Yikes...Ike!!!

In spite of the fact that a major hurricane is headed right for us. And we are expecting torrential rain, wind, and flooding. And Marjorie just had to wait in massive lines at the grocery store and gas station for our hurricane preparedness. And Jason feels like a giant poop sandwich...we are all feeling pretty relieved this evening.

We just got a phone call from Jason's nurse. Jason's Creatinine levels (kidney function) went from 4.2 to 2.7. This is a huge decrease! It is still pretty high, but the levels are dropping at a good pace and his doctor is happy with the blood work results so far. Also, his ALT levels (liver function) went back to normal. His AST and LDH (liver function) are still elevated, but Jason's doctor is not too concerned because everything else is looking good and he believes the elevated levels are due to the IL2 treatment. His magnesium, electrolytes, and platelets all look good. His absolute neutrophil count is a little high, but this should be temporary, and isn't necessarily a bad thing. Neutrophils have been known to infiltrate and kill tumors, so I don't mind if these guys decide to hang around. His hemoglobin levels (anemia test) are low and I think this has been making Jason very tired. He has been nodding off while sitting up all day today which has been a little worrying. Now that I know the cause, I'm not as concerned. I remember what it was like to be anemic...it makes you very sleepy. His nurse said his levels aren't anything to be worried about which is good. Hopefully everything will normalize in the upcoming weeks, so Jason's body will be ready to be destroyed again (poor Jason!)

Jason wasn't given any Lasik (prescription diuretic) this week to help him get rid of the 30 pounds of water weight because the doctors were worried about his kidneys. So I did some google research and found some natural diuretics that help flush the kidneys. They worked exceptionally well because Jason has managed to loose 9 pounds in 2 days, which is faster than when he was on the Lasik. In case anyone needs to loose some water weight or has trouble with their kidneys, these are the foods you should consume. Green tea, cranberry juice, apple cider vinegar, fennel, lemon juice, cucumbers, tomatoes, lettuce, carrots, beets, and watermelon. Marjorie made the most delicious salad using all of the vegetables listed as well as some chunks of apple, eggs, and walnuts. She also made a salad dressing consisting of 1/2 olive oil, 1/2 apple cider vinegar, salt, pepper, and fennel. I highly recommend it, it tasted great and worked wonders for Jason's health!!! From now on it shall be forever named "Marjorie's Kidney Salad".

As for the hurricane, we will have to update you tomorrow. The weather was great today..hot as usual. I tried to go swimming this morning and all the chairs were inside the pool. I guess this is how they protect them from blowing away during a hurricane. It was pretty funny but ruined my swimming plans. According to the news, the hurricane has changed course and is now supposed to directly hit Houston/Galveston with "monster force". We shouldn't have to evacuate...only the coastal counties are under mandatory evacuation. But we have to keep the gas tank full just in case. I called Marilyn and she gave us a few good tips. Worst case is we lose power which means we lose A/C. This would be terrible! Houston is very hot!!! She said to call her and if they still have power we can come over.

So we will try to update you again tomorrow, but if we lose power, it could be a few days. Wish us luck through this hurricane! I'll try to get a few cool pictures if I am even able to leave the townhouse. And Jason says to tell everyone "hello" and that he is slowly but surely improving after the last treatment.