Potato and ACE Level Update

I reckon since it has been eight months since I blogged an update I best be getting on with it. In my last blog I just had my 3 month CT and if I remember correctly, not a lot had changed. I was still feeling sick all the time and the oral chemo I was on gave me all sorts of symptoms; the worst being kidney stones in both kidneys. Along came the 6 month CT scan and things were much worse. The spud farm had increased in size and my right lung had more lesions. The cancer word came back up and it was time to go for the in chest biopsy. I had pre op on my birthday and went in for a Mediastinoscopy the next day. I can’t say I enjoyed my birthday a whole lot, but I was so ready to find out once and for all what was going on. The results came back very quickly and Erika and I were relieved that it was the sacrcoidosis and not the third stage lymphoma like I was originally told.


The chemo was stopped and the dreaded steroids began. Wow what a difference it has made!!! After being sick every day for 14 months I finally feel good again. When I see family and friends who have not seen me for a while they often comment how much better my eyes look. I guess I didn’t realize how bad they looked until I ran across this picture taken this past winter. I do know that often when I stood up I would go blind for a period of time. That sort of got my attention.


Today I got the results of my 12 month CT, which is also the first CT since starting the prednisone. For the first time the spud farm has decreased in size. For those who have not read my earlier blogs, I had or have multiple enlarged bulky lymph nodes in my chest and abdomen that were pushing on my aorta, heart, and kidneys. The doctor said they were the size of small potatoes thus the spud farm, so smaller is a good thing.

As to my Ace level; the normal range is considered anything less than 45. Mine started out at 101 then three months later went to 136 then at six months was up to 144. This time mine had dropped to 43. Yep that brings a smile to my face.

On the negative side my right lung has gotten worse. The doctor mentioned today that it’s not often someone has two diseases at once but it’s possible. I’m not real sure what all that means. As of now I am free from doctors for the next three months and then have another CT scan and ACE draw. I’ve had so many CT scans and MRIs that I now glow in the dark. This comes in handy in that I don’t need a night light. I’ve lined the covers with a room darkening shade, so as long as I have the covers on the room is dark. I throw back the covers and instant light.

The past three and half months have been wonderful. I feel so good again that my poor friends probably get tired of me saying so several times a day. Thanks to so many of you for praying for me and for those that have often sent an email or called to check in.



I am so appreciative of our neighbors Ted and Stacy and their four kids. Within minutes of my getting the first call that I had lymphoma they were here to sit and listen to my rambling thoughts until Erika could get home that night. Between Erika’s brain hemorrhage and my spud farm they have been there to cry with us, to share many a bowl of ice cream, and more than one Jet’s Pizza. Plus they mowed my yard for over a year while I was sick. Now that there is some real dandy neighbors and I love them to death.


The family doctor is now in Cleveland, Ohio working on her second year of residency. She finished her first year of residency in Conroe and I moved her to Cleveland over the July 4th weekend. She loves the program and is doing very well. I am able to work one week a month in Cleveland which gives me two weekends a month with her.


So that’s about it. Next week I’m off to Colorado for 12 days of camping, fly fishing and riding motorcycles. Life is good!!!