Good Days

Well Tuesday came to pass pretty much as expected. We got to the museum around 12:30 and immediately joined the museum to take advantage of the offer of free tickets to both the Renoir and American Stories exhibits. Then ,off to the Cafe for a quick sandwich. Our next stop was the American Stories exhibit. Although we enjoyed seeing some old friends and "meeting" a number of painters with which we were not acquainted, but who were quite good, it was probably a tactical mistake as we both ran out of gas before we ran out of paintings. But we persevered to the end, kept going by decision to stop for coffee and a brownie. That stop, a very leisurely one, got us to the Renoir, where a film of him painting in his later years, gave us the energy to make it through the exhibit and for Pat to find something in the museum shop. We had not been aware of just how crippled Renoir was with arthritis during the latter years of his painting. From there it was off to Century City where the the Beckers let us rest with wine and cheese before the four of took off for Factor's where Pat did get, and enjoy, her pastrami sandwich. Pat had a problem finishing the monstrous sandwich which she resolved by taking home a quarter of it.

Wednesday it was off to the wig lady, where Pat tried all sorts of wigs and alternatives to them. She pretty much decided on what she would do if and when her hair fell out. There is a 5% chance that it might not. Pat will tell you more about that when she has to do something about it.

Today Pat ran up to the hospital to have her blood drawn for testing. It is the prelude to each of her treatment sessions. On the way back she stopped at Costco, getting home about 5 minutes late for a 1:15 date to be picked by friends with whom we went to observe a master class conducted by Menahem Pressler at UCI. The rest of the pastrami sandwich, eaten in the car on the way to UCI, was her lunch, After the fascinating class, it was out for Chinese food and home not too long ago. Pat has already retired and I'm on my way there now, hoping that fatigue has not left this post incoherent.

Still going strong

Hi All--
today is another good day---taking the opportunity to go to LA for the Renoir exhibit it will be nice to look at beautiful paintings---and then out for dinner with some friends. I opted for a deli--will eat Pastrami while I still feel like it.
We will see what next Monday brings--- doing what I can to stay focused--and not dwell on what might be. Thanks for all of the sharings---it is so nice to know there are so many in my camp. Will write again soon.
Love the comments and e-mails
Pat

Day 5 Pat's 2 cents - she takes the keyboard

Hi All—

Firstly, thank you all for your love, support, prayers, happy vibes and good thoughts. I can’t tell you how good it is to know that I have so many great people in my camp. I can’t imagine having to handle this alone. Of course, my number one advocate and caregiver—Sid--- has been a jewel.---When this is all over I wonder if I will go back to complaining—probably. It is amazing how quickly we forget.

Sid has done a great job of keeping everyone informed—probably some info that you could do without—for this I am thankful-- he is thorough. However, I thought that it was time that I put my own two cents in—as now I have the energy.

If all of the treatments are as easy as the first one, it will be a breeze--- I am not counting on it and am taking it one day at a time.

I had Lauren here for the first treatment and a few days after. I was glad that I was not sick so that I could enjoy her company. We did have some fun time. Did go see the “wig and hat lady.” What a riot—I looked AWFUL in a wig--- she said that I wasn’t motivated yet—imagine me as a redhead—she is ordering me a short haired wig in gray that she really thinks I will like—once it is cut and styled—we will see. Supposedly, five percent of chemo patients do not lose their hair---I am not cutting one hair until I have to. Maybe I will be in the 5%. But then again, I don’t win the lottery. I will cross that bridge when I come to it. Did buy a turban—summer colors—and I do have hats. Lauren insisted I needed a brighter lipstick and blush—so why not—dropped some bucks at Lancome. Richard stopped in and got our new laptop running in about 5 minutes—all the Palmia experts were stumped-- not to mention the support from HP—or better to say non- support.

I am going about my business—doing the usual—as well as some fun things. Will see friends, go to the movies, usher at SCR, go to San Diego for Art Alive, and of course, go out for lunch and dinner. So far my appetite is fine. Maybe too good. I have gained a couple of pounds—everyone tells me that’s good. And I do cook dinner—on occasion.

Once again, thank you, thank you, love you all.

Do call if you feel like it—no talk about sickness—just fun things. E-mails are always welcome. I will make it through with all of you behind me. Will continue to put my two cents in when I can. I am assured that I will have good days at the end of the cycle.

Day 3

Pat woke up at her usual time, her rest made decent by adavan. A bit of a stomachache dissipated as the morning wore on. Honoring the admonition to avoid "crowds", Pat opted for a walk with me instead of going to the gym. Because of scattered showers, we walked within Palmia rather than risk getting caught by a heavier shower on our "great circuit." Carrying a small umbrella proved very effective as we experienced only scattered drops, and that for only a very short time. When I went off to my sculpture class, Pat and Lauren took off for a visit to the “wig lady” and shopping after lunching out. The “wig lady” does more than wigs. There are a number of other head coverings that she handles for “chemotherapized“ folks. I got back from class before the girls got back from their foray. They returned with a bag from Chico’s and all sorts of literature from the “wig Lady” who, incidentally, works out of Saddleback Memorial. Lauren is preparing turkey burgers for us. After dinner she’ll take off to meet with an old friend. Perhaps the best testimonial as to how Pat is doing is that Lauren frequently expresses guilt about abandoning her family to go shopping and dine out. But make no mistake she has been wonderfully helpful and her presence makes this a happier place.

Day Two, Tuesday

Pat felt fine with no symptoms. That is quite usual. By the end of the day she noticed an increase in weight which surprised her because of the repeated cautions about keeping her weight up. We went out to dinner with Lauren and had a lovely time.

Day One

The first day was remarkably uneventful, aside from getting up at 6 AM and returning home a few minutes ago. Pat tolerated the onslaught of medications, palliative and curative, quite well. She did tire in the afternoon for a bit, but walked to the car and is raring to go. Now it is prednisone for 5 days and anti-nausea medication as needed. The "as needed" was qualified by the instruction that it be taken at the first hint of nausea. Once vomiting begins, the medication is not nearly as effective. Pat insists that she never gets nauseous and is certain she will never use those pills. Lauren and I were around most of the time, taking off singly for a bit some time during the day. By the way they served a lunch of soup and a sandwich and offered some to Lauren and me as well. Lauren demurred. However, Pat and I agreed that the soup was quite good. Even so, we are not recommending that you make reservations for dinner.

Unless there is some change in the way Pat feels, I will not post daily.

No real news, but…

Yesterday was, technically, the beginning of therapy - we reported to UCI for Pat to have her blood drawn for baseline testing. We begin in earnest on Monday. While nothing in the outlook has changed since my last post, we have been in touch with the 2 doctors and they have, at out request, chatted. Our subsequent conversation with Dr. Lilly’s nurse gave us a much better insight into the situation. It was pretty much as we had suspected. The evaluation of the bone biopsy showed 7 of 24 cells with chromosomal abnormalities “consistent with a diagnosis of lymphoma.” For Dr. Krishnan, that information did not push her to recommend the less aggressive cycle of every 2 weeks. Dr. Lilly, on the other hand, felt that the presence of the disturbed cells was enough to warrant the more aggressive periodicity of 2 weeks. Apparently they agreed to disagree and were comfortable leaving the decision up to Pat. We have a couple of weeks to settle on the specific course of action. Pat’s reaction to treatment will play a part in the decision. If the white blood count goes too low, the decision is made for us. The same would be true if Pat finds the treatment excessively debilitating. In either case, Pat begins the therapy at 8 AM Monday.

We continue to be “whelmed”, not overwhelmed, by the tremendous outpouring of goodwill and offers of help. Some have been sensitive and inquired as to our feelings about Pat’s being put on their prayer lists. While that doesn’t conform to our belief system, the personal support that the action represents is, in itself, comforting and appreciated.

Pat is tending to her gardening chores and will soon be on her way to have her nails done. Tonight we are off to dinner and the Segerstom Hall for a concert. Tomorrow we will do our usual Sunday walk around the lake, Pat staying for breakfast, and me taking off for Long Beach to pick up Lauren. Tomorrow afternoon we’ll take Lauren to the theater with us, while we do our last ushering gig for a while. Well that brings us pretty much up to date. I’ll probably be posting more regularly now that Pat has begun her chemotherapy. We can’t thank you enough for the all of the love and support that we feel.