Reasons to be cheerful

What better way to try to pull yourself up after feeling a bit down hearted than to think of reasons to be cheerful. So that's what we've been doing, and here they are:

1. Leo the tumour has NOT increased in size in nearly three months
2. The fluid on Steve's right lung has not come back; the pleurodesis has worked
3. Four more cycles of chemotherapy are bound to be more effective than the two cycles Steve has had already
4. Steve is feeling well in himself - no pain, no breathlessness - and is staying active (well, almost as active as he was before all this started - I do miss our gentle jogs round West Oxford...time to have another go?)
5. His hair isn't falling out; no unexplained bruising; no mouth sores; no ringing in the ears more than usual; no tingling in the fingers or toes
6. With care, he can managed the nausea using a combination of antiemetic tablets and eating little and often
7. Fatigue is a pain, but so far its not so extreme as to stop us doing the things we really set our hearts on, like visiting family and friends
8. Steve's appetite is good and he has maintained (and slightly increased) his weight
9. We are fortunate to have a very excellent support system of family and friends who rally round at the first hint of trouble, and a kind, caring medical team including the receptionist, nursing staff, doctors, consultants and GP
10. If all else fails, we can always explore chemoembolization in Frankfurt: it's worked for others, including Debbie Brewer (see http://www.mesothelioma-and-me.com/). It's a comfort to have a fall back if this treatment doesn't deliver the desired results

But why speculate about the worst case scenario when there at least 10 good reasons to be cheerful, and probably many more!