February 20, 2012
This past week was our "week off" from chemotherapy, so on Wednesday we instead went to the Imaging Department for the CAT scan which would provide our oncologist with information about what progress the six chemo infusions up to now may have achieved. The scan itself was a fairly quick procedure, and we were back home much earlier than usual for a Wednesday. The doctor called regarding results on Thursday while I was at school, so only Steve got to speak to him. He had a "mixed report" to give, he said. Some parts of the image looked positive—the upper part, showing the esophagus and the lung spots that had been noticed before, looked better. The lower part, including liver, showed cancer activity still going on. And it was not clear whether there might be some enlargement of the heart, which could influence choice of chemicals as we go forward with the next round of chemotherapy. To further clarify that issue, the doctor has ordered a MUGA scan (usually pronounced, apparently, "mugga"—even though "mooga" would sound nicer and seem a more logical reading of the acronym). According to Wikipedia, "the MUGA test involves the introduction of a radioactive marker into the bloodstream of the patient. The patient is subsequently scanned to determine the circulation dynamics of the marker, and hence the blood." That test is scheduled for Tuesday morning (tomorrow, February 21). And our next chemo, along with our oncologist appointment, is scheduled for noon Wednesday. So, still a busy time medically speaking.
Highlight of the week, of course, was the visit of Matt and Celeste and Dylan, who flew in from Boston Friday afternoon and stayed until Sunday. It was a pure pleasure for us to have them in the house, and to see Dylan toddling around and making the place his own. Even when he was a little tired/fussy, and even though Steve had less energy to play than he would have liked (so Steve did more watching than active playing), the whole visit was a joy. Dylan did a lot of laughing, especially while playing with the red foam rubber clown noses we got at a dance a while ago (where one of the dancers was a professional clown) and brought home as a reminder of the Red Nose Day charity drive we remember from our year in England. He also found it hilarious to watch (and listen to) his parents eating shrimp chips as part of our take-out dinner from Ho Wah. All laughter is good, but baby laughter is really tops.
Then Sunday evening, another bridge group get-together—the women took me out to supper at Yours Truly, and the guys stayed in with Steve and played bridge. It's so great to have this surrogate/extended family group close by us and providing such constant and ongoing support. We also had visits from other friends (some when we've both been here, some to Steve when I was out at work); grocery shopping help from Andrea; and supportive messages from family and friends all around. Thanks so much to all of you for everything you're doing on our behalf.
--Carol
