Update July 28

Tomorrow (Wednesday) Luke finishes up with the third week of part A of the consolidation 3 phase. Next week is an off week. Possible start of the next phase the following week, but we have been told to plan on a couple of weeks for counts to recover.

The good news is the steroids Luke is on have given him an appetite and he has busted through the 140 lb weight threshold. Getting the erwinia injections in the thighs is getting old. Needle may have gotten close to a nerve a couple of times and Luke came off the bed when he got the erwinia. Don't know if the needle or the chemo going in hurts more. After the last two injections the muscle around the injection site has twitched for several minutes.

Some bad news is that with all the meds Luke has gotten for so long there have unfortunately been some nasty reactions showing up. One of the meds in particular has affected his facial muscles and mouth. It's not for the faint of heart but the picture is Luke at his worst.

Blood counts are dropping. White cells and ANC were down to 1.8 and 1.25 on Monday. On the 22nd white cells and ANC were close to normal at 3.9 and 3.16.

Gayle and I are Luke groupies - following him to Rudy's the last three Saturdays. I'm not 100% sure but I think he his going to play at Rudy's again this Saturday (6:30-10:00). He's also going to play at 6:00 this Friday at Wine Styles (north side of Louetta just west of Cutten road). It's a wine tasting that anyone can attend - cost is nominal.