I've had a bad cold this week, but I still had chemo this Friday - Gemzar & Avastin. I have not been able to sleep tonight which I think is the steroids. We are leaving town for the Tucson Gem & Mineral Show on Wednesday and have a ton of things to do by then. Robert is still getting moved out of his gift shop space, plus he has to pack for the show. I still have to get W-2's and quarterly payroll taxes done. With the cold this week, I've been knocked out a bit, but seem to be getting better.
Hemoglobin fell below normal this week but wasn't too bad. Platelets also somewhat low. Weight was 63 kg, same as last time, but I've been eating like a pig. (This is my favorite part about cancer, you get to eat anything you want and not gain weight. I could probably eat a whole friggin' cheesecake and not gain an ounce.) I went back on the Xeloda on Friday night. Liver enzymes were mostly good. The ones out of what were only slightly so. Bilirubin was normal. Haven't gotten CA19-9 tumor marker yet.
Dr. Bergen said that the next time we are in Denver, we should check in with the Anschutz Cancer Center at CU Medical Center to see what other procedures they might recommend that aren't available in Grand Junction. We will probably do that the end of February.
I go back for chemo at 9am next Wednesday. We'll leave Grand Junction and head to Arizona. We hope to make it to Prescott to my sister's house, by Wednesday night. We'll head down through Moab, Monticello, Bluff, Blanding, and Mexican Hat. We should be in Tucson by Thursday and ready to sell minerals on Friday. We don't know our room number yet, but we'll be at the Inn-Suites. (At this show, you set up in your motel room.) I am looking forward to some warmer weather and flatter terrain and not having to worry about slipping on the ice and snow.
Well, the bowling team is tied for second with the OJ's who are supposed to be hot right now. We have a tie-breaker game tomorrow night. Even if we lose, I think we still get a trophy for third place. I think I should get most-improved bowler. I think my handicap has dropped almost 10 points, I've never missed a game, and I had chemo and radiation during this league. So I think 3rd place is pretty darn good.
I hope to do my radio show at 1pm tomorrow as well on KURA, 98.9. I think the show is "streamed" on the internet, but I have no idea how you pick it up. They just got a new turntable so I can play vinyl tomorrow if I want. Far out, man!
Okay, I'm going to try to go to bed now. We got a little snow tonight, but only an inch or so.
My deepest sympathy is sent to the Clements family in Utah. Mark Clements, my fellow cholangiocarcinoma patient, passed away last Friday. He was 40 years old and leaves behind a beautiful wife and four wonderful children, not to mention many friends and family who loved him dearly. His sister, Stacie, has been instrumental in setting up the cholangiocarcinoma website for which I am eternally grateful.
I'm sending my love to my Aunt Jean in Florida who is struggling with several health issues at this time, and to her children Donald and Nancy.
Also, I want to send a shout out to my relatives from Kansas City and in southeastern Nebraska. I'm sorry I haven't written but I really appreciate all your cards, letters, and e-mails.
And thanks to all of you who are praying for me. I think God has heard. I'm still here. I don't know for how much longer, but I told God he has to let me live long enough to finish cleaning up and organizing my house. And for those of you who have seen my house, you know that might take a while. I'm slowly, but surely making some progress. I'm kind of like Earl (from the TV show "My Name is Earl") - I have a list of things. I'm not leaving till I get 'em all done.
Just up here in Colorado, hoping to get some sleep so I can do good at bowling tomorrow night.
Sincerely, Caroline
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2 comments:
Hi Caroline
I wrote you before and you kindly answered some questions I had regarding my husband. Dirk has cc and is currently taking Gemzar with very good results. He had been to Mayo's in Rochester and they were unwilling to do surgery as the tumor had metastisized. He is 51 and we have three boys ages 25, 22 and 14. We live west of Peoria, IL a few miles out in the country. Thank you for your awesome sense of humor and willingness to share your life with us. Maybe some day I will take the time to learn how to make a blog website for Dirk and share his experience with others to try and help them as we have been helped by yours and the others that share. Hope you are having a good day today. Just here in IL NOT enjoying any mountains but loving the snow.
Hi,
My husband was just diagnosed with cholangiocarcinoma and we are going to Mass General in Boston tomorrow so that hopefully he will have surgery. I appreciate your writings they seem like life does get back to some sense of normal after the diagnosis. Thank you.
Kathy Olson
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