Our blog is up and running

As you can see, I have started our blog - I still need to figure out how to copy a slideshow into this site - I will do that, just haven't quite got it yet! We have had a good week - I will try to remember all that happened now as I tell you about it.

1st - about the medical things - Most important, we made the appointment for the Pittsburgh University Medical Centeer - on the 30th of June - we will be skipping the 2 week chemo that would have started tomorrow, and then the week of the 23rd he would be off , beginning again on the 30. The Doctor - Dr. Gamblin - will be on vacation the week of the 23rd, and we needed to be off chemo 3 weeks - so - the 30th it is.

Butch is feeling MUCH better - we did see the primary - Dr. Gearing - on Friday. He told us that the blood work showed a good billirubin reading - normal is under 1 - it was .8 at Sayre Packer, 1.21 when we started chemo, was .5 last week - as I understand it, this number will go up if there is a blockage in the bile duct - causing jaundice. Also - alk phosphatase is coming down - normal - 39 to 122 - before chemo - 654 - now - 451 something (also liver related). All good signs. We had the CA 19-9 tested - will have the result in the next day or two - very anxious to see that one.

Dr. Gearing thinks the pain in Butch's legs - both - comes from phlebitis - the legs are feeling MUCH better - he is still wearing the orthopedic stockings, which helps. Still on the lovenox instead of coumadin for blood thinner - gives himself shots - he will stay on this until after surgery - can't be on coumadin for surgery, and lovenox was better for him right now.

Both white and red counts were high - thought that was strange, as he had a shot last week because white count was low - still not sure about this.

He saw a Dr. Steven Hassig on Thursday - a GI Doctor, about being his liver and bile duct specialist - he might need stents if his bile ducts plug up, and Dt. Hassig has done many of them. butch took him a copy of his records, and he knows Dr. Barrett (the surgeon who operated on Butch 6 years ago for the big surgery), so - he is the Doctor for Butch now - to replace Dr. McDonald at Sayre-Packer,who, as you know, we feel did not adequately protect Butch from this cancer .

Now - for the other stuff - it has been HOT the past couple of days - 92, for example. We have been very busy. On Monday, we took Flash to salt Springs State Park. Butch played 18 holes of golf on Tuesday. Alexandria turned 14 on Thursday, and we went to a celebration at her house. Butch left and played poker. On Friday, Carolyn, Joe, Butch and I went to Cortland and played 9 holes. Saturday , I picked up Sam & Alex and we went to Mom and Dad's to swim - the water was lovely - Sammy got a burn, we had a great picnic lunch. Last night we went to the track at Tioga Downs, and bet the horses. Today, after church, we met Mom and Dad for a brunch at the Holiday Inn Arena - stuffed ourselves while we listened to a harpist play. There was quite a storm this afternoon - cooled things down a bit. You should see our weeks when we are NOT sick!