Adam has a dose of steroids in addition to his avastin, gemzar and taxotere. Dr. Kikkawa is hoping that the steroids will help to reduce some of the presssure on his optic nerve so his vision will get a little better. Adam hasn't noticed much difference yet. He has been really sick the last few days. The chemo usually doesn't affect him too bad but for some reason this last round has really given him a beating. He seems to be feeling a little better tonight which is good because the steroids should increase his appetite and he could use that! Adam didn't get weighed on Wednesday so hopefully by the time we get to the doctor's next, he will have gained several more pounds. Adam goes to physical therapy next Tuesday and hopefully will get some additional movement in his jaw. Next week is a week off from the doctor and chemo. The following week though will be a pet scan, mri, chemo and doctor visit.

Wednesday was our normal UCLA day. Only lab tests and chemo this past Wednesday but everything went well. Adam gained two pounds in the last week (Bill's exercising as I type) and his mouth infection is looking much better. Dr. Cloughesy will be back in town next Wednesday so hopefully we'll be able to steal a few minutes with him (Adam is again scheduled for chemo only) and find out how the vaccine is coming along. I heard from UCSD today about Adam's jaw physical therapy (typical UCSD, three phone calls to get an answer, and I was originally told we could get an appointment in three days, but when they finally call me back, his appointment is in two weeks.) Once he can get his mouth open wider, he can get more food in his mouth and then he will be gaining weight right and left!

Tuesday found us at the Shiley Eye Center again. This time Adam saw the retina specialist instead of the cornea specialist. They did a gruelling set of eye pictures. He had to get some fluorescein injected into his vein and then they took pictures of the back of his eye. They used three different cameras to get three different types of pictures. The pictures took over two hours and then he had wait to see the doctor and get the results. They are still not completely sure why his eyes are so cloudy but they are leaning towards his cornea. He still has some scratches on his cornea so he has some new drops to help with that. He actually did a little better on the eye test with his left eye but his right eye is still bad. The two doctors want to confer to try to figure out what is the best course.

Wednesday was our usual trip to UCLA. No chemo this past Wednesday, just an mri and a doctor's visit. The mri showed a small amount of growth in the brain and the tumor above his right ear. Dr. Cloughesy isn't too concerned as Adam has only had a round and a half of his new chemo regimen. The good news is that Adam gained 5 pounds. Now Bill has to lose 5 pounds. That is their deal. Bill needs to hit the gym a little more often. Adam wants to gain another two pounds by next Wednesday so Bill really better get moving.

The last week and a half has been a busy one. On Monday, July 28th we headed to UCLA so Adam could undergo leukapheresis. It was a very long process and he couldn't get off the bed for over 4 hours. He's such a trooper. Mac went with us and that assured that Adam had someone with him at all times. Adam decided to take a nap so Mac was rewarded by having the TV and DVD player all to himself! We haven't heard yet whether or not they got enough white blood cells. We are hoping they did or else Adam will have to go back for another round of leukapheresis. It will take at least 30 days to make the vaccine.

We went back to UCLA on Wednesday for chemotherapy. Again Mac went with us and kept Adam and me company. Chemo days are always long and exhaust Adam.

Tuesday, August 5th we went to the eye doctor. They dilated Adam's eyes and the doctor couldn't see the back of his eye. His eyes are very cloudy. They are not sure why his eyes are cloudy but this is obviously contributing to his poor vision. We have to go to the retina specialist next Tuesday. He is going to dilate Adam's eyes and inject a fluorescent dye into Adam which will help them see the back of his eyes better. They will then take some pictures and then determine what is going on and what they can do to fix the problem. We are looking forward to getting some answers.

Yesterday was another day at UCLA. Mac kept us company and again was a great help. It was a long day of chemo, three drugs total. We had to leave the house at 7am so Adam was exhausted. While he was getting chemo he fell asleep and Adam's wonderful chemo nurse, Nikki, assured us that Mac and I could sneak away for some lunch. Later I rewarded Mac by letting him walk to Diddy Reise and get some ice cream. Mac is a great help taking care of Adam in the car, getting him water or pillows or dialing the phone for him. The trip home took 3 1/2 hours due to an accident in Orange County. Twelve hours door to door to door.

Supposedly, next Wednesday is our week off from chemotherapy. We got off schedule with Adam's tube surgery, his fever and his leukapheresis. Adam would love to spend a Wednesday at home. Me too.