Cancer Update

Many of you probably know that Joel was diagnosed with Hodgkin's Lymphoma in the fall of 2009.  Here is the most recent news.  He has been doing some testing here, and in February it looked like his lymph system was getting more congested than what we would like to see.  In the beginning of April the numbers maintained.  We were hoping they would get better.  So we decided to do a different test to see how well his body was doing concerning cancer.  If you want more info on this test click here.  He scored a 53.  1 - 49 means cancer is doubtful. 50 and above is a positive reading.  We would have loved to see it below 50, but were really glad it is as low as it is.  This could just be the remnants of the lymphoma.  This has also motivated us to find a doctor in the US that we can work with.  Tomorrow we have an appointment with Dr. Terry Chappell who works with the immune system along with other things for his website click here.  On a whole, Joel normally has lots of energy, a good appetite and feels good.  In this past month there were a couple days where he had some pain or discomfort in his abdominal area. We didn't know if it was his appendix, kidneys, or something else so we went to Dr. Dale yesterday and everything seems to look normal.  So for now we are encouraged and looking forward to meeting this new doctor.