My dears, It’s been a hard week or two. Val returned from Montana so glad to have seen her family, but exhausted and with a nasty cough. The doctor prescribed antibiotics, and Val felt improvement for a couple days, but since the weekend she’s been intermittently feverish, coughing more, breathing worse, Continue Reading
family
Dears, Val is in Montana visiting her dad, Miles; her sister, Sandy; and her mother, Betty, who is very sick with pancreatic cancer. Miles and Sandy (and Val’s sister Jane, and other visiting family) have been taking good care of Betty. Everyone is very tired and sad, and glad to Continue Reading
yellow crocuses
Dears, just a quick note to say we are fine. Val had a gorgeous desert adventure (even if she didn’t bring me a chuckwalla) and her tough and tender body was able to carry her scrambling over rocks and up some trails. She wore herself out but in such beautiful Continue Reading
stars
Val started treatment this past Monday: daily Tarceva pills and a biweekly infusion of MM-121. She’s been very fatigued all week but apparently this treatment doesn’t typically increase fatigue, so that could be just cumulative exhaustion plus a busy social schedule. The predicted, uncomfortable, acne-like rash has not yet made Continue Reading
starting Tarceva Monday
Hola! Here’s a quick update: Val is just back from Montana and I’m just back from Oaxaca. We both had viruses and we are both getting better from them. She continues to breathe well and although she is chronically fatigued, she is doing much, much better than she was a Continue Reading
Bronchitis
Val has bronchitis. Dang it. Commencing antibiotics.
fever
My dears, Val has caught some kind of virus and has been miserable with a fever of 101-103 since Tuesday. Last night the fever finally broke for a while, but it’s creeping back up again. She’s been coughing again, can’t keep food down, and just generally feels weak and awful. Continue Reading
somewhere new
We met Thursday with our new oncology team at OHSU and came away feeling like we will be in good hands. Everyone — oncologist, oncology nurse, research/trial nurse, social worker, customer support on the phone, strangers in the elevators — seemed smart, informed, kind and helpful. The new plan begins Continue Reading
year end/year beginning
Yesterday, the last day of 2012, Val had her last radiation treatment. The staff signed a certificate for her and did a little clapping song like they do at certain restaurants on your birthday. Yesterday, Val had her last appointment with Dr. T, her Kaiser oncologist. Except that the substitute Continue Reading
breathing better
Improvements continue. Today Val is more alert, in a lot less pain, needing fewer drugs, and breathing so much better than last week it is truly amazing. Tonight she was quietly talking and laughing and even singing a little, with only the occasional dry catch or cough. She went up Continue Reading