Treatment Schedule Update

I've had a couple of folks ask about Tim's treatment schedule, so I'll just post a brief update. Tim gets an infusion (IV) of arsenic Monday through Friday. He is scheduled to have a total of 25 doses. Today's dose was number twenty. After the 25 doses, he gets two weeks off followed by another 25 doses of arsenic. Then he'll have the stem cell transplant. This all assumes that the weekly blood tests and the bone marrow biopsy scheduled for January 2 don't cause the doctors to change the treatment plan.

Tim is also receiving methotrexate injections to treat the cancer in his spinal fluid. These injections give him very bad headaches and make him nauseous. We have found a combination of medications that make the symptoms less severe, but Tim still hates methotrexate days. He was receiving methotrexate twice a week. We have cut back to once a week and anticipate cutting back to every other week soon. Tim is scheduled to have a lumbar MRI on Monday to make sure that the cancer hasn't don't any additional damage to his spinal cord.

Overall, Tim is feeling a little better than he was around Thanksgiving. That makes things both better and worse. He is not in as much pain, which makes everyone feel better. However, he is now alert enough to think about how awful this is. We describe it as feeling better medically but not mentally.