7-13May Gunny Update..

Hello All,

I've been negligent in updating the blog. Therefore, I'm going to try and make an update for what has happened over the past week.

7 May....it was a sad/but also a day of celebration for one of our own.. Col Chudoba was officially retired this day. He hasn't left our MC Intel though because he was recently selected as the A-DIRINT.. His ceremony was well done and his remarks were well received. I must admit I was taken aback when he paid tribute to me and my current situation... Sir you are an inspiration and best of luck with your new position. Additionally, I put my Dad on a plane and sent him back to Texas it was sad to see him leave but he had been here since the 10th of April..

8 May....Maddie my daughter was asked to the Sr. Prom on the same day as my surgery, so we spent a good portion of the day helping her look for a dress. Unfortunatley, I got tired around 3 in the afternoon and had Kristine and Maddie drop me off at home before they headed out to Tysons.. I must admit that was a good thing because by the time they got home later in the day Mom was in a tizzy.. My kids don't realize how spoiled they really are and Mom was done although Maddie got the dress she wanted..not sure how that all worked out :-)

9 May...got the family up and we went to Mass and since it was Mother's Day we went out for lunch to a Mexican restaurant called "Chevy's".. we also went over to some close friends..Ken, Mary, Chris, Caitlin, and Mike Counts for dinner that evening.. 1st Margarita since before my surgery..it was awesome but kept it to one although I wanted more..

10 May... First day at home by myself since all this happened.. Received a phone call from Nancy Saxon the nurse practitioner for Dr. Cooper letting me know the 2nd pathology report was received and asked to come to up to WRAMC. Called Kristine at work and let her know and told her I'd call her once I got the report. I needed a shower and by the time I hit the road I got an email from Kristine telling me she would me at WRAMC. Thanks babe for being there... Once there we got to see Dr. Cooper and he explained the second report did confirm the tumor is a WHO grade II "oligodendroglioma" and it has some chromosome traits which chemotherapy alone would be a good option. I explained I had been to the NIH and met with Dr. Howard and explained the options for treat he suggested and what we had chosen and he was in concurrence at this time. He did however want me to see a chemo oncologist which I met today (13May)..

11 May... Busy day today... had to do grocery shopping, finish and fold laundry.. worked on a leak in our master bathroom but in the process made a mess of the tile.. Long day but productive day although it took me 2 plus hours at the commissary..

12 May... Still getting up early but once kids and Kristine left for work I decided to get back in bed and get some much needed rest. When I got up I called Kristine to explain I wasn't going to be able to finish the bathroom repairs due to some soreness and extreme fatigue.... Maddie doesn't have a fourth block class so she comes home early and I decided to take her to lunch as well as pick up a water board backing for my shower..although I won't do anything until Saturday. Maddie and Jake both have their final softball/baseball games. However, since Maddie is on varsity she will play in the district tournament and hopefully beyond. Jake on the other is done and now focusing on getting "swoll" for football in the fall.. I must admit I'm impressed with his desire to get big over the past few weeks and based on him going through a growth spurt at the moment I think he will be a big boy.

13th.. Went up to WRAMC to meet the chemo oncologist and he just provided me some additional information and was pleased to hear I have met with Dr. Howard and he too is in concurrence with our "careful watch and see" approach. Drove down to Quantico and met with my old TEG team and then caught up with Capt Mok at a meeting on some initiatives we are exploring for Rapid Prototyping..but it appears this was lacking in what we would be interested in. Got home around 3:30 -4:00 and was exhausted more because I was up until the wee hours of the morning and on the road by 0710 to make my 0900 appt..so I tried to take a nap but not with much success.

I have my baseline MRI scheduled tomorrow and will provide a new update later tomorrow night..

Take care and God Bless..

JD