Friday -- Progress

Chemo will start Tuesday at 2:30 pm. Unfortunately, they didn't have the drugs on hand for today, and there were no openings for Monday. (So on Monday we'll shop for a wig.) I'm so thankful that my breathing is continuing about the same, so I feel confident I can wait.

Chemo will be administered every 21 days (we'll switch to Mondays after this time), followed by another drug the following day to hold up the white blood count. Sorry I can't be more technical here.

Dr. Boyd, the oncologist, seemed somewhat disappointed that the surgical pathological report calls it an endometrioid cancer. He says that's harder to treat. But he is not pessimist, nor are we. It is definitely Stage 4, since it's moved above the diaphragm. So the buzz on ABC News about the additional treatment for ovarian cancer isn't indicated in my case. Dr. Boyd says the prognosis will be easier to state after we see how quickly the CA 125 marker drops. (We learned today that prior to surgery it was 8445. I think normal is somewhere under 60.) So, I think that's enough medical stuff.

Sue and Jeff are driving from Michigan today, and Sue will stay for the entire week, so she'll be here to help with this first (probably most difficult) chemo treatment.

I am SO encouraged by all your loving notes, and I sense your prayers. I'm going to have to be very careful about infection, so when you choose not to come to the house when you may have been exposed to something, please know that I'm very grateful and I take it as an act of love. Even when totally healthy people drop in, I'm limited in the amount of talking I can do because of restrictions on my breathing. But I can listen.

God is good.

Love,
Carol and Chuck