The Next Mountain to Climb

I would like to give a little update regarding surgery, recovery, and treatments. I am recovering quite well from the surgery. My abdomen is giving me very little trouble. My neck is still giving me a lot of trouble.  The treatment plan has had some hiccups and we’ve made some changes. I had hoped to have the five radiation sessions on my neck completed a couple weeks before Thanksgiving, but the final session ended up being just one week prior to Thanksgiving. I couldn’t start chemo until radiation was done. In addition to the radiation treatments running later than we expected, CCare in Fresno either didn’t or couldn’t get some of the chemo drugs in time.   Those two issues ended up pushing my first infusion appointment all the way to the day before Thanksgiving.  After much discussion with Jim and consultation with Dr. Ganjoo, I decided to hold off on any chemo until December 26, after our trip.  My rationale for waiting? This chemo is a killer; there is no e...

My recovery from surgery a few weeks ago is going fairly well. Each day I’m regaining a little more strength and mobility, which feels like progress worth celebrating. I don’t need Jim’s help to get in and out of bed or use the toilet! Last week, Jim and I met with my oncologist, Dr. Ganjoo. After reviewing my scans and talking everything through with us, she recommended trying a few rounds of chemotherapy to help again slow the progression of the leiomyosarcoma. Dr. Ganjoo confirmed what Jim and I had already sensed. There were no visible tumors in my intestines on the August PET scan, yet the tumor that caused the recent blockage measured 3.5 centimeters, and four additional new tumors—each slightly smaller—were also removed. And, other tumors in my liver, lungs, neck bone, and several other places showed significant growth and activity between August and October. Dr. Ganjoo didn’t sugarcoat things: the number of new tumors, how quickly they appeared, and their increased activity a...

I would like to give you all a very personal thank you. Three weeks in the hospital is a long time. I was there two day short of that, and each one of you helped me get through it—whether by sending cards, replying to this blog, texting me, or in a myriad of other ways. Several times, an uplifting meme or gif would arrive at the exact moment I was struggling to stay cheerful and positive. I won’t lie—there were tears. But again and again, something from one of you would lift me back up. There are too many individuals to name, which in itself is such a blessing. So, to all of you, thank you. Truly. I am also incredibly blessed to have had what I called my “hospital room care team.” These are the amazing souls who spent days and nights in that room so I was never alone. They talked with me when I was down, laughed with me when I was up, found shows for us to watch together, and helped distract me from the NG tube and the “no water” rules. They walked with me, held my hand when I shivere...