Friday, Nov 1st
I'm still feeling very unstable. In fact, I often feel like a feeble old man as I shuffle around the house. I have no appetite and eat very little. Mostly, I sleep -- about 16 hours a day. I tried to contact Paula Kushlan, my oncologist, this afternoon. She asked me to come in, but just said that my symptoms were a delayed effect of the radiation and would get better in a few weeks.
Saturday, Nov 2nd
Another bad day . My condition keeps getting worse. This morning Judith drove us downtown and I walked two blocks to Caffè Verona, but I let Judith shop at the Farmer's Market on her own. My balance and coordination have been very poor, and I read and slept all day. I hope Paula Kushlan is correct and this is just delayed reaction to the radiation.Judith cooked a great soup this evening, so at least I'm starting to eat again.
Please understand if I am not answering your emails.
Monday, Nov 4th
It won't be easy to come up with a clear story about what has been happening over the past few days. I was worse (fatigue, balance, appetite) again on Sunday, but felt a little better this morning when I had a scheduled appointment with my radiation oncologist. He thought I might be experiencing delayed effects of radiation, which usually go away in a few weeks, or maybe my symptoms are related to the tumor, or ... He advised me to restart the steroids. Later, Judith suggested we have lunch at a local hangout. Surprisingly that sounded good and I ate more than I have in the past 5 days combined. I' m learning that cause and effect are not simply related in this world. I'll wait and see what tomorrow brings.
Tuesday, Nov 4th
I feel better again today. I did some laundry, changed the oil in Judith's car, had a long lunch with an old friend, and took a half hour walk to the drugstore in town. Now after voting and a late dinner, I'm running out of steam. Not back to "normal", but much better than recently. So, I'll do a little end-of-the-day cleanup and try to stay awake until the start of the 10 o'clock news (Pacific time) to see if there were any election day surprises. Good night.
Saturday, Nov 9th
I continue to feel better. Judith and I walked to Caffè Verona this morning and then stopped by the Farmer's Market. We didn't buy much at the market because we will be leaving Tuesday for a short trip. Judith has a meeting in Boston with her research network an I will tag along and explore Boston or sit in the hotel and read while she is busy, depending on the weather. We will also visit some old friends who live in the area.
Monday, Nov 11
Judith and I are leaving for Boston tomorrow morning. We get back on Sunday, so it will a week or so before I have a chance to update this page. I feel stable and well these days. Cheers.
Wednesday, Nov 20th
We're back from the trip to Boston, which turned out great. The weather was mostly cold and rainy, but I took advantage of one brisk, sunny day while Judith was at her meeting to wander around the Italian section in the North End. I also had fun walking the Freedom Trail with stops at several old churches, cemeteries, and even Paul Revere's house. We had breakfast Saturday morning at a place in South End called Charlie's Sandwich Shop. It's packed, the food is great, and I was completely fascinated to sit behind the counter and watch the short-order cook, an absolute wizard with a frying pan. The highlight of the trip was spending an extended period with some good friends of 30 years.
I'm feeling quite well these days. My appetite has recently returned and I have pretty good energy, although an hour or so of activity can wear me out.
Wednesday, Nov 27th
I'm feeling about the same as last week, generally well both physically and mentally. I have a good appetite again and I'm sleeping well.The down side is that I get tired easily, and I am a little shaky on my feet, especially when I am tired. I was supposed to begin my second round of Temodar chemotherapy last Saturday, but I was worried that I would be wasted for Thanksgiving. Dr. Kushlan agreed that I could delay the Temodar until after Thanksgiving. I will be very interested to see what happens this time (see the entry for December 1st). I'm quite anxious about it.
Happy Thanksgiving, all. I always like to take a few minutes before the dinner to reflect on what I am thankful for this year. It should be interesting this year.
Friday, Nov 29th
We had a great Thanksgiving dinner, joined by Judith's grandmother and some friends who have been joining us for years. Our friends contributed a wild turkey this year and Judith roasted it to perfection. It was hard to figure out how much of the good taste was because it was a wild turkey and how much was Judith's roasting, but most people said they could taste the wild difference.
I'm starting my 2nd round of Temodar chemotherapy this evening. I am anxious and hope it goes better than last month, when I was wiped out.
Saturday, Nov 30th
I took the first dose of Temodar last night before going to bed. I was moderately nauseous during the night and easily tired today, but otherwise I felt pretty good. In the past, the first day of Temodar has been the hardest, so I hope the next four days will be easy and there won't be a big drop afterwards.