The latest results are in!
The CT scans of Thursday and Friday last week show a decrease in area of the largest lesion in my liver from the first CT taken August 14 to the present taken 11/9 of 41%!
Previous = 6.3 x 7.5 cm
Present = 5.2 x 5 cm
The remainder of liver lesions have not shown change.
There are obstructions of the ureter that have to be dealt with; kidney stones are a family inheritance.
For the meantime I continue on the (presumed) Zactima at least until the next scans which are scheduled for February. By that time we will be happy to head south for a small break in the Virginia winter.
We both thank you all for your positive energy ... look at the results!
Copyright 2007
http://www.lindalater.blogspot.com
Monday, November 12, 2007
Thursday, November 8, 2007
Nuggets
Occasional flashes of wisdom/humor/insight/wonder streak through my mind; I’ve taken to recording them quickly before they evaporate. They are not thoughts substantial enough to support further reflection. I offer them here, however, as evidence of the diverse nature of those phenomena that capture my attention during glimpses of the world as it exists for me now.
Surprising things I’ve unexpectedly come to know/learn:
How to quell a queasy feeling upon seeing a syringe.
Telling loved ones and strangers I have a chronic, often thought to be terminal, disease.
That the timetable to my final destination is typeset and on the printing press.
How to apply a really cold clay pack to a warm belly without flinching (haven’t mastered it yet, but I’m working on it).
How to dine as a vegetarian without soy products (become a soy detective).
A profound understanding of the concept of gratitude.
The rapture of a successful colonic.
Managing healthcare decisions utilizing sources with widely divergent philosophies of treatment.
Every arcane nuance of coffee enemas, from preparation to fulfillment.
Living with a catheter (even temporarily) for IV medications, implanted in my chest like an extra appendage requiring special maintenance.
Utter reliance on caregiver assistance to maintain medical treatments. Togetherness to the extreme.
I’ll not use 95% of the items stored in the kitchen “string drawer.”
Signs of Hope
Thinking about (even planning!) vacation travel excursions.
In January, planning the next Christmas holidays.
Several seasonal clothing exchanges: pack away winter; unpack summer. Repeat as necessary.
The New York Times coverage of the reality of living with cancer in the Sunday, July 29, 2007 issue. Excellent article, insightful especially of the swings between hope and despair through the course of the illness.
Disagreeable side effects indicative of medication efficacy.
Copyright 2007
Posted: October 19, 2007
http://www.lindalater.blogspot.com
Occasional flashes of wisdom/humor/insight/wonder streak through my mind; I’ve taken to recording them quickly before they evaporate. They are not thoughts substantial enough to support further reflection. I offer them here, however, as evidence of the diverse nature of those phenomena that capture my attention during glimpses of the world as it exists for me now.
Surprising things I’ve unexpectedly come to know/learn:
How to quell a queasy feeling upon seeing a syringe.
Telling loved ones and strangers I have a chronic, often thought to be terminal, disease.
That the timetable to my final destination is typeset and on the printing press.
How to apply a really cold clay pack to a warm belly without flinching (haven’t mastered it yet, but I’m working on it).
How to dine as a vegetarian without soy products (become a soy detective).
A profound understanding of the concept of gratitude.
The rapture of a successful colonic.
Managing healthcare decisions utilizing sources with widely divergent philosophies of treatment.
Every arcane nuance of coffee enemas, from preparation to fulfillment.
Living with a catheter (even temporarily) for IV medications, implanted in my chest like an extra appendage requiring special maintenance.
Utter reliance on caregiver assistance to maintain medical treatments. Togetherness to the extreme.
I’ll not use 95% of the items stored in the kitchen “string drawer.”
Signs of Hope
Thinking about (even planning!) vacation travel excursions.
In January, planning the next Christmas holidays.
Several seasonal clothing exchanges: pack away winter; unpack summer. Repeat as necessary.
The New York Times coverage of the reality of living with cancer in the Sunday, July 29, 2007 issue. Excellent article, insightful especially of the swings between hope and despair through the course of the illness.
Disagreeable side effects indicative of medication efficacy.
Copyright 2007
Posted: October 19, 2007
http://www.lindalater.blogspot.com
Thursday, November 1, 2007
Values Plummet!
Lab values have plummeted. Unlike the stock market, for us, the slide in values is good news!
Calcitonin (thyroid cancer marker) is down 24% on Oct 15 vs the prior labwork of September 26. The CEA (carcineoembryonic antigen) is down 37% for the same period. (See more complete description of these tests in blog of April 27, 2007.) Both markers are now four-digit numbers, below the 10,000 mark, whereas previously the Calcitonin was bouncing between 15,000 and 22,000, and the CEA hovering around 10,000. This is an exciting development!
As we wait to see future results, I’m sure you can understand why persons with cancer become numbers-obsessed.
More results as we return from Charleston in about 12 days.
Copyright 2007
http://lindalater.blogspot.com
Posted: November 1, 2007
Calcitonin (thyroid cancer marker) is down 24% on Oct 15 vs the prior labwork of September 26. The CEA (carcineoembryonic antigen) is down 37% for the same period. (See more complete description of these tests in blog of April 27, 2007.) Both markers are now four-digit numbers, below the 10,000 mark, whereas previously the Calcitonin was bouncing between 15,000 and 22,000, and the CEA hovering around 10,000. This is an exciting development!
As we wait to see future results, I’m sure you can understand why persons with cancer become numbers-obsessed.
More results as we return from Charleston in about 12 days.
Copyright 2007
http://lindalater.blogspot.com
Posted: November 1, 2007
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