The author, working in a Manhattan Starbucks.

Happy new year! It’s been awhile since I’ve posted. I’ve been getting back into the swing of things after a busy holiday season, which I spent with my family in the Mid-Hudson Valley, and friends in NYC. Santa even brought me my eyebrows, and my hair is growing, as you can see from this selfie I just snapped! Here’s a brief update on my progress since ending chemo.

Many of you may know that I had a PET scan on 12/20. I finally got the results on Monday, and everything is normal, which means that I won’t need radiation. To get techy, the glucose uptake measured three (three and under is normal) compared to the first one I had in July, which came back in the 20-something range. The scan I had after the 4th round of chemo was almost normal—3.1, I think—so we expected this one to be pretty clean. I’ll see my oncologist in a few weeks, and have follow-up PET scans every six months to make sure there are no stray cells floating around, meaning the next one will be in the spring.

My focus remains on staying healthy. Over the holidays, I enjoyed a lot of good food—and a moderate amount of good drink—so I’m getting back on track with my diet, limiting animal protein and sugar, and drinking alcohol at the recommended level. Because my immune system is still compromised, I can’t get a flu shot until next month, so I’m doing everything I can to avoid winter illness. If you thought I was a clean-hand fanatic before, you should see me now, although it will be hard to spot me under the many layers of outerwear I’m sporting to protect myself from the polar vortex. It was about nine degrees here, yesterday, with a windchill of minus fourteen.

Until next time, here’s hoping that everyone is staying warm, and wishing you all the best for a happy and healthy year ahead!

Lotsa love,

Joseph/Joe