Round 6 part 2

I’ve managed to write this post about a dozen times in my mind, mostly while trying to fall asleep. Now that I’m awake and in front of the computer, let’s see if I can actually get it finished. On the health front, there really isn’t a lot to report. I had my 6th Erbitux treatment on Tuesday and it went smoothly. My rash is about gone, except for my back which is an area that I can easily cover. At least I know for my next rounds what to expect of the acne and rash. It’s not something I’m looking forward to, but it’s manageable. I’m still tired and lately seem to be suffering from insomnia, not always related to my trips to the bathroom. Could be stress…Diarrhea is increasing slightly so I am switching between codeine, tincture of opium, Kaopectate, and Imodium. We’re keeping an eye on it because it could be another side effect of the Erbitux.

My hospital visits for the next 2 weeks include my last 2 scheduled Erbitux treatments, on April 5 and 12, a CT scan on April 7, and my follow up appointment with Dr. Lange on April 12. We might have to rethink the Dr. Lange appointment as it falls right after my Benadryl dose during my Erbitux treatment which means I probably won’t be able to keep my eyes open. We don’t expect the CT scan to show anything new, so the decisions we make will be based on tumor markers and gut feelings.

I must admit that even I am starting to think that my whole life revolves around cancer and my treatment. This weekend we will be spending Saturday at Mt. Auburn Hospital attending a conference on cancer. It’s the first time the hospital has sponsored such an event and it stars everyone on my team. Dr. Lange is giving the keynote, Dr. Nauta, my surgeon and Dr. Abner, my former radiation oncologist are also speaking, the social work team of Beth and Annabelle are giving one of the breakout sessions, and last but not least, I will be speaking on a panel of survivors. This will be my first time doing something like this. I’ve participated in support groups and spoke one on one with lots of people on cancer and my experiences, but never in a large setting. Actually there will probably only be about 60 people there and I know most of them anyway, so I’m not really anxious about it. I just need to find some time to organize my thoughts and summarize everything in 10 minutes. I think this will be a good opportunity for me and possibly lead me to other events. We’ve always been on the outer perimeter of the cancer community in Boston and it may be time to step inside that circle.

As I was starting to say before, our whole lives do not revolve around cancer and my health. We will find some time this weekend to see some friends, explore Portsmouth, NH and take a cooking class at Attrezzi http://www.attrezzinh.com/index.cfm. Should be fun – and tasty. We were able to see friends on Easter, had a relaxing brunch and even took in a movie. And Wednesday I made a quick trip to Mass General to see new Mommy and Daddy, Hara and Paul, and their beautiful daughter Gillian Rachel. Congratulations!!!

I’m working as close to full time as I can, and starting to think about taking on some travel once again. I will be going to Marco Island, FL for a company meeting in early May and there is the possibility of another trip or 2 within the US. I’m not sure if / when I’ll be ready to take on international travel. Pat’s company is talking about expanding to Hawaii. We both volunteered to help open that office.

Speaking of Pat's job, check out the article in USA Today.

http://www.usatoday.com/travel/destinations/2005-03-31-citypasses-go-cards_x.htm

With a follow up at

http://www.usatoday.com/travel/destinations/2005-03-31-citypasses-side_x.htm

Time for bed - hopefully tonight I will sleep.

Posted by jean at March 31, 2005 10:12 PM