One third of the way through radiation. Go Kathy!

One Week Down!

One week of radiation is crossed off the calendar! So far, so good, from what I see and hear. Kat looks great, both at school and on our Sunday walks. I don't want to embarrass her, but she looks young and very vibrant these days (and I don't really notice things like that normally). :-) She said she feels ok with the radiation so far. It will be cumulative, so any effects will be more prominant as we get closer to October. As for the rest? With any surgery, there's lingering soreness that lasts longer than a couple months and Kathy is no exception to that. Plus, the first weeks of school are always an exhausting whirlwind. There are all the start-up things that have to be done, the rush of getting to know a whole new group of students, all of the normal chaos of our beloved college, and the shock of being back to work after vacation (because as Cheryl says tongue-in-cheek, 10 weeks off is not enough!). Add to the whirlwind, the daily appointments and you can see it's no picnic for Kathy. But compared with last semester? I'd say she's feeling great!!!!

A New Phase

Kathy starts radiation this afternoon. Today will be longer than most appointments, but after today it should just be a short visit to the radiation center every afternoon. (Well, maybe there will be a wait in the waiting room, but the actual radiation won't take long. Kat likes to read and always has a book with her, so the waiting room wait might not be so bad.) These appointments are scheduled through the beginning of October. A new phase in this process is starting.

You're on the homestretch Kathy. Maybe that's the finish line showing in the distant mist? Keep up the great cancer kicking attitude. We're all still here with you. We've been quiet for awhile, but we are ready to cheer you on to the finish line now!

Hello Again!

Yes, I know. It's about time!!

Kathy is doing well! I don't know if any of you saw her comment on the last (long ago) post. So in case you didn't,
"I saw the oncologist today, and she used the word "remission"! I need to heal more before radiation can start, but at least there's a dim light out there now!"

I can't think of any better news than this, can you? I can add to this that Kathy looks great and is feeling better and better. The radiation won't be starting until she has healed more fully, and that is taking longer than she expected, but patient (the adjective) and patient (the noun) are not words that should go together are they? Wouldn't you like to know why this one word has both meanings? No? Oh, ok. I have one of those dictionaries with word origins in it if you change your mind....

So for now Kathy is kicking back, enjoying summer, reading, resting, enjoying spending time with her family, and working on curriculum. In short, doing all her favorite things! And a few doctor's appointments thrown in for good measure. She will still need all our support as she endures radiation (every day for about a month--the sheer annoyance of all that time spent in a medical office...), and the start of school (25 days, people!), and all the chaos that has become normal at HC.

Remission. What a glorious word! Our blogstar has kicked some serious cancer ass this year!

Lunch with Kat

I had the opportunity to have lunch with our blogstar over the weekend. She was feeling good enough that she cooked! I think that is a good sign! (It was yummy, too! Thanks!)

She looked great, wearing her "Hey Cancer, you picked the wrong bitch" t-shirt. She looked relaxed and rested, as a teacher on summer vacation should. Her hair is starting to grow back as soft down and she showed us that her eyebrows and eyelashes are coming back, too. (I must add here that I really am impressed how striking and beautiful women look without hair! It isn't what society tells us, but without hair a woman's face is more revealed and interesting--bone structure, eye color, strength of jaw, length of neck. Kat is no exception to this! Losing hair to kemo is no one's choice, but it does reveal elements of beauty that aren't always front and center when competing with a head of hair.)

Recovery from the surgery isn't going fast enough for her, but according to the doctor, she is an impatient patient! She has a couple more appointments coming up as they determine when/how to do the radiation to get the best effect. It continues to amaze me how individualized the treatment is. We have a tendency to think of disease treatment as a standardized thing, but with cancer it seems to be very much based on the specific person and their responses to the previous intervention. Hey, an assessment loop in everyday life! ;-)

On another note, I just noticed that we are past the 1100 mark on the number of hits to this blog. That is a great show of support everyone. Keep up the good work!

She's Home

Kathy is now home from the hospital and according to a text from her son, "doing surprisingly well." In fact, Cheryl called Kat's husband for an update and guess who answered his cell? Yes, Kathy! They were at the pharmacy waiting for a screw up to get resolved so she could get her drugs and get home. Cheryl commented that Kathy sounded really awake and coherent. The response? "Hello! That's because I'm still waiting for my pain medicine!"

More virtual flowers for the patient...
Get well soon! We will miss you at graduation tomorrow!

Today is the Day

Today is surgery day for Kat. She goes in at about 10:00. She has been told that it is about a two hour procedure and that she will go home later today. Please keep her health and recovery in your mind.