Hi all,
I meet with the oncology group tomorrow so hopefully there will be some info about what course of treatment I'll be undergoing. Sometimes it feels like the wheels move very slowly but I guess my perspective is a little skewed (I want this done with NOW!) and I know they're getting to me as soon as they can.
Not too much has happened since last Thursday when I posted the first entry here. Had a chance to see Jenny and Stan and then Val and Nicole - very nice, if brief, visits. On Sunday Dave took me to IKEA for what amounted to a big day out. We went to find a more comfy chair for me to sit in while watching TV (because I am watching a lot of TV) and by the time we got home I was wiped out. But we found a good, comfortable chair.
On Monday I had another round of fluid drainage and this time they took out 3.8 liters, the largest amount so far. For those keeping score, this brings me to a total of 8.8 liters over 14 days. No doubt there will be more of the same to come (luckily this is an outpatient procedure and not too taxing). The doctor told me that the pressure I feel from all this additional liquid in my gut is the same thing that pregnant women feel when the baby starts to get big and pushes on the surrounding organs. It can be very painful and I have a difficult time imagining dealing with that for several months.
Otherwise, not too much going on. The dogs are getting, and loving, tons of attention. I wish I could take them for long walks during the day but they have to deal with short walks around the block or a quick visit to the backyard for a piddle. Dave is taking them for their long morning and afternoon walks so they are getting exercise.
I also just finished the entire series, 22 episodes, of the HBO show Rome. Can't recommend it enough and I found that not really knowing or remembering this period of history was no hindrance. In fact, the only thing I knew going in was that Brutus kills Caesar (um, spoiler alert?) though they didn't include the famous "Et tu, Brute?" quote during that scene. Maybe that's just something Shakespeare made up? At any rate, it was really well done.
Finally, I want to say thanks to all those who have left comments on the blog or have sent me messages in other ways. You have no idea how much I appreciate that - it really helps a lot!
More soon,
David
Wednesday, August 25, 2010
Thursday, August 19, 2010
Hello Friends & Family
I've set up this blog to post updates on where I'm at with all of the cancer stuff and Dave will be updating when I'm not able. I decided to call it Two Martinis, Please because anyone who knows us knows that Dave and I love a good martini and usually when we are out to dinner the first to order a drink will say something along the lines of "Bombay Sapphire martini, up with olives" and the other will just say "same". So the name is a reminder of all the good times we've had together so far as well as looking forward to ordering more martinis together in the future. (For the record I do not currently have a taste for liquor of any kind.)
Here's the story so far. The weekend of August 7/8 I was feeling very bloated and couldn't really move; the only comfortable position was on my back or side. I had been feeling a little "off" for a couple of weeks but never to a point where I was incapacitated. On Monday the 9th I made an appointment with the doctor who basically took one look at me and sent me to the ER where I was ultimately admitted for testing and fluid drainage (three liters!). Tests of the fluid and a later biopsy showed cancer but additional testing was needed to determine more specifics. I was released on Thursday that week and scheduled for a colonoscopy on the following Monday the 16th.
The colonoscopy itself went fine but I did not recover as people normally will. The doctors described it as my bowels having gone to sleep and I could not release the gas that was pumped in as part of the procedure. It was truly agonizing and they sent me in an ambulance back the ER where once again I was admitted and held for observation (and additional fluid drainage) until today, Thursday the 19th.
So I am back at home, on antibiotics and painkillers until I meet with the oncology group next week. The painkillers are helping a lot but I'm pretty fuzzy throughout the day, moving slowly and taking naps (call that a silver lining - I love naps!).
That's all for now. If you are out to dinner and thinking of having a cocktail, have a martini for me. They're especially great if you can get them with blue cheese stuffed olives. :)
More soon!
Here's the story so far. The weekend of August 7/8 I was feeling very bloated and couldn't really move; the only comfortable position was on my back or side. I had been feeling a little "off" for a couple of weeks but never to a point where I was incapacitated. On Monday the 9th I made an appointment with the doctor who basically took one look at me and sent me to the ER where I was ultimately admitted for testing and fluid drainage (three liters!). Tests of the fluid and a later biopsy showed cancer but additional testing was needed to determine more specifics. I was released on Thursday that week and scheduled for a colonoscopy on the following Monday the 16th.
The colonoscopy itself went fine but I did not recover as people normally will. The doctors described it as my bowels having gone to sleep and I could not release the gas that was pumped in as part of the procedure. It was truly agonizing and they sent me in an ambulance back the ER where once again I was admitted and held for observation (and additional fluid drainage) until today, Thursday the 19th.
So I am back at home, on antibiotics and painkillers until I meet with the oncology group next week. The painkillers are helping a lot but I'm pretty fuzzy throughout the day, moving slowly and taking naps (call that a silver lining - I love naps!).
That's all for now. If you are out to dinner and thinking of having a cocktail, have a martini for me. They're especially great if you can get them with blue cheese stuffed olives. :)
More soon!
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