Some Bumps, But Moving Forward

This week Chris met with her primary care doctor. We discussed a number of areas:

-there is clearly some fluid in her lungs that has caused an increase amount of coughing, particularly when laying flat. Her doctor had a chest x-ray done which confirmed the fluid. They also found a "patch" (some kind of dark area) on one of her lungs that they need to understand more. This could come from: 1) the chemo 2) some kind of a fungus or 3) something that has always been there but not noticed before. her doctor contacted Boston Medical and they agreed that Chris should come in and meet with the pulmonary specialist who first evaluated Chris as part of the three day diagnosis in May. They also put her on an anti-biotic, hoping it is something that just goes away after treatment. So, back to Boston for a day. We didn't think we would be there so soon, but as always we want to be very aggressive.

-Chris has also not been gaining any weight, and in fact has lost a few pounds (now at 102). This is troubling of course. She really has been eating well. Some of the weight gain a few weeks ago may have simply been fluid, which has now been flushed out with an increased dosage of the diuretic, but in any case she is not gaining weight. Her doctor told her to continue to eat high calorie meals (a complete change from how she ate before) and try to have an Ensure or Boost (high calorie drink) between meals (that has not been well received by Chris as she really hates that stuff).

-We did reduce some of the medications and are continuing to eliminate the original fistful of pills pretty significantly. Some she will take for many months, maybe years, but clear progress on that front.

-Chris' hair is slowly starting to reappear. You still need to wear sunglasses when you are outside with her as the sunlight reflects brightly off her scalp, but there is clear peach fuzz. This is progress.

-Her stamina is clearly increasing. Her walking is much quicker, she is hardly taking naps (it used to be three hours naps when we first got home), and she is generally sleeping well. I see clear signs of general improvements.

-We do have a big formal dinner next Friday in Boston and she had to go find something new and nice that fit her. I have no idea about sizes, but I think she said she is a size "zero" - but not sure how that works. But she did go shopping with her great friends and it was a sign of increased confidence and activity.

-I will also be gone for three nights next week (Europe) so this will be her first real lengthy period without me. For years she used to ask me "don't you need to go on a business trip or something"? when I was hanging around too much and cramping her style. This will be a good test of her getting back to some Independence (not to worry, her Mom will be here).

So we need to have this lung issue addressed, we need to get her to gain weight, and we need to get her to this dinner next week (a real big step). But as always, things are getting better and better slowly but surely.

Good Week, But Still Weak

The past week has been both good and bad for Chris. She has been walking more and more and yesterday walked a portion of her old daily route at the state park with the dog and me. This was probably about 2 miles with some very steep hills and difficult paths, but she was very glad to get off the high school track and get back into the woods. This also allows the dog to do her daily swim and get some exercise chasing squirrels.

Chris' weight is at a standstill however. She was 103 yesterday and this is very surprising as she really has been eating very well (or so it appears). She has lost the nausea she had over the previous week and generally is feeling better, although frustrated at the lack of weight gain. This and her lack of strength are very frustrating to her. Yesterday she was unable to husk an ear of corn, and this really gave her an indication as to how weak she is. She will pick up a regular routine with the physical therapist this week and is hoping to get permission to go back to yoga class (with an understanding that she uses her own mat, wipes down everything, etc). I think this will help her out a great deal, just getting out and making progress on rebuilding her strength. One objective she has for this week is to start driving again. She has not driven since May and is concerned she does not "have it all together" yet to start driving. In my opinion she is ready and able, so I think it is more of a confidence thing than any other concern.

The past week was a tough one emotionally for Chris. With Abby going to school as a freshman and Melissa starting classes in Burlington, she really wanted to be there for both of them. She kept saying "what kind of Mom doesn't see their freshman off to college", but we all knew that the move required alot of walking, carrying, set up, etc and the focus needed to be on Abby. This was really tough on Chris, but it was in fact a very long day and we made the right decision. We will go visit both daughters as soon as we possibly can, while also taking Stephen on more college visits.

We see Chris' primary physician this week and are looking for more positive signs from the blood work and hopefully some reductions in her medications.

So overall Chris is getting stronger and feeling better. She still has bouts of much sadness and frustration, but she is anxious to get back into a normal pattern. The kids have been fantastic and the friends and neighbors just continue to help out so much with driving, walks, dinners, etc. These offers help Chris to focus on herself, get stronger, and at the same time stay socially involved. My hope is that by the end of September (the 28th to be exact), she will be totally self sufficient, able to drive, workout, run the house, etc. This will have only been possible with the incredible help of others. In fact, she told me the other day she can't wait to give back to others who could benefit from her help. This is a real sign of progress I think. Thanks to all of you.