A week full of doctor appointments, lab tests, prescriptions and consultations. Yuck! Every day this past week we were either at Kaiser Oakland or UCSF. We’re already tired of cancer being the center of our lives. We’re fighting back by trying to do just normal things. A few errands, short walks, working on our plant photos and database, junk TV and catching up with friends and family. And resting… we’re both finding we’re doing a bit more resting these days. We’re also trying to get back into our regular exercise routines since not only is that part of what we usually do, but the advice is to be as fit as possible when starting chemo treatments. But, right now, the energy level and the constant appointments are making it hard to get back to our old routines.

At the beginning of the week, Tim had lab tests to determine whether he’s eligible for the clinical trial he wants to get on. As we suspected, his bilirubin level is still too high in order for him to qualify. However, his level did drop significantly since the severe jaundice that happened right after his liver biopsy a couple weeks ago. We and the oncologists are hoping that when Tim gets tested again next week, his levels will have dropped enough for him to be eligible for the trial. Once Tim qualifies, he’ll have to have several additional tests (e.g., CAT scan, electrocardiogram, EKG). Those results aren’t part of the eligibility criteria, but to establish a baseline for the trial.

Later in the week we saw Paul’s Kaiser oncologist Dr. Reddy. She agreed with the chemo drugs Dr. Wolf at UCSF recommended for chemo treatment. There is still some disagreement between the two oncologists about whether it’s better to start sooner than later. They do, however, agree that it can be postponed for at least a month or two. A lot depends on the results of Paul’s monthly lab tests to determine whether or not it’s time to begin treatment.

Tim’s consultation at UCSF went well. Dr. Ko, one of the top pancreatic cancer specialists around, confirmed the recommendations of Dr. Li (Tim’s Kaiser oncologist). Although he assessed Tim’s cancer at Stage IV, he also said that compared to other patients at the same stage, Tim’s cancer was less massive and he only had one small metastisis for far. Dr. Ko agreed with Dr. Li that participating in the clinical trial was probably Tim’s best option. Dr. Ko, too, was confident that Tim’s bilirubin level would drop sufficiently within the next week so that he could qualify for the clinical trial.

Besides all the medical stuff, we’ve also had to start reviewing our Social Security, Disability Leave and Family Leave options. We definitely weren’t planning to be thinking about this for several more years. For now, we’re both planning to work as much as possible. The hard part is not knowing how well either one of us will feel as a result of the cancers themselves or once chemo begins. As they say, one day at a time.