Beginning around noon on Wednesday, March 24th my chest began to hurt slightly more than usual. The pain kept me from sleeping and continued through Thursday and into Friday morning. Upon contacting Dr. Milhem at the U of I, I was asked to come in right away for a new CT scan of my chest to ensure that a blood clot hadn't developed during my plane travel.
Fortunately, there are no blood clots. The pain is caused by the tumor in my chest having progressed into the cartilage between my sternum and my ribs. So, each time I breath deep or move my upper body at all, there's a spasm in my chest that's rather painful. I am now on morphine to keep me comfortable until I'm able to return to Boston.
Moving to Waterloo - I will be moving back to Waterloo until I beat this thing. John Deere was kind enough to allow me to work from the Waterloo Tractor Works facility. This will allow me to remain close to my family while I receive my treatments and will very much help the logistics portion of treatment.
Update from Boston:
On Friday, I also received a call from Boston letting me know that their lab confirmed my diagnosis (no surprise but it is a requirement for the clinical trial). The business department at Dana-Farber is now doing all of the behind-the-scenes work to ensure that my United Healthcare insurance covers a Phase 1 clinical trial.
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Christopher, Jeff and I think of you everyday.Our thoughts and prayers are with you in this trying time. Keep up the possitive attitude. Love Jeff and Mary
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