It's back

01-18-10 Tuesday: I did miss this blog believe it or not. I just didn't want to have to write about cancer anymore. For the second time in my life, I was told I had cancer again today. I first visited with the Dr. who did the surgery on my arm and he seemed pretty upbeat so I felt some what relieved. He left to go read the MRI results and told me that Dr. Rushing wanted to see me also today. Since I only had an appointment with Dr. Cummings I thought he just want to thank me for sending he and his wife to Florida for Thanksgiving. Sharon and I were very happy that he was going to take his busy time to personally come and thank us. He had written me a hand written note when I first told him about the possibility of getting him a place for Thanksgiving.

When he came in he asked us how our Christmas and New Year were going, and then said we found some things on your CT scan that is very disturbing. We found five spots that were not there on the last CT. I'm afraid that the Sarcoma has gone to your lungs. That is the normal place it will go if it started in your arm. He had told us about the possibility, but on the last scan they saw nothing and Sharon and I thought we were home free. Like the old joke: All of you that think you are cancer free please take one step forward. Not so fast McLaughlin.

I must go back for more Chemo. This time it will be a different medicine than the last time. Your not supposed to get sick on this one, but I will more than likely loose my hair again. I have one treatment the first week, probably Monday, and then another two treatments 8 days later. I'm then off for a week and then repeat it again. One treatment one week then followed by two different treatments 8 days later. I have to see him after the first round to see if I am able to with stand the dosage or not. He is going to start out very heavy and see what I can stand. This will continue for at least four treatments. At the end of the second round of treatments, I will have another CT scan to see what effect if any the Chemo has had on the Sarcoma. It is very difficult to kill with Chemo. Some say you can't, but others say it at lest slows down the growth and may kill the microscopic one that may be in my lungs now.

When they feel they have done what they can with Chemo , they will go in and try to cut out the Sarcoma's on my lungs. They will not talk about the surgery at this time because they said it could change.

This has come as a complete blow to Sharon and me and we are asking everyone to pray for all of us in the McLaughlin family. As the Dr. told us, the entire family lives through this treatment in their own way. I know that prayer helped the last time, so please keep them coming