My recovery from the major abdominal surgery I had in early April was easy and uneventful. By May I was back walking the hills and streets of Brattleboro, every morning that it wasn’t raining. These walks I have kept up, interspersed with rest days or rain days once in a while.
In March I had had a Ct scan which had shown no metastases, so the surgery and bladder scraping and resecti was done on that basis. But in May I had my first PET scan and while the initial report was terrific, I soon learned that the experts at Dartmouth-Hitchcock medical center believed the report was in error. So I had to undergo a biopsy and they found one lymph node, the one closest to the kidney now removed, was cancerous, though not very big. Three months later I had a PET scan confirming what the biopsy had already told us.
Fast forward to August: I was not a candidate for most chemotherapy regimens, given that my one kidney was functioning only at 50%. One doctor suggested a chemo/immunotherapy combo, but the side effects would have been awful and frankly my quality of life matters to me far more than eking out a little more time. So I’ve opted for just immunotherapy with a med called nivolumab hyaluronidase, which can be given as an injection into the subcutaneous tissue of my abdomen. So far I’ve had 3 treatments as they occur once every two weeks. The first and second time I had some minor side effects, but the third injection, last Wednesday, has had no ill effects on me at all. I feel great! In fact I feel perfectly well, so it’s bizarre to me that I actually have metastatic cancer. Sometimes while walking uphill and downhill at 4mph I tell myself this, but it always feels absurd and unbelievable.
I need to leave for Bone builders soon, so instead of adding Inktober drawings quickly, I will simply post those in another post asap.
Would love to know who is reading this blog, if anyone is. Do think about commenting to that effect, if for no other reason.
Glad you’re feeling well and able to function. ♥️
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Love you, miss you, and wish you well on this difficult journey.
I still use your painting of me as my identifier on my knitting web site, Ravelry.
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“alas, I fear that tomorrows post may disappoint you.“
Hardly. I suspect you didn’t check my book recommendation.
“However I just read a NY times article on how exercise can extend remissions and slow cancer’s tendency to spread.“
Exercise is almost always a good idea but I take media medical advice with a big grain of salt.
‘Cancer’ is a term with as little coherence as most psychiatric diagnoses, albeit one with a lot more medical validity. It’s pretty unlikely any one treatment would work with all ‘cancers’ and even exercise could aggravate some of them (bone cancers come to mind). I can’t think of any reason walking would aggravate (or improve) any abdominal cancers but if you get uncomfortable sensations in the relevant areas you should probably go easy. Inflammatory responses can accelerate some cancers.
https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC6704802/
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alas, I fear that tomorrows post may disappoint you. Im far from a proponent of relentless positivity. Thats essentially asking one to put on an act. But you will see where I am after my post tomorrow. Im sorry you too are on this journey. My cancer too has no cure and the treatments, which aren’t difficult, only slow progression. However I just read a NY times article on how exercise can extend remissions and slow cancer’s tendency to spread. As I have always been a walker, adding more exercise to my daily miles long walking has been relatively easy. I feel fine, no physical complaints whatsoever. I assume that this is due to my staying very active. But only time will tell. Best of luck and as the french say, Bon courage!
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Hi Phœbe, glad that the surgical intervention has passed well. Good retablissement for you. Sami
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“frankly my quality of life matters to me far more than eking out a little more time”
I’m 100% with you on that one.
My problem isn’t the Big C, but it is incurable and terminal. The medication I’m on slows its development but is steadily losing its efficacy. There’s an alternative medication but having briefly tried it I decided whatever extra time it buys isn’t worth the side-effects.
Best of luck with your ‘journey’. I see my experience as a journey too, rather than a ‘battle’. Death is part of life’s journey and I don’t think making it more tangible is anything to regret. It helps keep me focused on what remains and dispense with all the trivialities. IMHO it’s not even about ‘enjoying’ what’s left, but rather being present with it.
A few years ago a friend of mine emailed some quotes from your blog without knowing I also subscribe to it. At the time she was waiting on a prognosis following cancer surgery. The news wasn’t good. She’s gone now, but her dry, dark humour in the face of the inevitable is an example I cherish.
And if you find the expectations of relentless positivity that so often comes with a cancer diagnosis are making you feel alienated I’d suggest this book.
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