The C Word – A New Battle Day 101 - Status Quo

My Facebook reminder told me that one year ago today we were had just returned from seeing Dr. Lowy.  At that time we had recently had the one year scan and were debating what to do next and seeking a second opinion. 

Today we were awaiting the results from the Stanford Tumor Board for exactly the same type of advice.  Dr. Harroldsdatter phone this evening to let us know what transpired.  Which is basically what I had posted right after we saw her a few weeks ago.  Hold off on doing any sort of systemic chemo.  Further treatment will be more surgeries going forward.  She advised that George try to watch what and how he eats to prevent any small bowel blockages.  She did also say that it looked as though the partial blockage was due to adhesions, not tumors or mucin related.  That was good news.  Though we are still awaiting results from the “satellite testing” to determine of immunotherapy will be an option, she did say again that the chances were pretty slim of that being a match.  She said that there should be at least six months between surgeries.

We will now likely phone Dr. Bastidas for a couple of reasons (1) it has been 3 months and would like to see how he feels things are going and (2) get on board to have scans done every six months unless something occurs in the meantime to warrant a scan.

So - - - back to watch and wait - - and pray and pray.  George says this is a “double-edged sword”.  On the one hand they suggest that you go until you start having issues that would warrant a surgery to fix it.  But going that long may mean that debulking surgery is more aggressive and need to have more “parts” removed - - and George is short on parts these days.  We will need to figure out how to handle this “watch and wait” process.  Ugh!

We have been enjoying some time during this “lull”.  Although George feels on the cusp of having blockages some days, or very uncomfortable because of various aches and pains, we have managed to have some great moments.  We’ve gone to the movies, attend his high school reunion, and this weekend are in Roseville babysitting the twins. 

We’ve talked to a nutritionist and have put ourselves back on a plant-based diet for the most part, eating more veggies and protein type foods and less meats (not given up on them entirely).  Nancy, the nutritionist, suggested that George try to eat 4-6 smaller meals, with half of them being easily digestible – things such as soups and stews, eggs, etc.  I’ve spent a LOT of time in the kitchen these past two weeks.  We’ve made two different batches of beef stew, a vegetable soup, frittatas, oatmeal and so on.  I try to make a few things in large batches that we can eat over several days.  This appears to be working – and George can tell when he’s had too much to eat or eaten the wrong types of foods. 

I’ve made reservations for us to go back East in early December to visit with family.  It will be a quick trip.  I used some of my frequent flyer mileage to upgrade our seats to first class. This way George has better access to a bathroom that is shared only by the number of seats in first class and not with the entire plane!  (It also gets us on and off the plane first!) Now we keep our fingers crossed that he stays healthy for the trip – because we haven’t had a vacation for over a year.

Today I had one upsetting moment.  On the way here we passed several accidents due to a huge rainstorm that had hit the area overnight – the first significant rainfall for us this year.  On I-80 the traffic backed up suddenly and my map told me that there was an accident about a mile or two ahead.  As we made our way past the accident scene, the tow truck had a truck he had pulled off the side of the road.  There was no roof on the cab – and there was a yellow tarp over something in the front seat - - the body of someone in the vehicle though could not be sure if it was passenger or driver from where the body sat.  My mind froze, fixated on the fact that we just witnessed a dead person under that tarp.  I flashed back to the image in the newspaper the day after Mike died - - an image of a body on a gurney covered in a tarp - - on the first very rainy day of 2000. I experienced a deja-vu moment and it was a bit disconcerting.  I blinked back tears for some minutes after driving by the accident scene. 

I was reminded again of how precious life is – and how not one of us knows what tomorrow may bring.  God knows the number of days we have but we do not.  Some of us know that our day may come sooner than later because of serious illnesses, cancers, age, etc.   

Not a day goes by that we are not reminded of the fact that George has cancer.  The elephant still sits by close at hand.  I am glad that George and I are having some time to make new memories with one another, with our families and our friends.  We’ve had some time to laugh and to relax.  For brief moments we are able to not think about the C word.  I am grateful for those precious moments. 

Now - - back to life with 8-year old twins!  Their giggles are enough to cheer anyone up!!

Next up in the cue (next weekend)- - a girls night out for Dawn and our vow renewal! Our children are in charge – and we have no clue what they’ve planned for us!  I’m sure it will be a lot of fun!!