Good food not the cause of big belly

Joe has been trying to enjoy all of the great food that has been so generously supplied during the past few weeks. However, it has been increasingly more difficult for him to enjoy a meal due to a bloated feeling and acid reflux.

Wednesday's CAT scan revealed that his increasingly larger belly is due to an accumlation of fluid, not calories. Joe was admitted to Strong on Friday at noon. He waited patiently until 8PM for the procedure to relieve the pressure. Unfortunately, the procedure was only able to retrieve a small amount of fluid, enough for diagnostics, but not enough to give him some relief.

Vicki spent the night with him while he was adminstered his first dose of Interferon. This will hopefully stimulate his own immune system to kick into high gear and fight this monster.

Later today, another more advanced procedure is planned to relieve the pressure and fluid in his abdomen.

We have begun the process of seeing whether Joe will qualify for some of the clinical trials being conducted at the National Cancer Institute (National Institute of Health) in Bethesda, MD. This was suggested by his oncologist. They are doing cutting edge research on new drugs and therapies, like stem cell transplant, that may prove very beneficial for Joe. We will know much more in a couple of weeks once his case has been throughly reviewed.

Thank you for your prayers and well wishes. Keep them coming!