Tests, Chemo & Spring

Clancy's workup had excellent results.  Blood, urine and bone marrow samples showed the myeloma is in remission.  The MRI showed no new spots on his bones, many of the old spots had decreased in size and some had even disappeared entirely!  He is on the DPACE chemo pack for next four days around the clock.  The pic above shows the pack he has to carry.  It has two strands of tubing which he is trying to manage w/o becoming entangled.  

Yes those are real trees with real blossoms in the background.  Flowers are blooming, lawns are green and it's near 70 degress in Salt Lake.  Never fear Montanans, it will happen for you too in a month or so.

We'll let you know how he did with the pack, etc. next week.  Have a great weekend.  



Good Clean Fun

Is there anything more fun than a day of branding?  It's one of those sure signs of spring and we were blessed with a beautiful day last Saturday in Lonepine at Deb & Mike's.  When you mix kids, dogs, cattle, smoke, a little dust and cow poop, it's the perfect recipe for fun.  The afternoon was comfortable, the mountains still had lots of  beautiful snow and the wind didn't blow too much. Best of all, Clancy had recuperated sufficiently to do his usual job - the branding. 

Sadly, the days of roping and dragging the calves are over it appears.  That was always good for a few mishaps and lots of laughs.  As you can see, the table is an efficient way to do the job and is much quicker provided you can find young tough guys to push the calves up the chute.  We had it all.

On the medical front, Clancy traveled to Salt Lake City on Monday, the 25th, for his first quarterly lab workup.  He will likely stay a couple weeks and do an abbreviated round of chemo.  It will be similar to the first round he did last October and should chase any hidden cancer cells out of his system (forever).  His interim lab work has been excellent, so we can only expect more of the same.  He's scheduled to meet with the doctor and review test results on Thursday, the 28th.

Quarterly Workup

Clancy's first quarterly workup is scheduled for the end of April in Salt Lake City.  There will be blood work, a bone marrow biopsy and MRI.  We hope to see zeroes across the board, so he can move into the maintenance program.  He's working 40 hours a week on administrative duties and really enjoying being back in the mix.  When Clancy isn't at work, he's exercising to regain the strength and stamina that faded over the past year.   He's anxious to get released back to full duty, but knows it will take some work to get his body to that point.

Spring Will Come

It's a typical chilly spring in NW Montana and everyone is getting anxious for some warm days.  It may take a month or two, but hope springs eternal.  At least baseball season is finally here and the Cubs aren't eliminated from the playoffs yet!