Update

Friday was Harold’s second infusion treatment and he is feeling great. 

Before Friday’s treatment Harold had lab work and a checkup to make sure he was well enough for the infusion. When his oncologist asked how he was feeling and Harold replied that he’d played racquetball just before coming in, his oncologist laughed and asked about the game. Harold  was cleared for infusion number two.

We learned why body scans are delayed until later in the immunotherapy treatment process. Early on they may be inaccurate and convey false bad news. This treatment works by allowing the body to recognize melanoma tumors as an enemy; and when that happens, the tissue around the tumors becomes inflamed. If Harold is scanned now the tumors may appear larger, when in fact they are just under attack, surrounded by his body’s defense forces.  Later scans may reveal a whole different story.

Sometimes we dread those visits to the doctor or the hospital. Not because the treatments are painful, or the people unkind. We have a great medical team working on our behalf. We dread those visits because we are forced to bump up against the statistical reality of Harold’s diagnosis. We ask the questions and are given honest answers. Then we are left to digest the information and rally our courage. It wasn't as hard on Friday. We felt encouraged.

Our next hospital visit will be Thursday, May 10^th when Harold will undergo another Gamma Knife surgery to remove the new brain tumors revealed in last week’s MRI.  The procedure should be the same as before. Harold just needs to decide what book to listen to.