Update on New Developments

I know it has been a long time since my last entry. I was waiting to update various items until after July 1st, but then I waited too long. On July 3rd, I started developing serious breathing problems which required a trip to the emergency room; and then ended up as an 8 day hospital stay. The problem was a pneumothorax (partial collapse of left lung), and the treatment was too painful to consider sitting with a laptop computer to write anything meaningful. I write this note just as I am being checked out of the hospital, and can again operate a keyboard.

Some of the things which have happened over these past weeks :
-- Development and treatment of pneumothroax in my left lung, requiring 8 day stay in hospital; and development of fever while getting treated.
-- Being accepted into a new drug trial at Mayo Clinic; the new drug being a monoclonal antibody based therapy to replace chemotherapy.
-- Discovery that the new chemotherapy (last two rounds) has accomplished at least the minimum hoped for: it caused tumor growth in my lungs to stop (but didn't begin to remove them).
-- Discovery of a new lump in my left leg, just below the original surgical site. An MRI was not definitive in diagnosis, but it could be a recurrence of the same tumor type. Need to take follow up with another doctor at Mayo Clinic to decide what it is, or is not; and what to do about it.
This is just a summary of what has happened over the past weeks. I will write more detail later; once I am back home and have more time.

Thanks again for all the kind words, prayers and cards. Again, we need prayers for understanding of direction on future treatments, and which issues to deal with first.

Special thanks to Jean for all the neat little gifts I keep getting in the mail. I put together that last gift you sent; and read the message after getting the puzzle completed. A really neat idea.

BRENT