...and so far, so good. If any cancer cells survived that tidal wave of chemotherapy, they should be thoroughly microwaved and incinerated by now. Next week should be the end of this marathon.
We've enjoyed being able to make the easy trip to Highlands several weekends this month, and plan to go back Friday to close up the house for the winter. The leaves seemed to have just a smidgen of color last weekend, and we'll miss leaf season this year, but that's okay.
I took a big step last week - I drove the car for the first time since February. Piece of cake. It feels good to be transitioning from "Medical Land" back into the real world.
Tuesday, September 28, 2010
Tuesday, September 21, 2010
Radiant
With five radiation treatments now under my belt (literally), so far I'm suffering no ill effects. I'm not sure what I expected, or why I was so uneasy about doing this, but compared to chemotherapy, this is nothing. It takes a couple of minutes, and other than a sensation of warmth at the site, nothing.
They caution you that you may develop side effects toward the end of the treatment, but at this juncture, my complaints are minimal.
They caution you that you may develop side effects toward the end of the treatment, but at this juncture, my complaints are minimal.
Tuesday, September 14, 2010
Colonnade stories
This is the carry-out box of fried chicken we DIDN'T eat - four big pieces! *******************************************************************************
Last night Jimmy said, "I'm going to take you to the Colonnade for supper tonight. It's been years since I've been there, and back in the early sixties we used to eat there all the time." That was when he lived at 430 Lindbergh, along with three of his fraternity brothers in a two bedroom apartment. Each small bedroom had two single beds.
His friend John shared a room with P.B. and P.B. snored so badly John couldn't get any sleep, so he took to pulling P.B. out of the bed by his feet and dragging him out of the apartment and locking the door. Jimmy says it got to be a nightly ritual: P.B.'s loud snoring, then a big thud when John yanked him out of the bed, the front door slamming, then...quiet, and everybody went to sleep.
Anyway, this is a restaurant where you order a meat and two sides - home cooking. No credit cards are accepted, and you pay up front where there is an ATM machine for those who didn't bring cash.
Jimmy and I ordered fried chicken - it was GOOD- and we couldn't believe how much they gave us: four large pieces EACH. We'll be eating out of that carry-out box for the next two days.
While we were eating , Jimmy told me the story of an incident that happened in late 1965. A young woman, Mary Shotwell Little, a C&S bank employee, disappeared while shopping at Lenox Mall. It was a highly publicized story, but she was never found.
One of Jimmy's roommates had been dating this woman, and they broke up and she soon after married another man. She had only been married for six weeks when she, as they say now, went missing. The ex-boyfriend was viewed as "a person of interest."
Jimmy was only twenty-one or two years old at the time, and had just started a new job when an Atlanta homicide detective came to his workplace to interview him. It just about scared Jimmy to death. " Mr. Dewar, where were you on the night of October x of last week?" "At the Colonnade, having dinner with some friends, " Jimmy stuttered.
The detective wanted to know who was there, what they had to eat, what time they left, where they went afterward. Jimmy confirmed that he and his friend had gone to the restaurant together, had eaten supper, then they all had gone back to their apartment together. So the Colonnade was Jimmy's friend's alibi. And the Mary Shotwell Little case remains one of Atlanta's big unsolved mysteries.
His friend John shared a room with P.B. and P.B. snored so badly John couldn't get any sleep, so he took to pulling P.B. out of the bed by his feet and dragging him out of the apartment and locking the door. Jimmy says it got to be a nightly ritual: P.B.'s loud snoring, then a big thud when John yanked him out of the bed, the front door slamming, then...quiet, and everybody went to sleep.
Anyway, this is a restaurant where you order a meat and two sides - home cooking. No credit cards are accepted, and you pay up front where there is an ATM machine for those who didn't bring cash.
Jimmy and I ordered fried chicken - it was GOOD- and we couldn't believe how much they gave us: four large pieces EACH. We'll be eating out of that carry-out box for the next two days.
While we were eating , Jimmy told me the story of an incident that happened in late 1965. A young woman, Mary Shotwell Little, a C&S bank employee, disappeared while shopping at Lenox Mall. It was a highly publicized story, but she was never found.
One of Jimmy's roommates had been dating this woman, and they broke up and she soon after married another man. She had only been married for six weeks when she, as they say now, went missing. The ex-boyfriend was viewed as "a person of interest."
Jimmy was only twenty-one or two years old at the time, and had just started a new job when an Atlanta homicide detective came to his workplace to interview him. It just about scared Jimmy to death. " Mr. Dewar, where were you on the night of October x of last week?" "At the Colonnade, having dinner with some friends, " Jimmy stuttered.
The detective wanted to know who was there, what they had to eat, what time they left, where they went afterward. Jimmy confirmed that he and his friend had gone to the restaurant together, had eaten supper, then they all had gone back to their apartment together. So the Colonnade was Jimmy's friend's alibi. And the Mary Shotwell Little case remains one of Atlanta's big unsolved mysteries.
Monday, September 13, 2010
Tough decision
This was a decision NOBODY wanted to make. Jimmy talked with Dr. Lonial several times and with Dr. Esiashvili, the radiation oncologist (she's Russian and everybody calls her Dr. Natia, her first name, because her last name is so hard to pronounce), and they say my case is a toss-up, and it was up to us to decide.
I chose to have radiation. We are already six months into this enduro, and a few more weeks don't matter if it puts the final nail into the coffin of this nasty disease. Chances are that all the chemo I had wiped it out, and this doesn't insure that I won't have some sort of cancer again some day down the road. But I wasn't able to have Round 8 of the chemo, and Jimmy and I feel that this will give us more peace of mind.
We had the preliminary appointment this afternoon, and they drew all over my abdomen with an indelible marker so they can zero in on the cluster of lymph nodes where this all started. Wednesday we go back for my first treatment, and I'll go five days a week for three weeks, a week less than we had thought.
We came back from Highlands yesterday. Jimmy enjoyed going out with friends several nights, but I ended up mostly lying around the house, hacking and coughing every breath. That cold I caught settled in my chest and has been hard to shake, but the worst seems to be over.
I'm finally getting eyebrows again! They look like smudges of soot. I think my eyelashes and eyebrows falling out bothered me more than being bald-headed.
I chose to have radiation. We are already six months into this enduro, and a few more weeks don't matter if it puts the final nail into the coffin of this nasty disease. Chances are that all the chemo I had wiped it out, and this doesn't insure that I won't have some sort of cancer again some day down the road. But I wasn't able to have Round 8 of the chemo, and Jimmy and I feel that this will give us more peace of mind.
We had the preliminary appointment this afternoon, and they drew all over my abdomen with an indelible marker so they can zero in on the cluster of lymph nodes where this all started. Wednesday we go back for my first treatment, and I'll go five days a week for three weeks, a week less than we had thought.
We came back from Highlands yesterday. Jimmy enjoyed going out with friends several nights, but I ended up mostly lying around the house, hacking and coughing every breath. That cold I caught settled in my chest and has been hard to shake, but the worst seems to be over.
I'm finally getting eyebrows again! They look like smudges of soot. I think my eyelashes and eyebrows falling out bothered me more than being bald-headed.
Wednesday, September 8, 2010
?????
I'm still confused. Well, confused isn't the right word exactly. We don't know yet if I'm going to have radiation or not. Jimmy talked with Dr. Lonial today (they've been extremely busy because of the Labor Day weekend) and Dr. Lonial is leaning toward NOT doing the radiation, but he wants to have another conversation with the radiation oncologist before he decides for sure. He said, and I quote, that the last PET scan looked "fantastic".
I appreciate their caution, but because of the area they would be irradiating, I could have some unpleasant long term side effects. I think that's where we are: weighing the benefits against the risks.
We're still in Highlands.
I appreciate their caution, but because of the area they would be irradiating, I could have some unpleasant long term side effects. I think that's where we are: weighing the benefits against the risks.
We're still in Highlands.
Sunday, September 5, 2010
@#%&#!!!!!
We met with the radiation oncologist Friday, and I'm a little confused. She has an accent and I had trouble understanding what she was saying, and fortunately Jimmy was with me to help interpret the medical jargon. Bottom line is that she recommends radiation, but she is going to discuss it with Dr. Lonial, and we will have a telephone conference Tuesday and decide what to do.
I was shocked and demoralized to hear that I would have to have radiation five days a week for four weeks. Jimmy wants me to do whatever they advise, and, as always, I'll defer to his decision. He says that if Dr. Lonial recommends it, that's what we need to do.
We came up to Highlands late Friday afternoon, and it's cool and sunny. I'm still fighting the cold I've had for a week. It has gone to my chest, and I'm coughing my head off, but I should be better in a day or two.
I was shocked and demoralized to hear that I would have to have radiation five days a week for four weeks. Jimmy wants me to do whatever they advise, and, as always, I'll defer to his decision. He says that if Dr. Lonial recommends it, that's what we need to do.
We came up to Highlands late Friday afternoon, and it's cool and sunny. I'm still fighting the cold I've had for a week. It has gone to my chest, and I'm coughing my head off, but I should be better in a day or two.
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