Three Months Later and I’m Still Fighting

 

I’m sorry I didn’t post sooner, but I discovered that once a week chemo was a bit difficult. I’ve got a few things to bring you up to date on however first I would like to thank those of you that are still here despite my absence. Also thank you to the ones that have sent me cards in the mail. They have meant so much more to me than you might realize!

At the risk of boring you with yet more medical news, I’ll try to bring you up to date. Since we last spoke, I have had 12 chemo sessions. Certainly more than I had expected. My most recent CT scan did show some small improvement in my cancer. It is still there, but some of it has shrunk just enough to consider surgery! This is what I have been hoping for! I saw my oncologist July 15 and he said he would like to look at surgery around the end of July or the first part of August. I’ve been waiting for a date all this time but we all know how medical dates go, or it’s more like how they don’t go. I received a call this morning that the surgery won’t be until sometime in September or possibly even the first part of October. There is a good reason for the delay though. It seems this is a much more serious surgery than I realized. It is a Cytoreductive surgery or some even call it the “Mother of all Surgeries”. That’s not saying it’s the worst possible surgery, but as cancer surgeries go it is serious. Part of that reason is because I have cancer in several different areas of my body. It started as ovarian cancer and spread through my omentum. (I didn’t know what that was either!) It then went into my colon and caused all kinds of trouble. I even have a bit next to my lungs. (not in them) So they will be going after the cancer in all these areas in this one surgery. There’s another reason to make it difficult to set a date, I will have two surgeons and finding a date that works for both of them is not easy! Even after I have surgery I will be going back for yet more chemo because they know they will not get all of the cancer.

I am hoping to get a surgery date next week but I’m sure not holding my breath. There is another possible problem. Since I have to wait longer than expected, there is a concern my cancer might grow again. Because of that I may have to have more chemo while waiting. That’s up to my oncologist and I know he doesn’t want me having chemo too close to the surgery date. If I need to have more chemo I’m ok with it. As I’ve said, I’m in for the fight.

In the meantime, we have had a variety of things going on in our family, but all good. My sweet great-grand daughter, Juniper celebrated her first birthday July 12^th! That girl just brightens my heart in so many wonderful ways! Our family has had a variety of get togethers as we have celebrated many birthdays. There is nothing I love better than family get togethers!

Like so many of you we have gone through quite a few heat waves and we are in another one now. It’s been hard on the people as well as the animals like this squirrel here!

I promise he's ok, just wiped out from the heat!

We went out to eat at a favorite bar-b-q restaurant with my son Chris and his wife Kristi when I had a short chemo break. I don’t know when I’ll get any hair back but I have a variety of these chemo hats that work in the meantime!

Myself & Tom at Jack Stack

Today we will have the family together once again at Chris’ home. We will be celebrating my 73^rd birthday! Man I’m getting old!