Tuesday 26th August

Hello friends,

Johnny, has to take a check list of medications on a daily basis, pink, yellow, blue, white and red, one of them being a prescription of Methadone, for pain.  

Methadone is used to treat severe pain, belonging to a class of drugs known as narcotic (opiate).  It works in the brain to change how your body feels and responds to pain.  Thus it is an incredibly strong pain killer it's also used for heroin users.  For weeks now Johnny lacked, vitality, strength stamina, exuberance.  Well you might say - "but of course Michelle he has Stage IV Pancreatic Cancer".    Being on so many medications his appetite was not as strong,  he had lost so much weight, visibly he looked like he had cancer.  It was actually not a good time for him. 

But, Johnny does not have pain.  What is pain?  What do you yourself call pain? To us, pain is "writhing around on the floor in a foetal position" thus Methadone could be used, but Johnny is not on the floor in pain, he is in mild discomfort.  So last Monday 18th August, after conversations with our oncologist, we decided to cut his daily Methadone intake from 10mg to 5mg.  A remarkably different person, bright as a button a twinkle in his eyes,  a  ferocious appetite.  We were told hit the protein hit the carbs big time.  He would call and say "Feeeed Me, I am starving". We blitzed the protein/carbs  all last week and finally he regained all his weight.  He was animated, addressing his clients and business, might I add, he was known to be clambering over many a carpet roll, for a dear friend.   Heading to the city here in San Fran, for a solitude lunch at Betelnut!   We even had a night out ourselves. Nice.  One thinks of miracles, is the chemo really working can we really shrink this sucker into remission?    

Well, today was another long day,  Chemo Day smacked him hard, back down again, with a mighty large cricket bat.  We have since decided, second day after Chemo Day, Johnny will have Acu-Pressure and rest at home.  Now-a-days, business can be done anywhere, from the beach, airplane and at home maybe Mount Everest?

Our bi-weekly blood work results were all normal,  our counts are good, liver is normal, cancer markers CA19-9 are down more, and his white and red cells are normal, meaning he is good for  Chemo, his body is able to take it.      

Our Dragonfly, Maine Coon cat, who adores Johnny has been poisoned,  between Dragonfly and Johnny they are both on heavy medications, Bubble our Shitzu has an upset tummy. Since Saturday one has been up on the hour every hour for Bubble - taking her outside for pooping, washing her bottom every time, finally after so many bottom washes I decided to shave her bottom, at 3am in the morning - cleaner that way right!    My plate is flowing and I have no need for seconds!