Tuesday 23rd September

Good morning,

Yesterday and the weekend were good strong days, happily for both of us.   Johnny was finally stronger, more like my Johnny of normal.  These last two horrible rounds of Chemo  had taken a tough battering on him,  his mental state of mind, emotions and body.  The weakness the fatigue he suffers with the most.

Last week, as you know we had a CT Scan and Charlie Brown hollered  out loud and told us all the Tumors were shrinking, the lesions were gone, disappearing, no new lesions.  It's a great day.

Early this morning we  got up for our "Round 6 of 12"  Chemo Day.  Dragging one's heels, resisting internally to have to go through more Chemo hell for another 10 days,  silently looking at each other whilst we stirred our tea and crunched on breakfast muffins, both of us thinking the same thing, "really we have to do this again", when one feels so much better, to go back for more Chemo only to be smacked down again.   Johnny, quite frankly had no desire to go, none whatsoever, pale, lethargic with such sad eyes,  he bravely changes mental gear puts himself into auto-pilot, silently saying to himself  "I have to do this".

Forty minute drive to Greenbrae, dropped Bubble n Squeak off at Puppy Day Care.  We arrive at Marin Cancer Center.   Normal blood pressure, weight and temperature were taken.  As we sat in  another waiting room, awaiting our Oncologist Bobby Head.  She walked in.   In her finest spingly-spangly-sparkly  of smiles which also shone from the massive stones in her ears, neck, wrists and goodness know where else,  beaming from ear to ear  she said "the results from your CT Scan are jaw dropping", this is incredible news, you are doing so very, very well.  How do you feel Johnny?  He replied "tired".    She replied, "well I think given the excellent results we can now have you on Chemo every three weeks instead of two" and your CA19/9 markers are  down to "69".  

 

So off you go you two she said see you next week.  With a nod and spingly-spangly-sparkly  approval from her we both got up grabbed our bags and left the premises. 

 

Thank you for all your text messages to my Johnny. Please do keep sending him well wishes of love and affection to:  johnnypye@yahoo.com tell him you love him and to fight and to "Stand UP to Cancer".  Tell him you are by his side - his friend and mate. 

 

 

Wednesday 17th September

Greetings to all.

As of today, the results from our CT Scan have shown a significant improvement.

The larger tumors have been reduced from 20%-25%  whereas some of the smaller tumors have gone. There are no new inclusions.   The hundreds of nodules swimming around Johnny's body have taken a severe beating from the poisonous chemo, but alas  poor Johnny has taken the same beating.

Wednesday 10th September

Greetings,

Today is Johnny's birthday.  Joy.

Normally we would  have a  full day / week of celebrations with lots of champagne bubbles, cake, good friends, laughter, love, and of course dancing, but  we can't go dancing, with my injured ankle and Johnny bumping and stumbling from the chemo.  He no longer has his Fred Astaire fancy footwork.  Mr Twinkle-Toes's dancing shoes are at the cobblers.

So, how does one celebrate oneself when one feels so incredibly lousy?  Attached with a portable drain chemo drip for another 46 hours, after  our  bi-weekly chemo day yesterday, today's heavy rest day, zero sleep last night and now with severe night sweats.  Last night he went through three t-shirts all utterly sopping wet, it was as though I had pulled them out of the washing machine.  Johnny is either boiling hot or freezing cold, we had to put the heating on Monday he was so cold.  

But our cancer markers are down considerably. 

Johnny and I will spend a quiet birthday evening together, with our four legged fluffy people, and toast with a cup of tea.

We thank you for the birthday wishes and text messages you are sending, please do not be offended should we not get back to you in a timely fashion.