Sheesh...I haven't updated the blog since before Christmas. Is anyone still checking after such a long hiatus? The holidays were quiet, but pleasant. I did contemplate blogging after the Charlie Hebdo incident, but obviously didn't.
Tuesday, however, was our six-week visit to the cancer center, this time with CT scans, and I do always blog with medical news. The weekend before had been somewhat unsettling as two friends/acquaintances, including one of the blog followers, had died of cancer. I had been on the new regimen of three weeks on chemo, followed by a week's break. Three weeks seems to be about the most I can take, since some of the problems associated with the chemo had returned.
The first appointment was at 11, so the morning was relaxed before we left. The blood work was done in the same part of the clinic as the CT scans, so I didn't risk an encounter with Marci. They drew the blood promptly at 11, but then, after I drank the two large Styrofoam containers of water, the wait seemed interminable, especially as the CT machine didn't seem to be in use. Finally (and uncharacteristically), I complained, and they stuck me in the machine. I don't even have to undress for the scans, just pull my pants down and hold my breath a few times as the machine whirrs.
There was a two-hour break before the consultation, so we went a mile down the road to Strouds, famous for its pan-fried chicken and cinnamon rolls--nothing like a nutritious, low-calorie meal for a cancer patient. We were back at the center exactly at 2, ready to see Dr. Van, who is always running very late. In about five minutes, he came into the room. I expected him to say that he'd be back as soon as possible, but instead he was ready for the consult.
All the news was good. The blood tests were mainly within the normal parameters (there are always some outliers), and the kidney tumor had actually shrunk a bit--not a significant diminution, but certainly a good sign. The bell curve of prognoses for stage four kidney cancer with the height at 10 to 11 months is clearly skewed right, and after over four years, I'm thankfully somewhere on the long, right-side tail. So with everything holding steady, I'll stay on the same chemo schedule, and we'll check in again in another six weeks. The G-I problems have abated somewhat; my blood pressure is erratic, but never too extreme in either direction. In terms of quality of life, it's the constant fatigue that is the most debilitating, but with Mohamed at my side, we keep calm and carry on.
