Quick Update

Got time for a quick update before heading back to MDA to stay.

Final green light! Admission officially approved after a long day of tests & bloodletting & PICC-line installation. I'll be admitted tonight. ICU room will be ready around 8:30 p.m. Fluids given by IV tonight. 1st IL-2 dose comes at 9:00 tomorrow morning.

VERY exciting news!! Lisa can stay in the room with me! (Jim may stay a night or 2 later this week to give Lisa a break...)

Immediate prayer concerns:
--for me to be able to take all 14 doses of IL-2
--for minimal side effects (I wouldn't be opposed to pretty much sleeping for the duration...*sigh*)
--for me to be able to endure whatever side effects come
--for quick recovery when IL-2 is withdrawn
--for post-treatment effects to be minimal

**Macro prayer request: for God to use this IL-2 to completely heal me of this insidious disease!!**

Prolly out of MDA & headed home Monday. That'd be groovy too...

"PICC Line" - This is my immunotherapy port that sticks out just above the inside of my elbow. There is now official medical evidence that it's 44 centimeters from that point into my superior vena cava (apparently, a major vein near my heart...I was absent the day they taught science at my school...) Having a 44cm line with tubes on the end sticking out of one's arm is not nearly as comfortable as it sounds...Luckily, I get to keep this baby until I'm finished my next treatment. For $1 a head (or best offer), I'll let you see what a PICC line looks like. (of course, you can't see all 44 cm of it...only the outer end...) I think PICC is short for "pain injected continuously...crud!" or something like that.

One more potentially important thing:
There's a way for folks to send me email messages thru the Anderson website. Apparently, they print them out and bring them to me.
--go to mdanderson.org
--click on "current patients" on the left
--scroll down to "message to a patient" and click on it
--My info: Mike Madaris...male, last time I checked...May sixteen, nineteen fifty nine (young, thank you very much!)...my number is 747231

No obligation there; just thought it'd be interesting to see how that works.

I told Jim & Lisa that I feel like the brakes on the roller coaster just let go & I'm starting down the hill. And I've never really liked roller coasters much. Especially this one.

Thanks so much for your continued prayers!
Much love and great hope,
Mike