There always seems to be something going on around here.   This last couple of weeks have been up and down....I'll have a good day and then a sub-par day.  I now have an in home nurse assigned to me.  Talk about a small world.....we found out that she went to school with our twins.  Thank goodness she came to make her first visit with me Wednesday morning.  My legs were so swollen it was hard to even move.  She took one look at them and tested them for edema and made a call to one of her friends (another nurse) and discussed my situation.  They both agreed that I should probably go to the emergency room to be evaluated. She then called my primary care doctor who agreed and called the emergency room so that they expected me.    After spending the afternoon there, they discovered I had a blood clot in my right leg.  So besides added medication, I now get two shots a day in my lower abdomen.  My wife has now become a nurse because she has to give me the shots.  I also have a compression sock that I have to wear on my left leg.  It is a real chore to get that all the way up my leg.  On top of all that I still seem to be having trouble helping my bladder get on a schedule.  That has presented a whole new set of problems.  Because of all these issues, visiting with friends and returning phone calls or emails are sometimes difficult.  I really appreciate all your understanding.  GO BEAVS!!!

     Wednesday we spent the day up at OHSU at the Center for Health and Healing.  My first appointment of the day was with the urologist.  They removed the catheter.  I felt like celebrating!  I have been able to urinate with no problem so that is no longer something I have to worry about.  It is amazing how much better I feel!
     The next appointment was meeting with my oncologist.  He was pretty blunt.  He told us that the tumor has been growing.  The hope is that in the next two weeks, the radiation will act on the tumor and stop its growth.  Our doctor was not very surprised about the events of last weekend.  As he told us, the symptoms that I had are probably related to the tumor.  He has referred me to a spine rehabilitation doctor to help us with symptoms.  I will be seeing that doctor is about two weeks.  I am scheduled for a CT scan of my chest, abdomen, and pelvis at the end of this month.  That will reassure us that the tumor has stayed in one place.
     It's amazing how I feel up and down day to day and minute to minute.  The key is to stay more up than down.  I am lucky to have such a good support system that helps me through those tough times.  Your comments are SO appreciated.  Thank you one and all!