Is Seven This Lucky??

Update from the Opium Den…session Seven. The good news is that the recent CT showed no further expansion. We’ve stabilized the growth, now we begin the shrinkage. Sounds so clinical, impersonal…attached to someone else when the CT report suggests that the other organs are "unremarkable." (Good thing it stops around my navel.) Good news, and I’m glad there is no further growth taking place. Certainly better than the opposite, which we heard about in early January.

Today, I’m focused on wine tasting, warmer weather, and Spring. Ended my winter hiatus from the golf ball yesterday, the morning of the Super Bowl…as per normal. Last time around, I was concerned that the infusion port would cramp my swing…this time I didn’t even think about it. Not that we had good weather, mind you, though we did see the sun for the first time in days.

These are, as we Oregonians recognize, the dog days of winter. We’ve had three months of mud, and know that it will be difficult to plan outdoor activities for another three. The days grow more light in the evening, the rain becomes warmer, but it isn’t spring. Adding a trip to the doctor, no matter the news, simply adds another check mark to the week. Coat? (check) Umbrella? (check) Chapstick? (check) Infusion pump? (check)

The downhill side of the twelve sessions, with yet another few days of icky feelings. No matter how quickly I want it to pass, there is a certain “drag” to the first part of a chemotherapy week. The new TV is good for collegiate basketball games and passing time. Is UCLA quick enough to play with the ACC teams, and can Kevin Love fight off another talented center? Nothing on tv, though, replaces the nice phone calls, email and kind thoughts that people send my way.

People are doing their absolute best to keep my spirits up…yet these are the dog days of chemotherapy. I’ll be better in two weeks, after our Napa trip…and look forward to more numbers. Session ten will be great…sessions seven, eight and nine are simply stepping stones along the Journey.