On Monday, Holly had her 7th treatment. The day started like the other 6. Wake up, get dressed, get kids dressed, then the question.
“Do you have any questions for Dr. Uyei?”
I couldn’t think of anything. Neither could Holly, really. We had a friend that recently had a pretty significant relapse. So we asked about that. Even if it is distant, it is still a concern.
So here was what we learned about relapses. They happen, but there really doesn’t seem to be any rhyme or reason behind them. Just like cancer itself. Colon cancer relapse can hit the colon again. It can hit the liver, the lungs or really any where else. While they don’t come out and say it, it is kind of like when you take your car to get fixed and 2 weeks later there is something completely different wrong with it. I wonder why they don’t call that a relapse, too? Probably marketing. There also isn’t a stage number associated with a relapse. Odd. I wonder why they would rank a first bout but not subsequent bouts?
Is this what happens? It seems like we’ve lumped going to the oncologist in the same bucket as going to the grocery store. “Anything you want from the store, honey?” I guess, sadly, after 7 chemo treatments and over 100 different doctors visits that we have become the experts. We’ve become the old pro. That’s a bummer.
Photo from the Old Pro in Palo Alto by ifindkarma.
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Tags: old_pro, palo_alto, chemo, cancer, experience
Those who know me, know that I more than enjoy the occasional 18 hole round. Every time I play, my partners routinely ask about Holly and how things are going. One of the tough things about cancer is that I don’t have a lot to relate to that I can share. Most people have no idea. Holly’s post the other week about it being hungover for 11 months was a good analogy.
Recently, the amazing Kate Thaxton had a really good post about why cancer to her is like putting.
Fighting cancer is very similar to putting. The bar is set pretty low and any victory, no matter what size, is worthy of a happy dance.
It is amazing how the little victories have become so important. It is probably more important to recognize how these little battles lead up to winning the war.
This morning, Holly and I were talking about the days that she was home from the hospital after her surgery. She was down 25 pounds and needed to be held up to take a shower. Today, taking a shower is no problem. The battle is having the energy to make it through the day. In a few months, the battle will be to get her strength back to pre-diagnosis levels. A few months after that, hopefully, it will be higher still.
Sadly, the war never ends. The battles subside for a little while. There will hopefully be a nice peace accord that culminates every few months with a routine check-up. No dirty fighting during the truce, but we will forever be in a war.
Like any war, though, you have to appreciate the small victories to truly appreciate the overall war. You also have to do the occasional happy dance.
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Tags: chemotherapy, golf
Room 116 pointed out this amazing image blog, FFFFound. There is some beautiful photography including this one of a young Stevie Wonder.
Since Holly’s been sick, I’ve been listening to a lot of old, really good music including Warren Zevon, the Beach Boys Pet Sounds and, of course, Stevie Wonder. This is the music that my parents listened to when I was a kid. Probably between the ages of birth and about 10 years old (or whenever Kiss Alive II came out). It is amazing how, when life hands you a bizarre event such as cancer, that you revert back a bit to what was comforting as a child.
The original image is by Satterwhite, but the link to the site is broken.
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Tags: music, stevie_wonder, beach_boys, Warren_zevon
