Clearly, Yet Another Consequence of the Obama Victory

November 17, 2008

Latest numbers, O Best Beloveds:

Last month: 1602
This month: 1362

About freakin’ time we had some unambiguously good news around here. If my calculations and memory are correct, I haven’t had a fall in my tumor markers since last January, when Xeloda stopped working. Oh, Barack, is there nothing you can’t do?

Kidding aside, phew. Of course, this doesn’t guarantee remission or even a definite path to remission. All it means is that for the moment, Latest Chemo (what the hell is it? Doxell? Doxcell? Whatever) is having a positive effect. I’ll take it. The CAT scan I had before our last trip was less pointedly upbeat–it was simply that no changes were noted. BUT that’s actually good news, because the scan used as comparison was done back when my numbers were as low as 600. For the numbers to be up so much, and yet no more or new tumor activity seen is welcome news.

But we try to rejoice and remain grounded at the same time. What this means is that Doxcell/Doxell/Whatever (yes, I could google it, but where’s the fun in that?) is working enough so that Steve and I can take that Dec/Jan trip to India (for the biannual International Whitehead Conference; I’m giving a paper, and we will hang out with the theologians and philosophers and take a side trip with God School pals Tyler and Vibha, the latter of whom has kindly offered to share her family with us). Beyond that, there is no saying. One thing’s for sure–I remain one lucky-ass Cancer Chick. I get to go to India. Oh, yes, I’ll take it, you betcha. And D/D/W is a very easy chemo all things considered. I have to be careful with direct sunlight and heat, especially within a few days of treatment, hand/foot syndrome is around but not too bad and its most severe times may be limited only to a few days each monthly cycle (thus far, anyway), and that’s about it. Well, I’ve put on a little weight, but I think that has less to do with the chemo and a lot to do with my discovery that coffee with half and half and a lot of sugar tastes good, not to mention there was that trip to New Orleans. Back to walking. It would help if summer in L.A. would finally end. I think my head issues–still present, but possibly easing up a bit, I don’t want to say for sure for fear of jinxing it–are sort of reverse seasonal depression disorder in that I’m more inclined to be unhappy when it’s hot, and peppier when it’s overcast.

Really, though, this is quite a relief,