Monday morning we went to Graham's check-up, fully expecting him to get the go-ahead to start his third round of the Gem-Ox chemo combo. But during the exam, the doctor found a small lump in Graham's chest. Graham said, yeah, he had felt it too a couple of days before. He hadn't told me because he "didn't want to worry you." Hard to be mad at him, because it was nice to feel so positive for those extra days.
But I hate for him to worry all by himself. Maybe that's why he was so foggy Sunday night, because he was worried about the new tumor.
Anyhow, the doctor feels that if there's any new growth at all, it doesn't make sense to continue the same treatment, because even though it helped get rid of many of his tumors, if new ones start, the cancer can get out of control. So Graham will likely start a new kind of chemo on Thursday, in the hospital for a few days.
But just to get a clear idea of what needs to get done, Dr. Advani had Graham get another PET scan. Hopefully, the new tumor in the chest is small and the only one, and the new treatment will likely knock it right out and all is still good. Worst case, it's the tip of the iceberg, and there are more tumors that just weren't visible to the eye or touch, and it will be a challenge to defeat them.
The doctor told us to come back Wednesday morning for the scan results, but we were so anxious, that we got the day wrong, and dragged ourselves in early morning today, Tuesday! Oy.
So we spent the whole day pretending we weren't biting our nails.
The nice part about Monday was when we got home, our friends Jerry and Joyce brought us over a fantastic brisket dinner with mashed potatoes. Since I can barely pull together a decent meal on a good day, this was truly a welcome gift!
Here's Joyce, Jerry and their adorable little dog Morsel.
But I hate for him to worry all by himself. Maybe that's why he was so foggy Sunday night, because he was worried about the new tumor.
Anyhow, the doctor feels that if there's any new growth at all, it doesn't make sense to continue the same treatment, because even though it helped get rid of many of his tumors, if new ones start, the cancer can get out of control. So Graham will likely start a new kind of chemo on Thursday, in the hospital for a few days.
But just to get a clear idea of what needs to get done, Dr. Advani had Graham get another PET scan. Hopefully, the new tumor in the chest is small and the only one, and the new treatment will likely knock it right out and all is still good. Worst case, it's the tip of the iceberg, and there are more tumors that just weren't visible to the eye or touch, and it will be a challenge to defeat them.
The doctor told us to come back Wednesday morning for the scan results, but we were so anxious, that we got the day wrong, and dragged ourselves in early morning today, Tuesday! Oy.
So we spent the whole day pretending we weren't biting our nails.
The nice part about Monday was when we got home, our friends Jerry and Joyce brought us over a fantastic brisket dinner with mashed potatoes. Since I can barely pull together a decent meal on a good day, this was truly a welcome gift!
Here's Joyce, Jerry and their adorable little dog Morsel.
And then to add to the sweetness, the doorbell rang and it was UPS delivering a package full of goodies from our wonderful neighbors and friends in Durham, Darleene and Wendell. It came from one of our favorite stores there, A Southern Season. Ah, good memories! When we opened the box, this amazing feeling of love just poured over us. It was like getting a hug in the mail from Darleene and Wendell.
1 comment:
Chatimah tovah,
Happy anniversary,
May the next therapy be E squared (easy and effective),
Keep in mind that you now have a cousin (on the Greenberg side) in Israel. Glenda and David moved to Nahariya in August, and I know they'd love to see you two.
Love,
Elaine
PS Really enjoy seeing photos of cousins and friends
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