Update Blog

Just back from the Cancer Centre. No four hour wait this time, thank goodness. Exhausted by the process anyway. We got good news, bad news and some options.  The good news : 1. The head MRI revealed that the lesions in Nick's brain are most likely calcified (i.e. dead) tumours, and are most likely nothing to worry about. 2. The beta-HCg tumour marker has come down to a 30 now; one more round of chemo should normalize it. Recall that it was at 90,000+ at the start of this, so the cancer has reponded quite well. 3. Most of the small tumours in the lungs have vanished. The bad news :  1. Most of the larger lung tumours are still there, though they have shrunk. This would explain Nick's persistent cough and shortness of breath. 2. The non-disappearance of these tumours (which are considered inoperable due to their location), as well as Nick's past history of relapse, makes it unlikely that any remission bought through the current regime of chemotherapy will be permanen...

Nick continues to recover slowly at home. He's got this incredible will to get on with his life, which is naturally being hampered by the reality of having gone through four cycles of chemo. He'd spiked a minor fever a couple nights ago, and we thought we'd have to run him back to the hospital, but the fever fortunately reversed itself.  Nick's next follow up is this coming Friday. Given the timing - not on regular TC surveillance day, it will not surprise us if they recommend another cycle of chemo. None of us will be that overjoyed by this, but given the extensive spread of the disease at the outset of treatment, if there's some chance they can crush the cancer once and for all, then it's worth the hell. 

My, how time does drag on the chemo ward. Nick's nearly done this round, and fortunately has been allowed to sleep in his own bed for the night recently, due to the specifics of his medication schedule. This time, Nick's not getting out until Saturday, but at least will be home for his birthday on Sunday. A recent CT scan has revealed a blood clot in Nick's lung - so several weeks of Fragmin will be part of the plan. The CT scan has shown that the lung tumours have shrunk, and assuming that Nick's in remission, they'll gradually shrink to nothing over a several-month period. The head CT scan showed that, although the two small lesions in the brain have shrunk, there are two more small ones as well. An MRI is being booked to give them a closer look. The on-call oncologist seemed to feel that they'd most likely be dead at this point. Reports from University Hospital inform us that Tanja's dad, Richard, is doing much better. The blood infection is all cl...

Back from Nick's follow-up. A day-killer this one! We'd been out bar-hopping until the wee hours with my excellent staff, a "spring fling" to give a proper send-off to the load of folks who are retiring this year. Then, after showing up at 10:00 at the Cancer Centre, we waited, hung-over, grouchy and starving for almost four hours to see Nick's oncologist.  Anyhow, Nick's bloodwork continues to progress in the right direction. His beta-HCg tumour marker is down into the low 100s now, and hopefully this week's cycle will nail it. Nick's blood cell counts are also low, and they might need to transfuse him at the start of chemo. In a way, having the blood marker above zero makes it easier - Nick had been considering refusing a fourth cycle of chemo - but it's really not an option under the circumstances, so he won't be putting up a fight at this point. It sucks though, as he'll be in rough shape for his birthday (May 6th). We'll celebrat...

We can't seem to escape the hospital. Nick has a few more days before he starts his 4th cycle, but now Tanja's dad Richard is at University Hospital. He's been suffering from a blood disorder which requires weekly transfusions, and leaves him with very low immunity. He entered the hospital on Monday with double pneumonia, and a blood infection and fever. Multiple transfusions of blood components and antibiotics don't seem to be having an impact. Tylenol seems to reduce the fever, and buy Richard a few hours of lucidity. However, when this wears off the fever returns, and with it comes delirium and agitation. We're so hoping that he can pull through this. 8:20 - Just back from UH, where Richard seems to be doing much better. The fever seems to have let off, and Richard was quite chipper. Fingers crossed, he'll get through this soon. Time for bed after a roller-coaster ride of the past few days. 

Home again. Man, this seemed like a long week. Nick had been placed in a ward room - three other patients, but no one was into talking to us this time. Oh well. Can't blame folks for not being too chipper in the chemo ward. Tanja's oldest and best friend Meredith (Mimi) flew in from Texas and paid us a visit at the hospital. Always great to talk to her. I keep getting additional details of Tanja's squirrel attack. Mimi and Tanja had been coming out of the house one hot day, and for whatever reason Mimi allowed Tanja to go first...    ...which put her throat directly along the squirrel's trajectory as it leapt from the garage room. Evidently, the squirrel not only tore at Tanja's throat, but also viciously lacerated her mouth with its razor claws, and left her bleeding heavily from the lips and gums. I still maintain that squirrels are, by and large, benevolent creatures, but I guess I can't really blame Tanja and Mimi for hating them.  Alex's grandpar...

So far so good for cycle #3. Nick arrived Monday, promptly hurled. The on-duty oncologist, Dr. L., said that the sight of her often makes her younger patients hurl, but she doesn't take it personally. Guess you have to have a thick skin and a sense of humour to do her job.. Nick's been really zoned out since then - the chemo, the steroids and antinauseants, and of course one of his "medicinal" cookies taken Monday night, have all helped. Nick has had absolutely no desire to smoke anything since getting here, which is great - no coughing at all. Tanja, myself and Alex have been putting in some long shifts to be with Nick. We don't really talk that much, but we have had some Scrabble games. Time for one now! Three days down, two more to go!