Michael,

Yep, steroids can make you feel much much better than you should be feeling! I've never read that they can encourage cancer growth and I'm glad I didn't because decadron was a pretty regular part of my treatment from the second chemo on (I also got it for nausea from the amifostine).

I'm glad you went ahead with the second chemo (thogh perhaps by now you are not). MY WBC was about 1.7 when I got my second as well. Just keep telling yourself THIS TOO SHALL PASS.

And I'm SO glad your dog is there with you. I guess Seth must be busy dog-walking as well--can't imagine having a lab in a small aprtment unless they are getting a LOT of exercise each day! But having your dog around when you're sick is veyr important. Silly though it sounds, it's one of the reasons (having my husband around was another) why I didn't want to go elsewhere for rad/chemo treatment and was willing to try the facility here even though the rad set-up was very new.

Hang in there--just a few more weeks now.

Nelie