Treatment complete

Two rounds of chemotherapy. 28 days of radiation. Countless doctor appointments, prescriptions and blood draws.

And what do we have?

A man who's lost lots of weight, who can't eat much, who has muscle spasms, who has no energy, who has a horrible chalky mouth, who has burns on his back, who has stomach cramps, who feels like crap, who . . . oops, I'm supposed to stay postive, aren't I?

(And just to give E. the credit he deserves . . . he has been a real trooper throughout all of this. He hasn't complained . . . much. :) He hasn't taken any pain medication . . . despite my continual offering. He hasn't fired me as his caretaker . . . although I'm sure he's been tempted a time or two . . . or three. Like he says, he's a "tough ole bastard." Tough he is. There's a strength about him that you can't help but admire . . . both physically and emotionally.)

Okay, treatment is done. Yay!!! E. got a certificate and everything. We joked that he should have gotten a gold star and a brownie button as well. The second round of chemotherapy was a doozy. It really knocked E. on his a$$. Needless to say, this last week has been rough, rough, rough on him. He was thrilled to finally be done, but then the doctors reminded us that the "worst" was yet to come. Supposedly, the week following the completion of treatment is usually the worst. Oh joy. But then the body can start healing.

And then we wait. A PET scan and possible Endoscopic Ultrasound will be scheduled in about six weeks. (The body takes that long to do some healing, take care of the inflammation, etc... so that the scans can actually see anything.) Only then will we know what happens next. Prayers, well wishes, kind thoughts and crossed fingers are all appreciated.

S.