November 13

Happy rainy Thursday,

Today we went to the oncologist, which is a monthly appointment the week before the five days of chemotherapy. Denny always has blood work done there, and the results are immediate. Dr. Mortara was pleased with all of the numbers, so Den will take his chemo Tuesday through Saturday next week. He will be at 460 mg. of temador, which will remain at that level for at least a year. The only time he would not take it would be the month before he has the stereotactic boost, aka, gamma knife. We won't know when that will be until either a PET scan or MRI shows that the tumor is at the right size for that procedure.

Dr. Mortara agrees that Den should continue teaching, but was happy to hear that he has cut back on his schedule until he gets off the steroids and regains his physical strength. That will be a gradual, subtle, transition and nobody can predict how long that may take. As long as Denny can feel some improvement, he will be happy. He does feel a little better each day.

This is a busy week as I prepare for the opening of "Beauty and the Beast." It will be a great production, as are all of Jim Romenesko's shows. I haven't been able to be quite as involved this year as in the past, but I still do the hair, wigs, and makeup, so it means being there now for two hours preceding and throughout each of the ten shows. We have some incredibly talented students, so the challenge of a show this big has proved to be very rewarding for the kids in the cast, crew, and orchestra pit as well as for us adults. I hope those of you who are able to attend will enjoy what you see.

Have a wonderful weekend!

Love,
Carla