Hello Family and Friends:
Today marks three months from my last day of Chemo. I am light years ahead from where I was that day. My only complaints now are that my fingers are still numb and tingly and I still have shortness of breath from my hemoglobin still being down some. The hemoglobin is steadily rising and my platelets and potassium are back to normal. I lost 30 pounds during the 6 months of Chemo and was down to 148 pounds. I now have my taste buds and sense of smell back and am eating everything I can get my hands on. I have gained about 10 pounds and am fluctuating between 157 and 160 pounds. At a check-up with my family doctor last week it was concluded that with the length of colon that I am now missing it appears that my "fighting weight" in the future will probably stay in that range and I will never get back to the 178-180 pounds before this all started. This is not all bad as my doctor feels that 157-160 pounds would be an excellent weight for me.
I am now back to all of my activities with the Lions Club, Knights of Columbus and Fire Department as well as yard work around the house and am taking "power naps" on an infrequent basis. On June 17th I have another Colonoscopy to make sure that I don't have anything else lurking around in there and on July 20th I have a three month follow-up at the Alfond Cancer Center to check my blood levels and for any signs of cancer. I am very optimistic that everything is fine. I'll keep you posted on the outcomes of these check-ups. Talk to you soon.
Love, Dad (Al)
