Archives for September 2008
Feeling Better, Finally
Published on 30 Sep 2008 at 2:12 pm.
7 Comments.
403 views.
Maggie’s finally starting to feel a little bit better. She had more smiles and more chit-chat this morning than we’ve had since Friday. Five days down. However, watching her slow down as she got ready for work this morning made it obvious that she still feels pretty rough. But she didn’t grind to a halt [...]
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Chemo Sucks
Published on 27 Sep 2008 at 10:37 am.
9 Comments.
446 views.
The Spa visit yesterday was uneventful. Dr. Loukas was quite surprised at how badly the Vectibix had affected Maggie’s skin. He said that Maggie’s reaction was the worst he’d ever seen, calling it a Grade 4 reaction. But, he reassured, if her skin reacted badly then the tumors were being affected similarly. He did not, [...]
Hair today….
Published on 25 Sep 2008 at 12:09 am.
5 Comments.
334 views.
…Gone tomorrow. Twenty-one days to the day. That’s how long it took for CPT-11 to start its dirty work. Maggie and I were sitting upstairs on the couch late this evening, appreciating our special time together, talking about our day and watching House when she showed me the first clumps. It wasn’t much. Maybe 10-15 [...]
Some Good News
Published on 23 Sep 2008 at 2:40 pm.
10 Comments.
352 views.
Erbitux and Vectibix both work in similar ways to fight The Cancer. However, a recent study (from June 6th!) shows that Erbitux, and thus, probably Vectibix, is only potent against tumors with a very specific trait. Of course, Maggie and I insisted that her tumor be tested for this trait because, damn it, if we [...]
Lance Armstrong Challenge ‘08
Published on 19 Sep 2008 at 2:50 pm.
5 Comments.
439 views.
Carolyn Ruppert, a friend of Maggie’s, has made a tremendous commitment to raise $3,000 for the Lance Armstrong Foundation by participating in the LiveStrong Challenge on October 25, 2008. This grueling challenge consists of a 90 mile bike ride followed by a 5k run. Additionally, she has very thoughtfully dedicated her efforts in honor of [...]
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Getting Better
Published on 17 Sep 2008 at 2:44 pm.
6 Comments.
347 views.
It’s hard to effectively relate the sharp up and downs of this journey. Maggie is doing better… again. The Dr. has prescribed a lower dose of prednisone (20mg but only one time per day) to help with the Vectibix/Erbitux induced skin issues. We’ve gone on a testing spree to find anything that might help with [...]
Yet Another Left Turn
Published on 14 Sep 2008 at 2:26 pm.
11 Comments.
374 views.
It seems like we are going in circles. The oh-so bothersome side effects from the Vectibix are back, in nearly full force. The rash and infections have once again overtaken Maggie’s face, ears, neck, back, and chest. Our joy in watching them magically disappear has been far overshadowed by the frustration caused by their just-as-magical [...]
Wow, Another Hard Left Turn!
Published on 11 Sep 2008 at 7:47 pm.
8 Comments.
354 views.
The Great Cancer Adventure that we’re on continues to hurl us through seemingly endless valleys, peaks, twists and turns. It’s the hard left turns that really get to me. There is just a shock to the system that takes some recovery time when things that are going so well suddenly go bad. Fortunately, the recovery [...]
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Worst Side-Effect Yet
Published on 9 Sep 2008 at 11:20 am.
11 Comments.
541 views.
These last few days have been some of the toughest so far. Maggie’s new treatment, Vectibix, has teeth. The latest piece of our life to fall victim to The Cancer (or, rather, The Treatment) is Maggie’s beautiful smile.
Spa Went Fine
Published on 3 Sep 2008 at 2:41 pm.
20 Comments.
456 views.
Today’s Spa visit went fine - no crazy adverse reactions or dramatic moments. We got our poisons and came home.