It's All Good!

John and Marian both had their regular two-month checkups today. And they both continue to do extremely well on CAL-101. Their blood counts are all normal. And their ct scans showed that the lymph nodes are still shrinking. It has been a while since lymph nodes have even been mentioned during regular exams. They are the furthest thing from our minds right now, since they are not palpable or visible at all - and haven't been for quite some time. But Dr. Flinn said Marian only has two nodes in her entire body that are not normal. And they are only very slightly larger than normal. (A normal lymph node would measure 1.5 centimeters. Marian has two that are 2.3 cm.) John has several that have not reached the normal status, but they are still shrinking (not just stabilized). Although sometimes when nodes get as large as John's were, they never completely return to their normal pre-CLL size. Chemotherapy can alter lymph nodes permanently as well. A slight enlargement can be the result of scar tissue on the nodes. The important thing is that they have shrunk to normal (in some cases) and almost normal (in others), and they are not causing any problems or discomfort. The only CLL symptom John has is being extra tired at the end of the day. But he gets up between 4:00 and 5:00 every morning. And he has a lot of stress in his business. I would be amazed if he were not worn out in the evening!

John is nearing the two year mark on CAL-101 (in May). June will mark the fifth anniversary of his CLL diagnosis. Marian was diagnosed four years ago this month and has been receiving CAL-101 for approximately 15 months. Our office visits these days are more like parties. I doubt that Dr. Flinn has any happier patients and/or caregivers than the three of us.