That cancer patient I also call my husband is a bit lazy again, asked me to report the good news! So here's a brief recap of last Thursday.
Week 29 Jan Arne had the CT scan and last Wednesday the CEA (cancer marker) test. On Thursday we were to see the doc about the results. We were two minutes late as usual. The doc was at the nurse's office (probably asking where we were) and when we passed the office the nurse yelled to us to the corridor right away "good news!" and smiled.
It was a new doc again, and older cancer specialist this time, always nice to hear new insights into things. The CT report was not very good this time, I mean it was not well written, but the main thing was that the news were good. According to the report there were no longer any metastases to be seen on the left lobe (one 1 cm one in May). The report also said that the changes in the right lobe were not significant, and there were measurements only for Mr Big (the biggest tumour). It has shrunk by a couple of millimeters.
But together with the CEA value which was now 65 (in Feb 108, in May 178) even the "insignificant decrease" was good news, the new chemo regime is working. This doc wants to take the CEA every three weeks now. He said that it is in a way more accurate than the CT scan. I didn't ask but I guess because the tumours don't necessarily shrink as fast as they are dying so you can't really see in CT which parts of the tumours are necrotic = dead cells and which are active cancer tissue.
We were planning to go to Norway week 33 and we asked if the treatment that week could be postponed a few days, but now JA is not actually sure if he wants to travel because of the swine flu... so let's see.
Saturday, July 25, 2009
Tuesday, July 21, 2009
Renovations done
Thank you wife for keeping up this blog during my absence!
Good news! The kids room is now done with walls and ceiling painted, new floor, all lists renewed and a new IKEA closet assembled. If there will be another renovation project in future, we're definitely going to get some carpenters in.
I was a little unlucky and had to go on a sick-leave in between. I came down with fever and a throat infection just as we had put the kids to grand-parents to free up some time for the renovation. I had to check in at the hospital but the doctor sent me back home after a check-up and blood test. I spent the weekend watching Seinfeld on DVD while waiting for the fever to pass. After the weekend I visited a doctor again and she said I now had developed pneumonia. I just finished the antibiotics and feel otherwise fine.
And something not related to diseases. A friend of mine took me rowing on one of the lakes earlier this summer. While coming back we enjoyed a spectacular sunset as you can see in the attached photo.
Good news! The kids room is now done with walls and ceiling painted, new floor, all lists renewed and a new IKEA closet assembled. If there will be another renovation project in future, we're definitely going to get some carpenters in.
I was a little unlucky and had to go on a sick-leave in between. I came down with fever and a throat infection just as we had put the kids to grand-parents to free up some time for the renovation. I had to check in at the hospital but the doctor sent me back home after a check-up and blood test. I spent the weekend watching Seinfeld on DVD while waiting for the fever to pass. After the weekend I visited a doctor again and she said I now had developed pneumonia. I just finished the antibiotics and feel otherwise fine.
And something not related to diseases. A friend of mine took me rowing on one of the lakes earlier this summer. While coming back we enjoyed a spectacular sunset as you can see in the attached photo.
Thursday, July 9, 2009
Two hospital visits
Last week on Thursday Jan Arne's platelets were back over 100 and he received Camptosar and Erbitux and started two weeks of Xeloda.
At weekend we went to my parents' place and from there we drove to visit a friend's family who moved away from Tampere last year. They have almost same age kids as we do so us parents could just relax while kids were playing nicely by themselves. In theory.
After the visit we drove back to Tampere with Jan Arne and left the kids with my parents. The plan was to renovate their room while they are gone. Well, things don't always go as planned. The room was of course a lot more work than we thought even though we thought we were being realistic. The walls are still waiting for the first coat of paint and the old floor is there, new floor still in packages. I was supposed to go to my parents tomorrow while Jan Arne would finish the room, or as much as he would have energy for, as today was the chemo day again.
But the platelets were back under 100 again so they dropped Camptosar and gave only Erbitux, but told him to continue with Xeloda. Nice for him (less side effects, more energy for renovation) and for cancer (less poison). Except now he is back in hospital with some fever (anything above 38,5C and he has to go to hospital and he had 38,8C) and sore throat.
So I guess this is it for the blog today and off to do some painting.
(My pet peeve for today: why is it impossible to hire anyone to do the painting and the floor in this supposedly-recession-time?? I thought renovation guys didn't have enough of work. Somehow we didn't get anyone to be interested in coming here to do the room for us until August).
At weekend we went to my parents' place and from there we drove to visit a friend's family who moved away from Tampere last year. They have almost same age kids as we do so us parents could just relax while kids were playing nicely by themselves. In theory.
After the visit we drove back to Tampere with Jan Arne and left the kids with my parents. The plan was to renovate their room while they are gone. Well, things don't always go as planned. The room was of course a lot more work than we thought even though we thought we were being realistic. The walls are still waiting for the first coat of paint and the old floor is there, new floor still in packages. I was supposed to go to my parents tomorrow while Jan Arne would finish the room, or as much as he would have energy for, as today was the chemo day again.
But the platelets were back under 100 again so they dropped Camptosar and gave only Erbitux, but told him to continue with Xeloda. Nice for him (less side effects, more energy for renovation) and for cancer (less poison). Except now he is back in hospital with some fever (anything above 38,5C and he has to go to hospital and he had 38,8C) and sore throat.
So I guess this is it for the blog today and off to do some painting.
(My pet peeve for today: why is it impossible to hire anyone to do the painting and the floor in this supposedly-recession-time?? I thought renovation guys didn't have enough of work. Somehow we didn't get anyone to be interested in coming here to do the room for us until August).
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