she is such a trooper and inspiration for me! I am excited about the future and what is in store for me and I am also mindful that I have a great family and friends who will make this journey smooth as possible and full of kindness. For that I thank you. God truly has me in his hands and has mine best interests in his will.
Anyway, Enough of this and on with the show! Talk to you again real soon!
I love you all
Tim
posted by Tim | Thursday, May 11, 2006
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