Still good

Still feeling good.

Still running. Cut it short again this morning -- high winds outside woke the dog up way too early, and so I had to take her downstairs with me while I hit the treadmill. Otherwise, she'd have sat at the bottom of the stairs and whined until one of the kids came down to see her.

So instead, I had her with me. Strudel is actually a fan of the treadmill. When the weather is nasty, we put her on it for 20 or 30 minutes. She really likes it -- works off some of that puppy energy. We got the idea from The Dog Whisperer, Ceasar Millan, who has a show on the National Geographic channel. It's a great workout for her, because she also uses some mental energy focusing on looking forward. If she turns to the side on a moving treadmill, well....it's not good.

Anyway, this morning, I think she wanted a turn on the treadmill, so she just sniffed a lot and stood behind me where I couldn't see her, whining a little. She must have tried to jump on at one point, which is not easy to do when I'm running at a 9:30 pace. I couldn't see her, but the treadmill belt kind of jumped a little, and she screamed and jumped up on the couch. There may have been a small bald patch on her beard. Not really sure.

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About the blog: I changed the security on the "comments" so that anyone can make a comment now. It used to be that you had to be a registered Google user, but now anyone can add something without signing in. Just be sure to sign your name at the bottom of the comment so I know who you are. I appreciate all of the comments and the e-mails. I know the initial shock of it all has worn off now, and watching-and-waiting doesn't make for much to say, but it's nice to get even a quick "hello" every now and then. They mean a lot. And thanks to those of you who have called or e-mailed Isabel. A quick hello helps a lot there, too, just to see how she's doing.

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A couple of interesting things from the on-line support group this weekend that were very encouraging.

First was a post from someone new to the group, a 63 year old woman who calls herself "Tarzan." She chose that name because her oncologist said that Follicular NHL folks are like the Tarzans of the cancer world -- there's always another vine to grab on to. New treatments, new options, new successes. It was nice to read.

Someone else posted a link to a short article from the February issue of the Journal of Clinical Oncology by a doctor who has been researching follicular NHL for almost 50 years. He did a kind of review of significant changes in fNHL over the last 25 years. It's written for other specialists, of course, so I don't get a lot of what he's saying (I'm going to bring a copy with me to my next appointment to get some answers). For him, the biggest change in research has been in the increased awareness of the transformative nature of fNHL: it starts as something fairly non-aggressive, but then can take on a different, more aggressive form. Catching the transformation, and deciding on an appropriate course of treatment, are key. This reaffirms the appropriateness of the watch-and-wait approach, since treating the fNHL won't necessarily do much, since it often comes back, and then requires another round of chemo (and the time, money, and pain that goes with it). Watch and wait allows the doctor to see if it has transformed.

Also encouraging are some new numbers. Up until now, the most recent numbers for survival rates had a median of 10 years; this is the figure listed on Wikipedia and elsewhere. As I said in a post a little while ago, Dr. C the specialist told me that anything on the internet is already out of date. Recently published figures show a new median of 15 years, with another study showing 18 years. Advances in biological therapies (a drug called Rituxin that boosts antibodies without many of the horrible side effects of CHOP and other chemo treatments) are a big reason for the increased survival rates.

Of course, "median" means half are better and half are worse, so it's all still a big unknown. But it's all reason to be positive, too. The plan remains to see the oncologist monthly, so any transformations in the fNHL should get caught early, but that all depends on what it transforms to. But...but...but...but...Still in that good news/bad news cycle. But it's all reason to stay positive.

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Thanks to Mom and Dad for watching the kids this weekend, and for the new red running shirt with RELENTLESS emroidered on the sleeve. Can't wait for nicer weather so I can wear it.