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CaringBridge July 12
Laura Bacon September 17, 2013
 
Moving forward Monday ...

Written July 2, 2012 11:52am
 

I hope you all had a wonderful weekend.  We certainly had a nice one, despite the heat (you just can’t let that get in your way … it is simply a part of life in Phoenix, and you certainly don’t want to be miserable and grumpy for four months). 

 

Cathy’s mother and sister, Mary, flew into town Friday afternoon from California.  Cathy’s mom is on her way to the Black Hills in South Dakota until our godson’s wedding in late July.  Cathy’s other sister, Karen, drove up from Tucson and then flew with her mom to South Dakota.  Karen will enjoy a week’s vacation in the Hills, escaping the Tucson heat and enjoying the company of her brother, Paul, and his wife Carter (who was here last weekend, on her way from Houston to South Dakota). Both Cathy’s mom and Paul and Carter have homes on beautiful land just outside Custer, South Dakota. 

 

Mary is staying in Phoenix with us until tomorrow.  It is always great to have her visit.  It is really nice for Cathy to have a running partner again and to have someone to do things with without (I hope) having to think too much about our often cancer-encumbered lifestyle.  I’ve been feeling so well lately that we have been able to more or less put the disease out of our minds, or at least on the back burners.  It has crept back to the forefront a bit these past few days, unfortunately, because I haven’t been feeling quite as well. I am happy to say, though, that I felt much better over the weekend than I did on Thursday and Friday.  A little nausea, a little back pain, but overall not too bad.  It didn’t get in the way of having fun.

 

On Sunday, Mary, Cathy, and I watched the movie “Moneyball” at home.  We really enjoyed it.  We had planned to go see “The Intouchables”, but just couldn’t squeeze it in to our schedule, which included several dips in the pool and some quality reading and napping time.  I still hope to see it sometime soon.

 

Some friends and colleagues of Cathy’s had given us a gift certificate to a business called “Dream Dinners”, where you can assemble a variety of meals and take them home and store them in a freezer until you are ready to eat them.  It is a great idea for busy families, and it was a very thoughtful gift to us.  Cathy enjoyed assembling the meals, and we enjoyed the first two of them over the weekend.  Pork chops one night, steak the other.  I enjoy barbecuing, and of course it is nice not to turn on an oven in the summer, if you can avoid it.  Indeed, we have gotten pretty good at using the grill as an oven.  Recently we have cooked pizza and meatloaf on the grill.  It works great!

 

Cathy and I are looking forward to visiting Dan and Liz in San Diego later this week.  We plan to visit Dan’s preschool on Thursday, and are even going to teach his kids about the ear and hearing.  We are taking lots of “show and tell” type items along with us … it should be fun! 

 

These last several days have reminded me that I’m in a marathon, and not a sprint (Joan reminded me of that, too, in her recent guestbook entries). There will be ups and downs, and I just need to keep a positive attitude and work through the down parts.  They certainly are not as much fun, but they are part of life, part of our fight against this pernicious disease.  Cancer clearly isn’t for the faint of heart.  Nor, thank goodness, is it for one person to fight alone.  At least I am fortunate enough to have an entire team fighting with me, starting with my family and extending to all of you.  Thanks for all you are doing to make this easier for me.  You really make a difference.


 

Laura Bacon September 17, 2013
 
Tremendous Tuesday ...

Written July 3, 2012 11:08am
 

First things first: I want to wish my parents a very Happy Anniversary.  My mom might not want me to acknowledge how long she and my dad have been married, so I won’t, but I think it is a wonderful blessing that they have been married this long and that they both are still in relatively good health. Not everyone is so lucky to have a life-long partner and to enjoy his or her company for so many years. Congratulations to you both, mom and dad!

 

We have rain in the forecast for the Phoenix area for the next several days. Boy, do we need it.  It is so dry (and hot … have I mentioned that?).  The trees and plants would certainly benefit from some rain, and a good drenching or two throughout the state would help minimize the chances of any devastating forest fires.  We’ve certainly had our share of them over the past several years, and poor Colorado is sure suffering through a destructive fire now. 

 

July is historically our hottest month, and this July is certainly starting out on track to keep pace.  Thank goodness we have three trips planned this month to get us out of the heat.  It will make the summer considerably more tolerable. 

 

Laura and Dan spent this past weekend in Portland, OR with their two cousins (Andy and Christian) and another friend (Josh).  This was our godson Andy’s bachelor’s party.  Although we likely won’t hear all the details of their weekend, and that is probably for the best, we can safely assume that they had a wonderful time just being together, just hanging out and spending time with one another.  They get along so well and really do enjoy each other. What a blessing.  It is so incredibly important to be close to your family, to love one another and enjoy each other’s company.  And it is gratifying to see it in the “younger generation”, to know that the love and companionship that our generation enjoys lives on in the next.  These are gifts, gifts to be nurtured and cherished forever.

 

I have been dealing with a bit of low-grade nausea and mild to moderate back pain lately, although I feel much better today!  That makes for a tremendous day! It is hard to know why this has hit me recently, as I have been feeling so good lately.  I suppose some of it could be an accumulative effect of the chemo (my speculation); none of it is a big worry, though it is a bit annoying.  I like feeling good!  Fortunately, the folks at Piper have been monitoring my symptoms via email and making sure that I am doing all that I can and need to do to take good care of myself.  They are very responsive and caring.  I am fortunate to be in their care.  And I am so glad that I am feeling better today … I am optimistic that I will feel really good for our trip to San Diego on Thursday.  I can’t wait!

 

I may not post to the web site for the rest of this week.  Tomorrow is, of course, a holiday, and after that Cathy and I will be in San Diego.  I will have lots to report next Monday. 

 

I hope you all have a wonderful holiday and that you have the opportunity to spend it with family and friends.  That is what it is all about …


 

Laura Bacon September 17, 2013
 
Give the guy an inch ...
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Written July 9, 2012 12:56pm


I hope you all had a wonderful 4th of July holiday.  We certainly did.  It was overcast, rainy, and quite a bit cooler here on the 4th.  It was a nice change from our bright, oven-hot days.  Cathy and I spent a leisurely day cleaning the house and getting ready to go to San Diego.  We also watched several episodes of a BBC series that we have been watching (via Netflix) lately.  We didn’t watch any fireworks, but we heard several later in the evening.

 

Our trip to San Diego was great!  Dan and Liz are the consummate hosts. They made us feel very welcomed and did so many things to make our stay comfortable and memorable.
 

Our flight arrived in San Diego around 8:00 AM on Thursday the 5th.  Liz picked us up and took us to their apartment.  From there, Cathy and I drove to Dan’s preschool.  We spent most of the morning there … what a blast! The kids were so cute, and Dan is so good with them.  Dan had asked us to talk about sound and hearing, so we took some things with us to “show and tell”.  One was a large model of the ear, highlighted in today’s picture.  I think we have a group of budding hearing scientists at St. Mark’s preschool! 
 

Some of the other highlights of our trip included the San Diego Botanic Garden on Friday and Balboa Park on Saturday.  And, of course, it was great to sleep late, have leisurely mornings, and afternoon naps with our books.  It was a perfect vacation.   We came home Saturday night.
 

I did have to deal with nausea for some of the trip and back pain for most of it.  I’m not sure why I’ve been having these symptoms this past week or so, particularly in the face of recent good news regarding shrinking and inactive tumors.  We are scheduled to go to Piper on Thursday to start the 6th and final cycle of the current chemo regimen (assuming a platelet count of at least 100,000), so perhaps we’ll get some answers or potential answers then.
 

I have been disappointed by my symptoms, discouraged because I am not feeling as well as I had been several weeks ago.  For some time, I had a high energy level with no pain or nausea.  I felt great.  Now I want that all the time.  I can’t blame myself.  Who wouldn’t want that?  But I need to be more realistic.  This is a marathon, with ups and downs.  And despite my recent downs, I am still doing much, much better than I was a few months ago.  I am stronger and more energetic.  I weigh more.  I have a better appetite. And the objective data (CT scans and CA19-9 results) all indicate that I am doing very well.  I have been given more than an inch … I should not expect a mile.  I need to be happy with my progress, however bumpy it may be.  I need to be thankful for what I have and hopeful for a tomorrow without pain and nausea. 
 

Having said all that, I am feeling pretty good today, with no nausea and only a mild amount of back pain.  I went on a long walk (Cathy went with me on half of it, before taking off on her run) and then lifted weights.  I haven’t lifted weights for about a week, simply because I haven’t felt well enough to do so (or was out of town).  It is good to get back to that routine.  I definitely need to rebuild my muscle mass. 
 

I am determined to focus on the positive, however hard that may be at times.  One clear positive aspect of my life is the vast array of friends and family that are supporting me on my journey.  I couldn’t do this without you. You give me more strength than any amount of weight lifting could ever hope to do.  I can’t thank you enough.  


 

Laura Bacon September 17, 2013
 
Tremendous Tuesday ...

Written July 10, 2012 1:15pm
 

I woke with no nausea and little or no back pain … it is a tremendous day, one that I am very thankful to have. 
 

I am also so thankful to be under the care of the Piper Cancer Center.  I emailed the nurse yesterday who coordinates the clinical trial I am in to update her on how I have been feeling, and to share with her the temporal pattern of my back pain relative to when the fentanyl (anti-pain) patch is placed on my back.  As noted in my email, the point of sending the information yesterday was to the give them some time to think about my situation before my appointment on Thursday.  Imagine my surprise when one of the nurse practitioners I see often on my visits to Piper called me last night about 7:00 to discuss my situation.  They are a little perplexed by my occasional nausea and back pain, because they would expect those symptoms to be going away even without my patches, given my excellent progress thus far.  She had discussed my case and symptoms with the head physician (Dr. Von Hoff) at Piper, one of the world’s experts in pancreatic cancer.  They have some ideas that we’ll pursue.  None is particularly alarming or worrisome in terms of my disease.  It is fantastic to have them working so hard for their patients.  I firmly believe that my care is in the right hands.
 

I went on a vigorous walk this morning.  It felt good.  Unfortunately, you can’t get up early enough these days to escape the heat, although clearly the earlier the better.  Our overnight lows have been hovering around 90 degrees, and this is the time of the year (monsoon season) when the humidity is higher than usual … right  now it is about 25%, which means it is afairly dry heat.  Of course, when you combine 113 degrees with any amount of humidity, you have an uncomfortable situation.  Best to stay indoors, whenever possible, or in the pool otherwise. 
 

I am thrilled to say that Cathy and I are going to be able to escape the heat later this week.  Some friends of ours have generously offered us their house in Pinetop, Arizona.  The forecast there is for highs in the upper 70s and lows in the low 50s.  Perfect.  We plan to go up there on Thursday after my appointment at Piper and stay for about five days.  It will be a time for us to just be together without distractions, to read, to go on hikes, and to cool off. What a blessing.  Assuming the wi-fi works, I should be able to continue writing this blog while we are up there.  Who knows, with such an idyllic setting, I might even be inspired to write something that is more enjoyable to read …
 

In an earlier entry, I mentioned that I was starting to read a book by Siddhartha Mukherjee entitled “The Emperor of all Maladies: A Biography of Cancer”.  I have excerpted a few lines that I read last night from a section near the end of the book:
 

The poet Jason Shinder wrote, “Cancer is a tremendous opportunity to have your face pressed right up against the glass of your mortality.” But what patients see through the glass is not a world outside cancer, but a world taken over by it – cancer reflected endlessly around them like a hall of mirrors.
 

There are a couple things from those lines that especially resonate with me. The first is the notion of cancer being an opportunity.  I have written about the blessings that have come from my diagnosis, most particularly the opportunity to experience love and support from friends and family.  Although the love from my family has always been there, it is now heightened and more focused.  It is incredibly comforting and uplifting.  And the love and support that I have received from all of you through this web site has helped give me strength to face each day.  The second is the notion that we (cancer patients) see a world taken over by cancer.  In my own experience, that is largely true.  It is hard not to think about my own cancer and its implications, to let it penetrate and effectively overcome my thoughts, my very being.  I think that is, in part, what I find frustrating about the recurrence of some of my symptoms: they are reminders of our challenges and of the cancer that is at the heart of those challenges.  (You would think my mini-pharmacy would be reminder enough!) To the extent possible, I am trying very hard not to let my world be overtaken by cancer.  At the very least, I want to embrace the opportunities cancer provides and focus on the hope that emerges from it.  I can do that.  


 

Laura Bacon September 17, 2013
 
7-11 ...

Written July 11, 2012 12:38pm
 

Well, the nausea and back pain have returned, but neither is too bad, so it should be a pretty good day.  Cathy and I had a nice walk and good breakfast this morning.  A great way to start the day!  Fortunately, there was a bit of a breeze, so the heat was tolerable.  Indeed, we had our breakfast outside, which is typical, as we really enjoy being outdoors.  It helps that our back patio is in the shade in the morning.  If it weren’t, then I’m pretty sure we’d be eating inside (like most sane people …).
 

We are getting my mountain bike tuned-up today (Cathy’s is already tuned-up), so we can take our bikes with us to Pinetop tomorrow.  I am hopeful that I will feel well enough to go on a few bike rides while we are up there, though nothing too difficult or technical.  We almost certainly will go on some hikes, in between eating, reading, and napping … I told Cathy that I thought we’d be the only ones at Piper tomorrow with mountain bikes on the back of a car!
 

One of the books I plan to read while in Pinetop is “The Anatomy of Hope: How people prevail in the face of illness” by Jerome Groopman.  It was a Father’s Day gift from Laura.  I am really looking forward to reading it.
 

I also am looking forward to our trip to Piper tomorrow.  We’ll keep addressing the nausea and back pain … I am confident that ultimately we’ll get both under control (though the sooner the better).  I’ll be anxious to get the results of the CA19-9 test, which I believe will be part of tomorrow’s blood work.  Here’s to hoping that the tumor marker is still in the normal range! 
 

I hope that my platelet count is above 100,000 tomorrow so that I can start the 6th cycle of chemo, but I won’t be too worried or disappointed if it isn’t. As you may recall, there was some discussion about skipping this cycle all together, so if we delay starting the 6th cycle, so be it. 
 

Have a great day, and thanks for all your support!


 


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