Monthly Archives: June 2011
06.28.2011 Posted 9:01 am
Beating the Tumors Down in Basel, Switzerland
It’s hard to believe that in less than 36 hours from receiving the call that the University Hospital in Basel could take us for this radioactive treatment, Dave and I were on a plane packed and ready to go (with all of my medications and snacks just in case
We were able to use mileage credit and fly business class which made a huge difference given my swelling. We had a short 90-minute layover in Heathrow, which was fine, and we arrived on time.
Although the flight was uneventful, it was one of the toughest things I had to manage physically and mentally since this past winter. We were so concerned about a serious blood clot from the pressure of the plane that we made sure that I walked around every 45 minutes and constantly elevated my legs. This was made MUCH easier having the luxury of flying business class but it meant that I got little to no sleep. I also didn’t take off my sneakers the entire flight because I …
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06.24.2011 Posted 3:52 pm
Rolling with the Punches (and the Swelling)
This week has been a very challenging one for me physically. The swelling continues to intensify and I am having a very hard time getting around. I have gained about 18 pounds of water weight in the last two weeks. I am in a fair amount of discomfort and have started on a pain management plan that is helping out a lot.
While we were really hoping that this Boston trial was going to do wonders, and we also understood that it might take at least a few weeks to see any results, Dave and I were having a hard time believing that it was helping at all given my debilitated state.
We spoke with my doctor in Boston and visited MSKCC yesterday and everyone confirmed that we needed to try something else rather than continue with this trial (at least for now).
For a while we have been optimistic about a treatment therapy in Switzerland and the Netherlands that is only available in trial form in the United States. Given that the …
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06.17.2011 Posted 3:36 pm
A Bit of a Rough Week
Hi Everyone! The last week has been a long, trying one but there were definitely some highlights to make me smile.
I finished the chemo infusion last Saturday and felt good enough on Sunday to go watch Dave play in the NY State Cup for his soccer division. It was a huge accomplishment for Dave’s team to make it to the final game. Although he doesn’t like to admit it, Dave is the “old guy” on the team so even more impressive that he played the full 90 minutes for many of the games leading up to the Championship. We were able to get a great crowd of dear friends (the Rippergers, Matt Adam and Jamie Spielman, Todd and Zack Kristol and Janet Balis) to come watch the game. We had a great time watching Dave’s Team, The Manhattan Celtic, win 2-0!
So, beyond the fact that I was swelling a lot, I was feeling pretty good.
Then, I woke up on Monday and felt like a train had hit …
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06.11.2011 Posted 6:25 pm
Making the Most of Beantown
Dave and I decided to start the clinical trial in Boston through Dana Farber Cancer Center. We went up on Tuesday and just returned late last night. I was very concerned leading up to our trip because my bloodwork had to hit certain criteria and it was borderline. Given how few options we have left to try, I would have been devastated if we were not able to take advantage of this trial. Thankfully, they got back in line by the time we arrived in Boston and we were approved for the trial on Wednesday morning. I will still need to be approved every 3 weeks but I was thrilled to be able to start on the earliest day possible (3 weeks post my last regimen).
Dana Farber is a beautiful cancer facility and although it’s a bit inconvenient to travel the 4 hours every 3 weeks, it is a small price to pay if this drug works. The trial I am on is a 24 hour chemo infusion. They …
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06.5.2011 Posted 12:44 pm
Finding the Gratitude
Whenever I get very sad about my medical situation, I always try to take myself to a place of gratitude.
I think about the wonderfully rich life I have been privileged to have. I think about my beautiful husband, wonderful family, my large group of friends and all of the amazing experiences I have been given. When I think about these things, nothing seems too bad. It makes me even more committed to help myself get better so I can continue adding on to this life of mine that I love.
Being in touch with my gratitude was definitely a big part of the past week. Despite dealing with really frustrating medical news and having a lot of “highs and lows” as we spoke with Dr’s and got rejected from studies etc., Dave and I managed to get to Chicago for 36 hours to attend a family Bar Mitzvah. It was really good medicine to see Dave’s family and take our mind off of my medical issues.
And there were a …
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