Monday, April 16, 2012

Tomorrow is Scan Day

Here I am, awake in the middle of the night, with pain in my back and right leg. I was dreaming that the pain would go away if only I got the grammar correct in some document about the pain. Crazy. But I just took something and hope that it kicks in soon so I can get some sleep. Got to wake up pretty early tomorrow.

Actually, this entire week is going to be completely nuts.

Tomorrow (oooh, later today, since it's after midnight) Lou has his annual physical. He's got fasting bloodwork, which means he'll be a bit grumpy and I need to remember not to chatter too much on the drive to the doctor. Then I zoom to work for a short time before heading to Duke for my CT Scan. I'll be getting this scan in the awesome new cancer center, which I am looking forward to, because I heard that you get to wait in your own lovely little room, instead of in a big waiting room.

This is a big important scan. It will show whether the two clinical trial chemo drugs are working. It will determine whether I get to keep on this relatively easy chemo, or more on to something else. Dr R says if there are new tumors, then I am off the clinical trial. I stay on the clinical trial with any other results. Like, if we see a little growth, that would be fine. Significant shrinkage would be excellent, but let's not get our hopes up.

On Tuesday, I zip back to Duke first thing for my own fasting bloodwork. Then work work work, followed by Bring It On at the DPAC. This is a play about competitive cheerleading, where evil rich girls steal the fabulous routines of virtuous poor girls, or something like that. Usually, we see plays on Saturday afternoon, but we had to switch the tickets because we're headed to Massachusetts this weekend.

On Wednesday, Lou and I go to Duke to hear the CT Scan results from Dr R, followed by chemo as usual (unless I get kicked off the trial).

On Thursday, I see a Dr Chris Lin at Cary Orthopedic. He's a spine specialist, and I hope that he can help me with all this back pain. Seven months I have been hoping that it would just go away. That's long enough.

On Friday, we fly to Massachusetts for a memorial for Lou's old and wonderful friend Kevin Little, who passed away last week after a long and terrible illness. When I met Lou in 1990, he was working at a tiny software company called Pacer with Kevin and a bunch of totally awesome people. Those are the people getting together this weekend for the memorial. Kevin was brilliant and funny and warm and expansive. He was a gifted raconteur, and I remember hanging on his every word as he told stories at these Pacer dinners over the years.

3 comments:

Jenn said...

Karen, I am keeping my fingers crossed that your scan goes well. Been thinking about you and Lou. Kick that cancer's butt! Love, jenn/wanda

Carol Quast said...

Good luck today, Karen. I've been thinking of you!

Confession: I got a rather inappropriate kick out of your paragraph about Lou's friend, Kevin. I had to take some Benadryl earlier so perhaps I am a little loopy but I thought you said he was "expensive" rather than "expansive". (You should have seen the momentary furrow in my forehead over that one.)

And I have to say that you are a brilliant raconteur yourself! Take care and give my best to Lou.

Anonymous said...

Hello,
Hang in there....one day at a time and enjoy your DPAC activity too...as for MA ...it's nice and warm...too warm for me to run the Marathon...tee!!hee!!! soo .....as you may have noticed I like the use of....anything to make my writings interesting...TTFN Love, Mrs. S. xxoo