Progess Report: Had a CT on Thursday morning with a follow-up office visit on Friday afternoon. The doc said that I still have tumors but they are smaller, so there has been some progress. He also mentioned that there was some "schmutz" (as he put it) in the area of my resection, but since the spot isn't painful, he's confident that it's scarring or trauma resulting from the operation.

It's hard to know what to expect at this point; since it was such a quick visit, I didn't think to ask him what he was anticipating regarding my progress. It's true that every case is different, so I realize that predictions can be tricky. In any event, I certainly feel (and look) better than I did even a couple of months ago. I'm keeping in mind that I'm only a third of the way through my scheduled treatment, so there is still a ways to go.

The intestinal bumping and grinding that I had as late as around the start of the year is practically nonexistent, and other symptoms such as neuropathy have workarounds. Fatigue is the one side effect that's difficult to manage, but the most pronounced times hit the days after chemotherapy. It does strike on other days, such as after a long walk, but I'm told that this is normal under the circumstances.

Speaking of walks, today I reached my goal of five miles (5.3 miles, 9733 aerobic steps, 10246 steps total for those of you keeping track).  Don't think I can do that every time, though. For today, the weather was cooperative and I was a little more determined than usual.

Spent much of yesterday outside, trying to get the property looking reasonable again after a few months of neglect. Even started work on this year's garden (planted peas and a couple of new blueberry bushes, redistributed some compost, etc.).