December 15, 2018
We've had some good news and some mixed news over the past week. Paul's one year anniversary of his bone marrow transplant (December 12) now means that all restrictions are lifted and he can stop all his cancer-related meds. Many post-transplant patients need to continue on a maintenance dose of chemo, but because Paul has responded . . .
November 29, 2017
Well, Tim never did make it home from the hospital for Thanksgiving. We had our own quiet Thanksgiving on the 10th floor of Kaiser Oakland where we could look out and see the persistent smoke from the Paradise fire which was eventually washed away by the rains. The bacteremia caused by the endoscopy was a known serious risk. A year ago, Tim . . .
November 19, 2017
We’re staying pretty low key these days. This has been a rough couple of weeks for Tim. He had chemo a week ago, his ascites tapped on Monday (8 1/2 liters), and an endoscopy a couple days ago to clear out his stent. He’s been really miserable and is losing weight. Yesterday, Tim developed a 102 fever, indicating possible infection from the . . .
October 13, 2018
The results of Tim's PET scan were not what we wanted. Tim's tumor has grown, and he has 2 new metastases in his liver. Tim agreed to give chemo another try, since it slowed his cancer in previously. He'll have chemo every 2 weeks for the next two months, then have another scan. Tim has heard of several experimental trials at . . .
October 8, 2018
A couple weeks ago, we managed to get away to Santa Fe. The fall colors (yellow aspen, purple asters and yellow rabbit brush) and warm weather made for a welcome break from the cold summer we've had here in Berkeley. It was also nice to take a breather from all the medical appointments and treatments that fill our time. However, the . . .
September 21, 2018
The last few weeks have been especially rough for Tim. When he had his ascites drained last week, they took 8 1/2 liters of fluid -- almost 20 pounds worth. The extra volume in his abdomen created a lot of pressure on his ribs and diaphragm, as well as leaving little room for eating. It looks like Tim will need to have his ascites drained . . .
August 8, 2018
Tim started on his latest cycle of chemo a week and a half ago. Each cycle is 3 weeks long. Tim feels pretty sick at least for the first two weeks after chemo. The third week is usually better. Then, the cycle begins again. Just before his last chemo treatment, Tim had 5 liters of fluid tapped from his abdomen -- which underscores how . . .
