Prairie Dogs Still in Retreat!

The results of last week's PET scan came back normal. No sign of any PD's to be found. Different from how we were counting, they are now declaring me to be 18 months cancer free, so the added good news today was that update on my post-treatment calendar. It's not an exact calendar to begin with, but it was a nice thing to hear. The next scan will be in 6 months.

The oncologist continues to be impressed with how I have responded to the treatments and gotten back to so many of the things I did before that time. I mentioned that I did the Peachtree 10K and his eyes lit up! He confided that he did the Peachtree for 23 years before his own diagnosis and treatments (for the same cancer I had), but never felt the urge to get back into exercising again.

But, all of the news is not glowing. I am experiencing some latent side effects from the radiation treatments (aka, "The gift that keeps on giving") that are going to need some special attention in the near future--and probably for the rest of my life. All of my symptoms are quite common for a year after treatments , but come under the old saying, "Just when you thought it was safe..." None of this is life threatening, or increases the chances of the cancer recurring, but is serving to remind me that this disease will always be a part of my life.

But enough of that. Terry and I are going out to dinner to do a little celebrating for all the great news we got today, and will make a toast to Team Mike once again for all the love, support, humor, and good vibes you've sent our way to help us come so far so fast.

mike

Good Vibes Needed Again Soon

It's been a while since Team Mike has been called into action, but we need everyone to send us your prayers, thoughts, good vibes, etc. on two days coming up soon. Mike's periodic PET scan is scheduled for July 20th. We won't get the results until the 26th because the lead oncologist is out of the office the week of the scan.

We will post the results to the blog as soon as we have them.

The continuing good news is that Mike is feeling nothing that might predict a bad scan result. We are cautiously confident we'll get good news on the 26th, BUT we are not taking anything for granted, so please send those good vibes to us.

As always, thanks for checking in on us.

Mike and Terry

Another (6.2) Milestone Reached

The long hot spell that went through the whole month of June and into the first days for July broke the day before the Peachtree 10K Road Race, giving 55,000 relieved runners one of the coolest starts in the race's history. Combined with a new starting format that eliminated the shoulder-to-shoulder crowding in past races, this was easily the most comfortable of the 14 Peachtrees I've ever done. And running 45 pounds lighter than in 2008 helped a lot!

Two weeks before the race I figured I had no chance of running the whole distance, and was OK with a plan to maybe walk a mile or more of the course. Then, nine days before the race, I did a practice run on the whole Peachtree course with my running partner, Jeff Rupp, in miserably hot and humid weather. To my surprise I walked only a very small part of it, and knew then I had a chance to run the whole distance come July 4th.

I got a little emotional as my right foot hit the starting line and activated the timing loop tied to my shoe. As I reflected on that for the first few minutes of the run, I realized that the emotions came from knowing I had gotten back yet another part of life that cancer had taken away for a year. I had not realized how much I had missed running the Peachtree last year until that moment--and I was going to enjoy every step of the way, especially knowing that there was no question I could finish, and run the entire distance. I was pumped, and even had the nerve to tell Jeff not to let me run too fast for his pace (This is a guy who has run the Peachtree 20+ times and did a half marathon last November).

The biggest challenge on the Peachtree course is called "Cardiac Hill", a long steady incline that has earned that nickname a few times over the years. Near the top of Cardiac Hill is Piedmont Hospital, where I got all of my radiation treatments and most of my chemo treatments last year. At the top of Cardiac Hill, I raised my hands and made one clap--as a kind of 'atta boy,' knowing that most of the remaining course was downhill from there. Another small wave of emotion came and went quickly because I really knew then that nothing could stop me from finishing.

My wife, Terry, and Jeff's wife Deb were waiting for us about 200 yards before the finish line, where Deb took the picture above. We hugged after that, and Jeff and I did the last few yards of the course, got our t-shirts (mixed reviews on the design), found the car and opened up the coldest, best tasting beers ever, and went to the Rupp's house for the traditional post-race orange rolls.

Later than day, Terry and I found a quiet spot in the midst of a family barbeque and commented just how normal it had all felt. It had been a very long time since we could say that, and in the end it was more appropriate to down play the significance of the day's event, and just go back to living day to day. If "Living well is the best revenge" (in this case against cancer), then that's what we'll do every day for the rest of our lives.

I hope your July 4th was as good as ours.

mike

Getting Ready for the Peachtree

If you live in the Atlanta area you know all about the Peachtree 10K Road Race, held every year on the 4th of July. It has 55,000 runners and is the largest or second largest 10K race in the world--depends on who's counting. Since moving to Atlanta, I have run in the Peachtree in all but two years--one of those being last year, when I was still too weak to watch the race in person, much less run it. But, I did go over to our friends' house (Jeff and Deb Rupp) to do our traditional post-race celebration of getting in the hot tub, drinking cold beer, eating freshly baked orange rolls, and complaining that they once again picked the worst t-shirt design to win the 2009 contest. Truth be told, I was in no shape to get into the tub, I couldn't drink beer yet, had not yet started back on solid food, and had no shirt of my own to complain about. So, right then and there I declared that I would get healthy enough to join Jeff for the 2010 Peachtree.

I gradually got strong enough to start walking regularly with Terry around our neighborhood, and began to work out in the GSU gym in the fall. I started to run on the indoor track at GSU, which then led to outdoor runs of about 2 miles, 2-3 times a week. In early spring I could actually see myself being ready for the Peachtree--maybe not to run the whole distance, but surely able to finish it with some combination of running and walking (more walking than running).

When I completed my race application on line, I noticed a small box that people could fill out to talk about their motivation to run the 2010 Peachtree. So, I briefly told the story of my cancer and treatments, my pledge to get ready to run this year, and my progress up to that time. To my surprise, about a month ago I got an email from a woman who writes stories for the Peachtree Road Race Magazine, asking if they could publish my story and requested a picture. So, I sent them the "No Prairie Dog" picture from last November, and explained the meaning behind it. (Click on the page image to enlarge it)

I originally thought this was going to appear in the Atlanta Track Club newsletter that would go only to ATC members. As it turns out, it was sent to everyone who is entered to run the race or work as a volunteer--probably about 60,000 people! My first reaction was "Shit, now I really DO have to run the race!" But, the truth is I'm now running 4 miles, 3 times a week, and expect to walk only a very little bit of the 10K course.

In my emails with the magazine reporter, I emphasized that this is not just my story. The full story includes Terry and everyone else who gave me such great support along the way. As the story says, I'm running the Peachtree to show that it is possible to come through adversity, and to sometimes even find a silver lining in it. I'm also running it to again say "Thanks" to all of you who helped me come this far.

So, around 7:30 am on the 4th, send some good vibes as I start on the course. Then, know that around 9:30, I'll be in the Rupp's hot tub, drinking cold beer, eating orange rolls, and proudly holding up (and complaining about) my 2010 Peachtree t-shirt!

Of course, I'll be napping by 10:30.

Have a great July 4th holiday.

Mike

Recent Checkups, PET Scan in July

Mike recently had checkups with two of his doctors and all indications are that his recovery continues to go well. Great news. He is running twice a week now, and still on schedule to do the Peachtree 10K on the 4th of July.

His next scan will be a PET Scan on July 20th, with the results given to us on the 23rd. Please send your good vibes on both of those days, and we'll post the results as soon as we can.

In the meantime, we are racking up lots of "deck time" here, and looking forward to a long stay at the beach in May.

Mike and Terry

What a Difference a Year Makes

Sometimes 365 days can seem like a very long time, while at other times it seems like things that happened a year ago took place just yesterday. Terry and I kept our 2009 appointment book with all of the medical events from last year in it. Every week or so we look at it to remind us of, well, where we were at that time last year.

This week a year ago, I went through the worst period of my treatment phase. We drove my brother Jim to the airport on March 31 at around 1pm, and about 7 hours later I was being admitted to Piedmont Hospital for what would turn out to be four days. Terry's urging to not wait until the next morning literally saved my life. In the middle of that night I had a cardiac event that was brought on by my second round of chemo two weeks earlier. My heart was racing at 180 beats per minute, and I was sleeping through it! Even after the nurse woke me up after responding to the monitor's alarm, I couldn't feel my heart beating that fast. If that event had happened at home, I would not have survived. The cardiac event was compounded by me reaching the lowest point possible with my white blood cell count--which had been predicted. I spent four days in a dilaudid fog, which included some horrible nightmares, and some other dreams that had me convinced that 1) I had been left by my friends at the men's Final four tournament (while still in my hospital gown and bed), 2) Terry had come one day to take me to the airport to do a speech in Kansas, and 3) the timers on my many IV dispensers were bombs, so I needed to take out the IVs before the timers hit zero. Thankfully, the first one I took out alerted the nurse who rushed in and managed to convince me that it was just a dream. "Right, easy for you to say."

Terry and I have marked this as the worst days of my treatment and her most terrified period, but because of that we also marked the next week as the time when we can say I started to get better--which I celebrated today by running three miles outdoors on a drop-dead gorgeous spring day. Last night we spent several hours of "deck time", recalling how much we love to do that, and missed it so badly last year--and thinking back on where things were this time last year.

We are not naive enough to think that our battle against cancer is over forever and I still have some lingering and some permanent effects from the radiation and chemo, but we are definitely feeling great about how much of our lives we have gained back in "just" 365 days.

To all of you out there who helped us in any way and sent those good vibes when they were needed so often, we want to say again--thanks. So, go out, find some Prairie Dogs, smile at one of them and then kick the shit out of it for us.

Mike
PS--I picked three of the Final Four teams, including Butler. I'm probably dreaming that, too.

Ricardo "Rick" Consuegra

We heard the sad news yesterday that Rick passed away early in the morning of February 18th, in a nearby hospice facility.

Rick was a very robust 69 before cancer struck him down so quickly. We would often see him walking far from the house for his daily exercise, and he loved to work on the little red vintage sportscar that was his pride and joy.

We've learned that Rick came to the US from Cuba 48 years ago and he and Obmara were married a year later. They were a quiet couple who worked hard to make their yard and house look great all the time. They also enjoyed going to the duplex they owned in Florida and at one time planned to sell the house here and move there on a permanent basis.

Funeral services for Rick will be held tommorrow (2/20) at noon. Please send your thoughts and prayers to Obmara and their families when you get a moment.

mike

Update on Rick--Worst News Possible

We saw Rick's wife, Obmara, yesterday and heard terrible news about his status. His recent downturn was due less to the chemo and more to his rapidly worsening overall condition. He has been given just 3-4 weeks to live. While we've known since he told us about his cancer that he would not survive, we were stunned to hear such a short timeline. Very tragic for two people who were just settling into a well-earned happy and quiet retirement.

They have lots of family in the area and are getting very strong support from them, but this is a very sad thing to watch happen so close to us.

Please keep them in your thoughts.

mike

Need Good Vibes For Our Neighbor

Our next door neightbor, Rick was taken to the hospital by ambulance this morning after a very bad reaction to his second chemo treatment. He looked pale and weak when I saw him. His condition has deteriorated rapidly since getting his diaagnose of liver cancer just two months ago. I hope this setback today is due more to the chemo than his overall condition.

Please keep Rick in your thoughts and prayers, and I'll provde an update when I know something more.

mike

Prairie Dogs Still in Retreat!

We got great news this morning on my six-month follow up CT scan. No sign of cancer and no false positives!

Thanks to all of you for the good vibes, prayers, etc. you sent our way this time around.

I'll have my next scan around mid-2010, but will continue to post to the blog every once in while to report on my progress and that of others we have mentioned here lately.

Mike

Need Good Vibes for Rick, Danny, and Deb

It's past midnight and I'm able to enjoy a late night glass of wine (or two) (or three) but my thoughts are turning to others who are still fighting their battle with cancer and having a much more difficult time than I experienced, so I'd like to ask you to put them in your thoughts and prayers in the coming days and weeks.

Our next door neighbor, Rick, is not doing well at all. Terry saw him a few days ago and thought he was very weak and has lost a lot of weight. We don't know his full status, but it doesn't look good. A while ago Rick told us that he knew he wouldn't survive, and just wanted to not feel the pain of his cancer.

My own "treatment buddy" Danny Medley has a scan on February 25th, so please send him your best energy that day for a negative test result (yes, that's the good one). Danny is still not able to swallow as much as a sip of water, but has managed to gain 15 pounds by eating through his tube. All I did was lose weight every single day when I had my feeding tube in, so that is remarkable. I admire him for that, more than anyone can imagine.

When we were in Phoenix in January we spent some time with Bob and Deb Pangrazi. I've known Bob for many years--he's a true giant in PE. Now, he's the primary caregiver for his wife, who's been diagnosed with cervical cancer--actually misdiagnosed for several months, delaying the start of her treatments. Deb just finished her second course of radiation and chemo and they are waiting it out until she can get another scan done. Terry and I had had a wonderful time with them, relating as couples who've gone through this together. Bob and Deb get 'full points' for whatever part of the fight against cancer that can be credited to a positive attitude and sense of humor. To help them even more, please keep them in your thoughts in the coming weeks.

mike

Good Vibes Needed on January 18th and 20th

Mike has a CT scan on January 18th--his first follow-up scan since getting the "all clear" last fall. We'll get the results from the lead oncologist on January 20th and post them right away.

Please send some good vibes our way on those days. We continue to need your support to keep the great news going from the end of 2009.

Mike continues to get stronger. He's able to work out in the gym and to run short distances, looking to get ready for the Peachtree Road Race 10K on July 4th.

He still needs to be careful with what he eats, but has expanded his selections and is able to eat a little more at meals lately. Lots of foods are still out of bounds for him and his ability to taste certain kinds of food is still limited--and still no spicy food allowed--but he's getting back some of his appetite and meals are less of an adventure than they were before he got his esophagus dilated.

Progress, whatever it is and however small, is still the name of the game for him.

Terry and Mike

2009 Gives Us One Last Memory

About two weeks ago Mike had an episode where he had a piece of meat stuck in his esophagus for over three hours. He was able to breathe and talk comfortably, so there was no danger--just a lot of discomfort. We spent a long night in the ER waiting to have the obstruction removed, but in the end, the doctors did another excellent job in making sure he got the safest treatment possible, given his recent history.

All of that led to a call yesterday to have his esophagus dilated in a simple and safe procedure that lasted about 30 minutes. The early signs are that the procedure was a success, but it's likely that Mike will need this procedure every six months or so for the foreseeable future. The problem is caused by damage done to tissue in the esophagus from the radiation treatments. For some patients the tissue heals itself completely, but for others the damage is more or less permanent and the dilation procedure is done on an as-needed basis forever. Mike felt this episdoe coming on for a month or so, but didn't know exactly what it was or how to deal with it. The new rule is that if he can't swallow cheese grits, call the doctor and get this thing done again.

Regardless of all that, we accomplished our primary objective for today by Mike not being admitted into the hospital so we could keep our New Year's Eve plans intact: a quiet dinner at home, a fire in the fireplace, wine glasses in hand, and saying "buh-bye, now" to 2009 and "Hello, good lookin'" to 2010!

Mike has his first post-remission scan scheduled for January 18th, so look for an update after 1/20 when we get the results.

In the meantime we hope that your own primary objectives for tonight and 2010 are realized.

Mike and Terry

Ending "The Year of Highs and Lows"

2009 continues to be a year of incredible highs and lows as they related to cancer in our lives and the lives of so many people we know. Terry's annual Holiday card (click on the image to enlarge) expresses the great relief and joy we are feeling over the news that Mike is in remission and his long-term prognosis is very good. While our friend Danny Medley is still facing a lot of challenges down the road, we feel the same relief and joy for him and his wife Rebel over their news that Danny is also in remission.

But just today we got news that cancer has surfaced yet again in our lives, this time literally next door. Our next door neighbor, Rick, told Mike that he has been diagnosed with incurable liver cancer that has already spread to his esophagus. He will undergo some chemo treatments to try to slow down the cancer's progress, but the bottom line is that there is no cure for him. Until they can get a second scan to compare to his first one, the doctors can't determine how fast his cancer is growing, so he has no estimate on his time line.

Rick and his wife are two of the kindest, gentlest people we have ever met. They were both born in Cuba and immigrated to the US a long time ago. They worked very hard to achieve the American Dream they sought after leaving Cuba, and Rick retired a few years ago so they could enjoy the fruit of their labor together. They also own property in North Florida, near the Gulf, and go there every chance they get. When they are here they spend lots of time making their house and yard look very nice, and they are wonderful neighbors and friends who gave us a lot of support during Mike's treatment and recovery.

Mike never once asked "Why me?" during his entire time in treatment and recovery--considering his cancer to be a random instance of bad luck. But with Rick's diagnosis and dire prognosis, Mike is now asking "Why me?" but also "Why do I get cancer and am able to fight it off?" and "Why does Rick (and not me) get an incurable attack from the same disease?" Maybe it's just nature showing us both sides of the same terrible coin.

Even tempered with the news about Rick, this Christmas is already shaping up to be one of the most special holidays in our lives--for all the obvious reasons, and for reasons we probably have not recognized yet. We hope that all of you share that same sense of specialness this Holiday season.

Mike and Terry

Danny Medley Gets Great News!

We heard from Danny's wife, Rebel, late last week that his scan showed no signs of cancer. Wonderful news! Thanks to all Team Mike members who sent good vibes their way.

Danny still has a long way to go to get back to some semblance of normalcy, but he can do that knowing he is cancer-free, which should give him added strength and confidence. From my own experience I can tell you that every bit of good news and progress helps to take the next step forward.

One step at a time--that's how it goes.

Mike

Good Vibes needed for Danny Medley

Terry and I met Danny Medley and his wife, Rebel, on my very first day of radiation treatment. Danny and I had different kinds of cancer cells, but in the exact same location and just about the exact same treatment plan. We befriended each other and made a pact to keep in touch and help each other through this. We would see each other every once in a while in the radiaiton clinic and compare notes. Terry and I have kept in touch with Danny and Rebel since then. I remember Danny calling me just after I got out of the hospital from my complications after the second chemo treatment. At that time he was coping with the treatments a lot better than me, and he told me to hang in there--it would get better.

Somewhere along the line, my recovery started to go a lot better than his, and it's now Danny who is having the difficult time--and a much more extended one. He had a section of his mouth and tongue removed after they found another tumor and still relies 100% on his feeding tube to get nourishment. I just recently learned that he may need another surgery to allow his tongue to function normally, or he might need the feeding tube for the rest of his life.

Rebel emailed me that Danny his having a PET scan this coming Monday (11/23). She says he needs the results to be 100% good, not just for the obvious reason, but to help with his spirits--he is fighting hard, but has made little progress back to normalcy after nine months. While I know I fought just as hard, the intense part of my fight was much shorter, and I started to see some progress immediately after the treatments stopped. It was every small sign of progress that helped me to work hard on the next step forward.

So, that's a long way of asking Team Mike to send your good vibes to Danny and Rebel this Monday. All of the great news we had this week will be even better with a good outcome for them.

Mike

Team Mike 1, Prairie Dogs 0

(Click on photo to enlarge)

Sorry to keep you on pins and needles, but we just got the word from the ENT doctor today that all of the core samples from Mike's biopsy came back negative! With the combined PET scan and biopsy results he now becomes a cancer survivor, no longer a cancer patient. Given his type of cancer and its location--and the relatively short time since treatment ended, the docs are still in a "wait more and see" mode, but the bottom line is that there is no evidence of cancer cells (aka, Prairie Dogs) anywhere in his body. Every day that he remains cancer free increases the chances of staying that way for the very long term.

They do not issue a "cured" status for this kind of cancer until someone is five years post-treatment and 100% clean all along the way. But, today is Day 1 on that 5-year count!

Once we can process all of this, we will send out Thank-yous to the many people on Team Mike who helped us get through this first (and hopefully last) stage. In the meantime, please know that your love, support, and humor (even the sick humor) played a huge role in this success story. We could not have done it without you. Please pass this news along to anyone you know is waiting to hear.

Mike and Terry

Need Those Good Vibes Again on 11/12

(This photo came on November 11th. This is Mike's brother Jim and his wife Pam at a recent Livestrong cancer awareness and fund raising event in Austin, TX. They traveled all the way from Rochester NY to take part in this. Click on photo to enlarge)

Original post: We were not able to get an earlier date for Mike's biopsy, so it will happen this coming Thursday, November 12th. As so many people have done many other times, we'll need your thoughts, prayers, and general good vibes sent our way again on Thursday.

We should know the results sometime the next day, and we'll post them to the blog as soon as we can.

As always, thanks, again for your support. If all goes well, we will be able to make a full exhale until the next time a test comes around--probably in 6 months.

As a quick update, Mike continues to get better, and stronger. He is totally off the medications he needed from the treatments, and expands his list of safe food choices a little each week. His weight has leveled off and he's looking forward to starting an exercise program beyond the neighborhood walking.

Mike and Terry

More Waiting...

The ENT doctor does surgeries only on Thursdays, and Mike could not get on his surgical schedule until November 12th for the biopsy. He did put Mike at the top of the waiting list, in case anything changes. In the meantime, we do more waiting. The good news is that Mike has no symptoms from the area in question that would cause us to worry.

Two weeks ago Mike did an invited talk at a conference in Myrtle Beach. About 400 people were there, the majority of whom have known Mike for many years. This was the first conference he attended since his cancer diagnosis, and the resulting changes in his appearance. Some of the first-time reactions to him were priceless, most in the outloud "OMG!" category. The other funny ones were from those who recognized Terry, but had no idea who the guy was sitting next to her--we call them the "Terry's new boyfriend" reactions. But the best one was from someone who had not seen Mike in 20 years, and said "You look great--haven't change a bit since the last time I saw you."

Mike has become what he used to be!

Please save up your good vibes for November 12. We'll post if that date changes, and when we have the results.

Mike and Terry

90% and Still Holding

We met with the ENT doctor yesterday. He reviewed the PET scan with us, and looked at the area in question with a scope. Nothing looked out of the norm. He could not feel that spot with his fingers because of the edema swelling that remains. He showed us the PET pictures with brand new, computer-enhanced imaging. The spot showed up bright and clear on those images, and is a little less than an inch in diameter. It has a Specific Uptake Value of 4.8, which puts it into the "can't tell either way" range.

The only way to get a definitive assessment is to do a core needle biopsy of that area and have the samples sent to the pathology lab. We requested to have the procedure done on TH of next week, but don't have a confirmation on that yet.

So, the waiting will go on for at least another week. As always, we'll post here when anything new happens.

mike and terry