This update goes on an on but trust me, I am leaving out some non-essential but confusion-increasing twists and turns. I had my 3-month CT scan February 10th. At an appointment to discuss the results two days later, my oncologist said that the radiologist’s report said the metastasis in my lung had grown a bit […]
Author: ekhb
A beautiful picture of the future
I greatly enjoyed perusing this illustration from a Scientific American article (thanks, Paul): “How Oncolytic Viruses Destroy Tumors” Ahhhhh wouldn’t that be great?
Cancer terminology
An article right up my alley by Susan Gubar in the New York Times.
Woo hoo, insurance woes less!
http://www.timesunion.com/news/article/CDPH-cancer-doctors-reach-deal-6040213.php What a relief. It’s Monday and Eric and I spent an amazing weekend in New York City, which we never do. (This was maybe the second time going to NYC for fun since we moved to New York State in 2002–just haven’t wanted to, mostly.) I was pretty low-energy on Friday, when we went, […]
Brain zapping went well
The zap on Thursday was much quicker and easier than last January, and now I’m feeling low-energy (as expected) and fuzzy in the brain (also expected, due to temporary anti-seizure meds I have to take just in case for a week). My mom is visiting to help out and I am spending much time on […]
Off to zap on January 15th again
One year ago today as I left the house to be zapped, my friend Isa said: “I love that, by about 3pm today, you’ll have a shiny, well, healthy and happy brain.” Once again, I am holding that intention. Shiny Well Healthy Happy but needing some really good rest.
Quotations
I really resonated with this comment from a reader of a New York Times article about caring for people at the end of life, by Atul Gawande: But when I faced incurable life threatening diseases myself I finally learned the “meaning” of life and death. Stuff happens and we stumble along trying to make the […]
My chemo-versary
It’s my chemo-versary today: one year ago today I started chemo. So here I am, no sicker. Which is apparently a major triumph “in the metastatic breast cancer setting.” Because even knowing that the statistics are about 5 years behind current treatment options, and even knowing that statistics don’t really apply to any one individual, […]
…but results had to wait until January 6
Finally heard yesterday from the radiation oncologist who ordered my follow-up MRI. For those of you keeping count, the one questionable maybe-tumor has not changed at all and therefore his hunch was right–it’s scarring, not a met. Both actual tumors have grown (they are both around 5mm now…didn’t they get my message to be indolent?) […]
MRI is on December 29…
I guess maybe some of you might be wanting to know that my follow-up MRI to check in on my latest TINY TEENY MINUSCULE WEAK FEEBLE brain mets is on December 29 so early in the AM that I don’t even want to think about it.