restoring and recovering leads to nice, clear scans

cookie plate, gramercy tavern.  the one on top of the chocolate chip cookie was my #1.  nutella-filled manna from heaven.  or, you know, the pastry chef.

lake chocorua and mt. chocorua.  at the top of the list as far as swimming spots.

bone lake.  home away from home sweet home.  sky cleared just enough for a sunset through the smoky haze from canadian wildfires.

Great news today - my chest CT was clear and the brain MRI showed my lesions there have resolved.  I have been feeling really good, eating and sleeping well, and I had a general feeling I wouldn't have any new issues, but the resolution of those tiny spots in my brain came as a surprise, as I had been warned they might linger for months and any inflammation from the treatment might make it difficult to say whether there is improvement or not.  So, I remain on the study drug, now names Brigatinib.  Scans will come again in two months, a check-in for more pills in one.

Since the gamma knife I have taken my activity level down - just a bit - relying on long walks and an occasional trip to the gym and yoga studio as my primary exercise.  I completed rehab for my shoulder a couple of weeks ago and just need to keep my limitations in mind as I get back into the gym on a more regular basis.  I've also been doing some physical therapy working on my balance.  There were two tiny spots gamma knifed in my cerebellum, which is the brain's balance management center.  This has left me slightly off-kilter when walking and negotiating uneven ground.  Physical therapy involves "retraining" the brain in how spacial and movement information is interpreted.  Believe me when I say this work seems more exhausting than a real workout.  I continue working on it a bit each day and my hope is to be out of the woods, so to speak, by ski season. 

What about fun and travel?  It has been really nice to spend some time with friends from far away closer to home, time with friends from close to home here, and with friends from far away in slightly far away places.  There have been a few hikes with friends and kids, an indulgent food-centric evening with friends in New York; after roof-top appetizers at Birreria, the main event was a six-course tasting dinner at Gramercy Tavern.  The only part of the meal that involved any sort of restraint on my part was dessert, where I limited myself to just half of each cookie on the plate.  And that was only because there just wasn't any room left.  Amazing.  Two short trips to New Hampshire and Bone Lake, WI rounded out the two months.  Some highlights include more delicious food, swimming in a cool mountain lake, sitting in the sun and wind in both places, sitting on the dock, watching fireworks, and spending time with friends.  And laughing, man, my abs are in great shape from laughing.

I hope your summers are off and running at a comfortable pace.  Remember to alternate water between those margaritas, eat some sweet corn, and let the kiddos stay up late!

Thank you for the emails and support.  As I told Dr. Evans today, nine years is coming up, and I am so fortunate to have the team that I do.