Getting Back on Track

Welcome back to the next Thriving Not Just Surviving blog post. I spent the last week in St. Louis recovering from my hospital stay and getting my routine back on track.

It’s been a very fruitful week and I am feeling my normal self again. I’ve returned to working out and have been able to gradually increase the intensity of my workouts.

The follow up appointment with the oncologist went well. He has started decreasing my daily dose of steroids with the intent of moving completely off steroids by the end of the month.  The plan for the next few weeks is to continue withholding treatment and undergo a CT scan at the beginning of October. This next scan will be huge because it will be the first scan in which we have stopped treatment. The hope is that the cancer has not grown or spread which would provide evidence that my immune system is keeping the cancer in check. The progress I’ve made over the past several months is promising, but it’s impossible to know for sure how the cancer will respond without undergoing regular treatment.

My oncologist has not ruled out a return to immune therapy, but right now my body needs to continue to heal and be free of steroids. Traditional chemotherapy and radiation could be options as well if the cancer returns, but my oncologist really wants to avoid these options.

I’m looking forward to hopefully having a few quiet weeks in Kansas City before the CT scan on October 5. Maureen and I continue to thank everyone for the prayers and support.