This is an update

I am ashamed that I have had so many fine adventures the last few months, and have done so little blogging other than cancer updates. In May, we went to Louisville and saw my son receive his doctorate from Southern Baptist Seminary. In June, I went on a mission trip to teach in Kenya for a couple of weeks. Next month, we take grandkids on an adventure trip to a cabin on Michigan's upper peninsula. Plus, I have started a new job with the same employer, managing materials testing technicians in our company's Dallas (rather than Arlington) office. Someday, I hope to blog about a lot of this and post some neat pictures, but until then, perhaps you can see them on facebook.

It seems hard to call it an update when it is the same news. Once again, the cancer-indicating M-spike increased by 0.1 over the past 2 months. It is now 1.1, up from 0.3 in May of 2010. What is news is that the cancer doc, Carol and I have set a number limit of 2.0 to 2.5, barring any sudden increases, before I resume chemotherapy. At the rate I am going, it could be 1.5 to 2.5 years before I resume chemo. This is consistent with advice Carol and I received in private conversations with leading myeloma experts at a conference we attended a few weekends ago, although it runs somewhat counter with conventional means of treating this disease. This is (hopefully) a marathon, and not a sprint.

As the cancer doc began yesterday to once again discuss the pros and cons of various treatment options, and how it all depended on your goals in treatment, I interrupted him and told him plainly, "My goal is to stay on my feet and working for as long as possible." He paused, then said quietly, "That is exactly what I would do," and we went on with the course set.

Thanks to all for the love, prayers and concern.