Day 14

It's Jim again ... looks like this blog thing is going to be driven by ghost writers versus the Big Guy himself until he's feeling a bit better. Anyway, here's the most recent update:

Dad had his Day 14 bone marrow biopsy done yesterday at about 2 PM. Everything went well this time and he said he felt "50% better coming out than I did going in." This is just a test, so we'll get the results back (hopefully) by Monday ... remember, this will let us know to what extent the chemo will be capable of wiping out the AML, so keep your fingers crossed.

After several phone calls, I was finally able to speak with Dad's nurse and P.A. about getting a better schedule for his pain meds. They agreed to have someone ask him if he needs them every four hours versus having him initiate the request (otherwise known as begging for his drugs). The degenerative problem they found in his back from the MRI on Sunday will be addressed after the chemotherapy, so no cortisone shot will be administered as earlier reported.

That's it for now ... keep the comments going in this forum. Phone calls into the hospital are subject to Dad's sleeping patterns, which have returned to their pre-AML levels. After taking a brief walk and reading a chapter in his Louis L'amour book, he said he was ready to "do what I do best: sleep."

And yes, you read it right ... he's reading the same Louis L'amour books as good ol' Grandpa Lemon used to dig through. History has a funny way of repeating itself, huh?!