pet scan clear

Good news!!! On Monday, March 16th, John and Kay traveled back down to Karmanos in Detroit. The oncologist had the good news of the CT pet scan being clear. Meaning: there was no detection of cancer.

The doctor was NOT excited about John's bloodwork though. His blood counts are low along with other valuable levels of elements. So some adjustments are being made. One prescription and another OTC supplement are being eliminated from John's daily regiment of pills because it is believed they are hindering the recovery process. John was told it could take 6-12 months to completely recover from the stem-cell transplant, but with his overall good health, he should be further ahead at this point than what he really is.

John's started bouncing back pretty well, but lately seems to be at a stand-still. Now knowing that his numbers are low still explains that. So hopefully we'll see a bit more energy in a couple of weeks.

thank you for your continued prayers. keep them coming!

March update

John has been trudging along. I see improvement in his energy weekly. He has his shop open, but takes it easy. A job here and a job there. Been going to church for over a month now. He had avoided church due to the large amount of people and possible germs. One of the greatest things about church is the large number of people there he knows; which means the large number of people there that have been praying for him. It's hard to get out the door when Mass is over due to many parishoners wanting to say "hi" to him.

His blood count numbers are good. Just slightly on the low side but the doctors are still happy. Most importantly - John had another PET CT scan done on Monday the 1st down in Grand Rapids at St. Mary's hospital. This is an amazing test that detects cancer cells within his body. Lymphoma doesn't always stay in one spot like a tumor. This one will determine if or how well the stem cell transplant worked. Of course we have all of our fingers crossed that none will be detected.

John will get the results when he goes down to Karmanos again on the 16th of March. He is also still seeing Dr. Peterson locally for his blood draws. We will be asking for prayers for the appointment on the 16th so we will get good news.

Meanwhile, his hair has been growing back. He has eyebrows now! Amazing how much eyebrows make a difference in our appearance. I'm including pictures to show his improvement. I have to admit, the hair re-growth just makes one look healthier too.