The last few weeks have been especially rough for Tim. When he had his ascites drained last week, they took 8 1/2 liters of fluid -- almost 20 pounds worth. The extra volume in his abdomen created a lot of pressure on his ribs and diaphragm, as well as leaving little room for eating. It looks like Tim will need to have his ascites drained every 2 weeks from now on. Because Tim didn't feel like he was able to recover enough to withstand another blast of chemo just yet, he decided to postpone chemo and take a break for a month. Tim discussed this with his doctors, and they agreed that this seemed reasonable. He'll have a PET scan in mid-October to assess the status of his cancer and the effectiveness of the treatment.

Paul's monthly lab numbers continue to be very good, indicating his bone marrow transplant significantly reduced his cancer. He is still pretty fatigued these days, but that is par for the course for most transplant patients.

Silver Leaf Nightshade (Solanum eleagnifolium), Cerrillos Hills State Park, NM