Summer is Officially Over

I have been back to work all week, but today was the first day with kids. I know some folks will say I'm crazy, but it was great to get back to work. I like the kids, I like the routine and so far my classes seem really pleasant (although that could change at anytime!). I'm feeling lucky to be one of those people who likes going to work.

I added a new thing to my anti-nausea arsenal and it seems to provide some real relief. I had a pretty good round really. Sunday was rough, but otherwise I've been feeling pretty good. So good that I considered taking all my pills today, but I was terrified of getting sick on the first day of school so I was an "noncompliant patient" today. My doctor is on board with my noncompliance, so I don't feel too guilty.

My doctor developed a plan for me at my last appointment. I'm going to do this current round and one more. Then I am scheduled to get scanned on 9/9. If the scans still look good, she will take my case to the tumor board. She thinks I might be a good candidate for a lumpectomy. If I get approved for surgery by the tumor board, I'd have a lumpectomy and then I'd go back on Herceptin. As much as I like a plan, I'm well aware that the plan may well change.

Hi, Keith here with a quick update on my mom; She continues to work with speech/swallow therapy in Duluth. My mom and dad are living in a hotel up there and motoring over to the rehab facility daily. She's improving but it's a real slow process. Long grind. There's talk that they might be able to get an acceptably qualified speech therapist in Ashland Wisconsin, which would allow them to get back home to Wakefield and then "commute" up to Ashland (about 50 miles away). My mom is on a particular drug that is supposed to kick-in at some point here....but it can take months to start working. That drug (imuran) would sort of knock some sense into her immune system so it returns to normal. We continue to keep our fingers crossed!

Oh, and we gave Red a bath recently. P-U he needed it!!

Touring...

I haven't posted lately because Keith and I have been busy being tourists in our own backyard. Our niece Hannah came out to visit for a week or so and we had to show her all around. It was nice to have an excuse to do some things we wouldn't normally do (and I managed to avoid going to Fisherman's warf - yeah me!). One of the things that was new to me was the Marine Mammal Center over by Rodeo Beach. It is definitely worth a stop and afterwards you can go for a hike.

Other than having sore feet I'm doing great!! I'm just starting my next round (oof it was tough to choke down those 12 big pills this morning knowing that they're gonna make me sick tomorrow).

So far so good today. I need to really try to imagine going to work this round and see if it is feasible... I think it may doable. I usually end up feeling better if I am out and about doing something.

I stumbled upon this article about the trial I'm on. It was interesting and encouraging enough to give me a push to stick with it for now...

http://bit.ly/rpzmq2

Dr. Moasser is the doctor I saw when I started this. He is a brain! And he picked up the phone right away when I called him with problems. My favorite bit is all the way at the end...

Although complexities of HER2-driven breast cancers have not yet been completely elucidated, these tumors may be less complex and resilient than many other cancers, Moasser says.

“In most solid tumors there are many signaling pathways that go wrong, and many genes that are mutated,” he says. “I think that this cancer is more simplistic, and that HER2 is the critical driver. I think we should be able to cure this cancer if we can shut down HER2, even in advanced cases.”

Keith's mom had a bit of a setback with a clot in her arm, which delayed her release. Other than that she's making slow progress and will get discharged from rehab as soon as they get her clotting numbers dialed in. After discharge she'll still need to be in Duluth for several days each week for speech therapy. The speech therapist works with her on swallowing. She still isn't able to eat, but yesterday she had 10 good swallows (this is way up from 1 or 2 just a week or so ago)!