The old adage “no news is good news” applies to the lack of recent blog posts. Nelson is doing better than ever in Rochester, Minnesota, on his journey through these six months (so far) of cancer treatment.

Since our last report ten days ago, lots has happened—or I should say hasn’t happened, since there have been no visits to the ER and no hospitalizations. And here are some other things that are, thankfully, no longer happening either:

1. Nelson’s right lung has dried up in terms of producing fluid, and the catheter has now been removed.
2. His swollen right arm and both legs are much less swollen after diuretics removed 20 pounds of fluid from his tissues.
3. His appetite is back.
4. His nausea is nearly gone.
5. His doctors believe he’s almost strong enough to go to the full dose of targeted immunotherapy. (When he had Covid, along with simultaneous other challenges, they’d started him on only a half-dose so as not to overwhelm him.)
6. His daily dose of morphine has been decreased by a third, so his pain is less.
7. He doesn’t use oxygen at all now and maintains levels between 92-96. He can take short walks and go on low-key outings.

None of these things would have been possible a month ago, and Nelson’s overall situation has improved dramatically. As Ann Sophie put it, “He’s more of his old self now, interested in projects and very sharp mentally.”

Of course he still has lung cancer, so there are some negatives that remain:

1. His left lung is still producing fluid, though it’s much reduced, measuring about 300 ml each day.
2. He still struggles with fatigue, so outings have to be brief with space between for rest. This is quite the opposite of Nelson’s healthy self when he was hard working and loved adventure, the more the better. But his work now is to fight this powerful disease, and he is fighting well.
3. Though the fluid being produced by the cancer cells seems to be decreasing, his swollen feet and bloated abdomen are still problems.
4. A new development is a sore neck with pain traveling from neck to shoulder. Doctors are watching this and will most likely do an MRI to investigate. His team has told them not to worry about this, but as Ann Sophie said, “Easier said than done.”

Thursday Nelson will have another blood test to determine if he’s strong enough to handle the full dose of immunotherapy. If they decide to do that, he will no doubt experience an increase in nausea. But they’re ready with all the anti-nausea drugs he might need, and all of us hope the stronger therapy will agree with him. A double-dose would mean a doubly strong attack against every cancer cell.

In the mean time, we continue praying—and trusting the God who we know has a good plan for Nelson’s life.

“Trust in the Lord, and he will act.” (Psalm 37:5)