Dear Family and Friends,
A lot has happened since I last communicated. Apologies if this turns out to be another
rather lengthy account.
My six sessions of chemo ended on July 20. Fortunately, I experienced very few
side-effects - the main one being total
hair loss. But I now don my wig daily
and am trying very hard to get used to wearing something on my head. (I have never been one to be comfortable in
hats or anything on my head.) But I
know this is not permanent, and that
eventually my hair will grow back. Will
it come back curly? Will the color be
grey? Brown? Salt and pepper? Purple?
Time will tell.
And finally, the 25 radiation treatments ended last
Wednesday. I tolerated them pretty well
until the middle of the 4th week.
Side-effects became quite apparent then and for about a week I was
pretty miserable. But I knew that with
time, things would get better, and they did!
(Pelvic radiation plays havoc with one’s gut, urinary tract, bowels,
etc.). My appetite also decreased as
time went on and sleep has been challenging at times. But in general, I am pleased that I have not had more
debilitating issues to deal with. (Very
little nausea, not much energy loss, etc.) I do have lymphedema in both legs which is a result of the hysterectomy surgery where they took out lymph nodes. Lymphedema is exacerbated by radiation. Compression stockings and occasional special lymphedema leg massages help to control the swelling. I know that things could be much worse than this, so I am just learning to live with the it.
Although my body has gone through a lot in the past
six weeks, I think I am doing quite well.
I have most of my normal energy and have tried not to alter my daily
activities too much. I do make sure I
have some down time each day.
Originally, I thought I would use that time answering emails and writing
notes that are long overdue. However, there
have been so many distractions, that a
lot of what I hoped to get done still remains on my “to do” list.
And now for
non-medical news:
At the end of July, Dan, Jennie and Auguste arrived
from Paris on their way to their new “home” in So. Cal. It was wonderful having them in our midst –
especially getting to know Auguste as a 22 month old. He has grown and changed a lot since I last
saw him in February. (That was the
longest stretch of time that we had not been with him. Ordinarily, we saw him almost every month
since he was born, How lucky we were to
spend so much time with him even though he was far away.) It is delightful to hear him speak French
as that is the only language his parents speak with him. However, much to all of our amazement, he understands
a lot of English when we ask him questions, etc. He replies in French but seems to have become
bilingual by osmosis.
We’ve also had Leo visiting here quite often. He is such a delight to have around and has also
been a great distraction. And what joy
it is for Marty and me to see both grandsons play together. As they get older, the six month difference
in their ages will be insignificant.
Auguste has really taken to his “big” cuz, Laylo. (That’s what he calls Leo.)
Abbi, Maia, Dave and Darci returned from their amazing
two week trip to Spain. It was a
fabulous experience for the four of them.
How wonderful that Abbi and Maia were able to immerse themselves in the
lanugage that they use daily in school.
We picked up the girls today in preparation for our week-long adventure
at Rankin Ranch in Caliente, California.
Aside from riding horses and caring for animals at the little farm,
there are daily activities and evening events that will keep all of us
busy. We will be there from August
11-17.
If all goes well, we will also continue with our
travel plans at the end of August. We
will be in Israel from August 29 – September 12 and then head to Spain for our
nephew Aaron’s wedding on September 16th. Following that we will travel in Spain for a
week before returning home on September 26.
What next?
A PET scan is scheduled for August 18th
which, I hope, will show good results.
Soon after we return from Spain, I will begin 2 or 3
rounds of a new chemo – Carboplatin-Taxol. The
infusions will be one day every three weeks.
Once that is over, I assume I
will be done with treatments and will be followed about every three months.
Now that I have told it “all”, I am anxious to hear
from all of you. I love reading your
emails and getting phone calls. Keep
them coming. I truly appreciate all
of your concerns and good vibes that have been sent my way.
To all of you:
Thank you for your words of encouragement.
Thank you for your get well wishes.
Thank you for your concern for my well being and
extending your hands of friendship.
Sending warm regards from our house to yours,
~Judy~
