Six Days to Go

Jane is on day 24 of the 30 day treatment plan for chemo/radiation.  If all goes well (no snow days or other unexpected issues) the last day is Thursday, February 2.

As predicted, as Jane approaches the end of treatment she is very uncomfortable with radiation burn and her intestines are impacted by exposure to radiation (enteritis). With new dietary restrictions, due to enteritis, we have been getting more creative with simple soups.  Tonight we will enjoy a friend's homemade chicken soup with matzo balls and tomorrow I am taking a crack at making wonton soup with another friend's homemade beef broth.  

Up until now Jane has been reporting to duty at work daily. Because she is getting very uncomfortable, she has decided to work from as much as possible until treatment ends.  We expect that the severity of the symptoms will continue for one to two weeks after treatment ends.

While feeling under the weather, Jane is cheered up by your encouraging texts and posts on the blog.

Thank you all for your love and support of Jane.

Steve

A Dark Day in History

The darkness of this month of radiation and chemo is further darkened by the fact that today, we get a racist, classist, misogynistic, anti-environmental president. Although I can't make it to the Women's March - tonight after my radiation treatment I look forward to standing with many people of color here in Lowell in resistance to Trump's racist and mysogynistic policies. The nausea that I usually feel after treatments should fit the mood - it makes me sick to my stomach that Trump will be our president - responsible for the fate of our planet, our future generations, our healthcare, immigrants, and people of color.

Here's to our resistance! Here's to us all rising, like a phoenix from the ashes, from this dark day in history!

Sorry - I need to rant!!!

Every now and then the sentiments of how unfair this all is well up in me and I need to scream "This is NOT F#**#ing FAIR! I have lived my life to be as helpful to others and the world as I can be. I invested well over 3 years of my life becoming a lawyer so I could help others out of their environmental and immigration problems and no sooner do I get started than this cancer hits me. With all the time and energy this cancer is taking from me, today I had to give up the last of my law clients. I simply can't manage what I was managing before. This makes me terribly sad.

This weekend the effects of 3 weeks of pelvic radiation hit me like a truck. My intestines have been suddenly reduced to those of a three-month-old. My normal diet of fresh fruits and vegetables is out the window as I struggle to find ways to keep my nutrient and protein levels up without everything passing straight through me.

And, even more upsetting to me is what I am learning about the long-term effects of pelvic radiation. Besides many gory details which I won't go into, I am told that for the rest of my life the bones in my pelvis will be weakened and I have 3x greater chance of breaking a hip or pelvic bone if I fall during biking, skiing, running, hiking, etc...... all things I have loved all my life.

NOT F**ing FAIR!!!

RANT OVER.

Day 16...

Well, I made it to day 16,  so that means I'm halfway through my chemo rad treatments. Everyone tells me the second half of these treatments is much worse than the first half, so I'm planning on laying pretty low until early February and concentrating on making it through to the finish line. This (first phase) finish line anyway.

So far, my oncologists are pretty pleased with my progress. I'm still able to drag my burned ass out of bed in the morning and make it to work, and my cell counts even came up a bit this week!

Benign!

......that word is a source of much joy in my home this evening! Doctors think the new lumps may just be a reaction to the pelvic radiation. HUGE sigh of relief! ☺️☺️☺️☺️☺️☺️☺️☺️☺️☺️☺️

Thank you to those of you who cheered me on, prayed for a benign biopsy, and hung by my side!!

Love you❤️❤️❤️ !!!

No Results Yet . . .

We are still waiting on the results of the biopsy.

Some of you have said that you are having difficulty posting to the blog comments section.  You should be able to post to the blog under comments if you first log into your Gmail account.

We will update the blog when we have more news.

Thank you all all that wrote wishing Jane well.

Is January a really dark, long month or is it just me?

Thank you all for your support. It helps SO much as I slog through treatments! 

I made it through the week, with a painfully burned butt and a new potential issue. I found some small lumps near the area where I have Paget's and had them biopsied yesterday. I am desperately hoping that they are benign! All my treatments are based on the belief that we are targetting ALL the cancer. A new cancer would throw a total wrench into things. I am trying my best to stay calm until the biopsy results come in on Monday. 

The good news is that I seem to have adjusted to the (chemo) Xeloda. No blisters in mouth, hands or feet, and no more horrible heartburn. I am hoping the next 3.5 weeks follow suit. 

I am really looking forward to visits and walks with friends this weekend and to enjoying the delicious-looking Jewish chicken soup that David made me yesterday.

Thank you everyone for checking in and offering food, visits, insights, and good humor. It is a long dark month but each one of you helps to make it that much brighter!

xoxo!  

2017 - out with the old - chopped off hair!

Here it is 2017! I look forward to the upcoming year with a mix of utter trepidation and high optimism. I know what lays ahead will test me personally in a way I have never been tested before. I also know that I head into the year with a strong body and mind, great doctors, and an amazing family and community of support!

This past Friday was day 7 of chemorad treatments and the day that taught me that I am going to need to adjust my life a bit. Friday I was up at 6, took my xeloda, rushed off for early meeting at work, left at 10 am for radiation at Lowell General, then back to work, then to the gym at work for a little exercise. By the time I got home my nose was running and head aching. It was all I could do to crawl up to bed. My WBC count had dropped substantially this week, so I guess I picked up a cold from somewhere and need to be more cautious about germs and over-doing.

Saturday was a day off treatment and my energy started flowing back. Rory and I went for a walk, lunch, and he took me to get my hair chopped off. I figure it will be thinning soon, so I executed a pre-emptive cancer-do! No more muss, fuss, or chemicals (enough chemicals in my life, thank you)! Actually got hair compliments at a party last night - who knew?

Happy 2017 to you all! 🍾 May it be a year of health and happiness and good new-ness!