Juan continues to improve after his surgery last Thursday though he is still in quite a bit of pain. Each day he has become a little more active and each night he's slept a little more soundly. Tomorrow we will meet with the surgeon for the first time since leaving the hospital.
Two days ago we received a phone call from both the medical oncologist (the chemo guy) and the radiologist. They've changed their plan a little bit. Next Thursday (3/5) Juan will begin intensive chemotherapy with a cocktail of 3 drugs. They plan to do 2-4 rounds with each round lasting 21 days. After 2 rounds they'll perform CT and PET scans and decide whether to continue with rounds 3 and 4.
After this intense chemo regimen they'll move to a combined chemo and radiation treatment. This will involve a less intense form of chemo that uses only one drug. Apparently all 3 chemo drugs plus radiation is too much for the body to handle at once.
As before, after these chemo and radiation treatments the hope is that the tumor will have shrunk and pulled away from the pancreas. If this is the case surgery is still the next step in the plan.
Finally, a huge, huge thank you to everyone for your phone calls, cards and gifts. We have been overwhelmed by your generosity. Thanks to the wonderful meals given to us by Human Resources, the District Office, and the Prairie High School staff, I have not had to grocery shop for weeks and I suspect I won't have to for weeks to come. It has been so nice to have one less thing to think about during these busy and exhausting times. We cannot offer enough thanks and appreciation for all the kindness everyone has shown us.
