It has been a month since our last visit to MDAnderson, and the time at home without Houston travel was lovely.  We gave it our best effort but were unable to catch up on all the neglected yard work and house maintenance...fun trying though!  We did catch up on visits with family, friends and local activities.

Today's MDAnderson visit was positive again.  Lab work good, melanoma team and doc happy with Rusty's improving condition, and immunotherapy infusion without problem.  The mediport Rusty now sports means that he does not have to have venipunctures for lab work and infusions...he is thrilled with the "no stick" program!

Finished early enough today to rest and relax at the RV park before heading home tomorrow.

A bright spot in our travel back to Corpus Christi tomorrow will be a stop in Richmond for a visit with My nursing school roommate, Cadge Morley, and her husband Bob.  They have just moved from Tennessee to Richmond, Texas where they will be closer to their daughter Karen and her family. 

We'll be back up here in two weeks for another follow up with the neuro-oncology radiation team who performed Rusty's Gamma Knife surgery last August.  After that, Rusty's visits are expected to be monthly.

 

Written on Tuesday afternoon...

After a grueling nine hour trip over to Houston Monday, the gods of cosmic justice repaid Rusty with GOOD NEWS yesterday!  His CT scan revealed that all tumors have again decreased and some that were visible three months ago have are now not visible!

Our trip over was complicated by a two and a half  hour delay getting out of Corpus Christi while a tractor trailer accident on the Nueces Bay Causeway was cleared, and then again by three restroom breaks, a lunch break and a gas stop.  We got into the RV park and started setting up the cords, hoses, etc. at about 8:30 PM...

Tuiesday's early morning labs, CT scan and medi-port evaluation all went smoothly.  Visit with melanoma team was a real upper!  They related the improved CT results, commented favorably on the lab results and told us that their plan now is to see Rusty only once a month now for evaluation and a maintenance “Opdivo” (Nivolumab) immunotherapy infusion.

Celebrating welcome news with a sinful lunch at the Rotary House

Rusty is also to start physical therapy at home to work on balance and stamina.  We have a good friend in Corpus who is a wonderful therapist, so he’s looking forward to the therapy.  He is still having periods of confusion and short term memory loss, but they are less frequent.

All the worrisome issues from last visit are in resolution.  The cardiology diagnostics were unremarkable, and our local prinary doc, Dr. Boynton, is managing the blood pressure and fluid retention problems which are most likely a result of some of the chemo Rusty has received.  Blood counts are slowly returning to normal, and his hair and beard are starting to grow back!

Today was the first immunotherapy infusion of this regime and we are on the infusion unit as I write this.  Rusty is catching up on some z’s and I’m just resting from doing my happy dance!

We had hoped to go to the Houston Symphony Independence Day concert in the Woodlands this evening, but it's been a busy 12 hour day with appointments and we are both feeling the need for a quiet evening and an early bedtime.  Home tomorrow and back in a month...praise God!