Portland report

[deborahjross]

Tomorrow I head home after 6 days of being a chemo buddy. The best news is that my friend is doing extremely well. This was her last chemo session and although she was wiped out for a couple of days, it was only a couple of days, and she's feeling well enough to do a little riding on her nice Tennessee Walker mare and also to go back to work tomorrow. Her blood tests for tumor markers are normal, yay!

I arrived Thursday, settled in, helped with animal care (horse, chickens, goats, cats); then drove her in for the chemo infusion on Friday, shopped, cooked, washed dishes, did more animal stuff; next few days very much the same, minus the visit to the cancer center. Somehow worked in a half hour walk before breakfast on most days, plus plowing through the pile of books I'd brought. Another trip to the cancer center for a white-blood-cell booster injection, also one today for massage. She's been doing complementary alternative therapies (acupuncture, nutrition with a naturopath, massage) and feels it has greatly helped her tolerance of the chemo.

Now we wait, and her oncologist keeps an eagle eye on her. Or perhaps a chicken's eye? Her chickens, running rampant in the illness of their mistress, have been hiding clutches of eggs: she now has 7 chicks and another clutch of 5 eggs. Her onc, a lovely Chinese-American, said he'd been hoping for another patient that would pay him in chickens (!!!) and will take 3 hen-chicks (once they're grown up enough to be sure). Wonder if he'd like a goat as well?

Comments

[tcastleb.livejournal.com]

Oh, good. I'm glad she's doing well. And that's cool about the doc asking for chickens. :>)

[deborahjross.livejournal.com]

I've been very impressed with my friend's treatment team, everyone from the oncologist (who I believe is a gyn oncologist specialist) to the chemo nurse to all the complementary medicine people.

[http://users.livejournal.com/la_marquise_de_/]

I hope she continues to do well.

[deborahjross.livejournal.com]

Ovarian cancer has pretty crappy survival statistics, but I keep reminding myself they are not predictive of any individual patient. So far, everything looks much better than expected. They'll do blood work, including CA-125, every 3 months... and hope for the best.

[deborahjross.livejournal.com]

Oh, her doc said he'd had patients with as bad a diagnosis ("bad" was his word -- pretty forthright) who never had a recurrence.

[http://users.livejournal.com/la_marquise_de_/]

Ovarian cancer has pretty crappy survival statistics
I know. I lost a friend this way. But, as you say, statistics are not predictive, and I will be sending good wishes towards your friend. It sounds like she has a good doctor and splendid friends.

[rosehelene.livejournal.com]

*chuckle* We have a dentist-skydiver friend who sometimes gets paid in goats.

[deborahjross.livejournal.com]

It IS you! You're back, huzzah!!!