It's Been a While...

It's been a little while since Carol has received a full dose of treatment for all three sessions in a round.  This past round, which ended on Thursday, was just that. She looked good, and all of the bloodwork they looked at told a similar story, so she has received a full dose for these past three weeks. For right now, she's feeling the effects of this treatment pretty strongly. But by early next week, the symptoms will have lessened, and it will make this upcoming week off all the sweeter.

She spent a healthy chunk of Friday at the studio, which I take to be a very good sign indeed. For now, she's concentrating on small paintings; there seems to be a demand for those right now. Soon, though, Scout hopes to turn back to larger canvases. I love to see her creative and emotional energy come out in her art, and it warms my heart to know that she feels good enough to do what she loves.

“If people can just love each other a little bit, they can be so happy.”
                 -- Emile Zola

No Spread, No Growth

To paraphrase a friend, "I know shrinkage is even better, but no spread, no growth is the report one always wants to hear."  She certainly wasn't talking about a Seinfeld episode.  No, this was in reference to the report from Carol's most recent scan, which I was able to share with Carol last night when she got home from a wonderful night out with friends.

The scan showed that there has been no new movement or new growth in her condition.  In other words, the treatment is doing just what it is designed to do: it is bringing down the marker numbers and preventing tumor cells from multiplying. This means that Carol can remain on the same regimen for treatment, which, comparatively speaking, is really good. She will be able to continue her schedule of three weeks on, one week off, with the same medicine.  Without the anxiety of waiting for her appointment today to receive the results of this scan, Carol went into treatment in a much better frame of mind. 

I have to believe that her better frame of mind was also due to the thoughtfulness of friends and family, knowing so well how to comfort her (and me) through all of this. Really -- they should give out medals for all of the kindnesses we have received. Please consider yourselves medallioned. Thank you.

Back, Away Again, and Back. Again.

Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things that you didn't do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover.

                                                                                          -- Unknown

Back from Costa Rica last Wednesday, start of Round 4 of treatments on Thursday, down to Connecticut on Friday, and back again on Sunday. After a week of riding our one-speeds around the coastal towns of Caribbean Costa Rica, all this traveling is enough to take a lot out of me. And when I think of how much more it impacts Carol physically, I think I'm about the biggest wimp. Not to mention the psychological stress of heading back to treatment. She's inspiring to me in so many ways.

It's been a few weeks since Carol received a full dose of treatment, so this weekend was a little more challenging. Still, it was a good sign that she looked so good after being away that they felt she could easily handle that full dose once again.

Huge thanks to family and friends we saw down in Connecticut this weekend. The love you share is so appreciated. Uncle Rich -- we loved your letter, but we still missed you and hope you feel better very soon.

Away

This week's treatment?

Let's see....

Yesterday, it was riding bikes to Punta Uva to go snorkeling. Today, walking through the rainforest that sidles up to the beach in the National Park in Cahuita. Tomorrow, we head to the Jaguar Rescue Center in Playa Chiquita. Then a long horseback ride along the beach, stopping for pipa fresa. 

The physical and psychological distance we have put between ourselves and recent events has been enormous these past few days. The Caribbean coast of Costa Rica has helped us feel worlds away.  Let's hope this kind of treatment continues!

Shorter days, longer hours

It definitely feels like autumn these days in Vermont.  The days have been crisp, the nights bracing, and the heat is replacing air conditioning in many people's daily commutes.  I have always loved this time of year, but this fall... this fall is different.  The days are definitely shorter, but some of the hours seem to stretch on far too long.

Carol finished her third round of treatment this week. Again, they believed that she is tolerating the treatments very well.  She celebrated the end of the round by going out this morning and running nine miles and putting me to shame.  And that's her on treatment for her current condition.  Sheesh.

This weekend we'll lay low -- she's usually not feeling at her peak after the anti-nausea medicine they put in her treatment wears off -- and Monday we head to Boston to catch a plane to Costa Rica.  That relaxation will be the real celebration of the end of three rounds of treatment.  Once we return, there will be a new round of treatment, but for right now, Carol's on vacation from all that.

We both continue to be buffeted by the wonderful support of you all, and by so many others whose kindnesses are legion.  Thank you for everything, and I truly do wish you all a most joyful fall season.  It will be winter before we realize it.

Glimmers

Like the light on the water, we take these comments and secret them away; they make us feel so good.

"It's an aphorism, but good responders do better.  And Carol is certainly what we would call a good responder."

"She looks great.  This stuff is just acting like a Pac-Man on those cells."

These were two comments from people at treatment yesterday, and they put Carol (and me) in a better place.  Since starting treatments back up last week, she has had the Art Hop, been back to running nine miles on Sunday, had quite a hankering for ice cream, and really enjoyed her meals. And now it's Concord grape season. Ahhh....

After next week's treatment, we're going away for a bit.  We're headed to a little place on the Caribbean coast of Costa Rica. It should be a perfect way to get away and recharge before the start of the next round. Callie will get a vacation, too, staying with four other friendly dogs in Underhill.

Coming back will be bittersweet. We'll head down to Connecticut for my mom's memorial service, but it will also be so good to see family we haven't seen in too long.

Driving, Driving, Driving...

Logging 40+ hours in the car over the last 5 days, we managed to tearfully drop Eliza off at St. Olaf, spend some wonderful time with Susan in Minneapolis, visit Gretchen in Chicago, and eat lots of interstate rest-stop food that pretty much all tasted alike.  And we still made it back home in time for Carol's treatment today, where we were able, through the marvels of modern technology, to see Eliza playing at the college's convocation!

It's been wonderful to have Carol out running again the last couple weeks.  Especially this past week, the effects from the last round of treatment waned, giving her more enthusiasm to be out doing whatever she felt like doing.  As she begins this next round of treatment, I know she'll begin to feel it, but I hope I can remind her enough of these times when she feels relatively normal, ready to put on her running shoes and head out the door into the bright daylight, with a smile on her face.

Thanks to everyone who made it so easy for us to head out to Minnesota these past few days, which also happened to have coincided with the beginning of school and the last few days before the Art Hop.  Hoo boy!