Yesterday was almost as bad as the day before -- not quite 100 degrees -- but it finally cooled off during the night. I actually had to ask Rik to get the blanket at about 3 AM when the sheet was no longer enough.
We had a minor fracas with the fridge where we are house sitting. It stopped cooling properly on the hottest day (Wednesday) and we were panicked about our hosts' full freezer. They didn't want us to call a repairman. Last night we ran into another neighbor, who is a contractor, and he helped us move the fridge further away from the wall, clean up all the papers and junk that had fallen behind it, vacuum the dust from the grill in the back and presto! The fridge started to cool again.
We weren't sure how long it would take to bring the temperatures back to normal, so we left the milk and other perishables in the freezer section with ice packs. Sure enough, frozen milk this morning. But it will thaw and no milk for our coffee is a small inconvenience in exchange for a working appliance!
Friday, July 31, 2009
Awards for Connie Eaves and John Dick
Canadian stem cell researchers Eaves and Dick to receive hematology awards, Michael Rudnicki, Stem Cell Network blog, July 31, 2009. Excerpts:
Comment: Very appropriate recognition of accomplishments in hematological research that have included important contributions to cancer research.
Connie Eaves, PhD, of the BC Cancer Agency, University of British Columbia in Vancouver, will be presented with the Henry M. Stratton Medal, which honors an individual whose well-recognized contributions to hematology have taken place over a period of several years. Dr. Eaves will receive this award for her remarkable achievements in the area of stem cell biology for more than two decades. Dr. Eaves has been on the cutting edge of adapting or introducing technologies related to stem cell biology, especially her ground-breaking techniques of using the long-term culture system as means of understanding the proliferative and renewal properties of normal and malignant primitive human hematopoietic stem cells.
John E. Dick, PhD, of the University Health Network in Toronto, will be recognized with the E. Donnall Thomas Lecture and Prize for his pioneering research into the development of human leukemia, which has transformed the view of how leukemia progresses. This prize, named after a Nobel Prize laureate and past Society president, recognizes pioneering research achievements in hematology.These summaries were obtained from: Six Researchers to Receive Prestigious Awards From the American Society of Hematology, Press Release, American Society of Hematology, July 13, 2009.
Comment: Very appropriate recognition of accomplishments in hematological research that have included important contributions to cancer research.
Thursday, July 30, 2009
Have some pie.
I had my first blood test after quitting Rev, and my M-spike is up to 2.0. It was 1.7 in May. At first, Jay and I freaked out, and then we decided not to freak out because
1. Of course it is going to go up slightly. I'm drug-free. Do I wanna be drug-free, or do I wanna have a slightly lower M-spike? I wanna be drug-free.
2. It's up a little bit, but it's not like it's Cancer Cells Gone Wild in there. It's not like they're rolling a keg up the lawn going, "Woo! The Revlimid went out for the evening! Let's trash the house and drive the car into the lake and go streaking!! Woo!!" It's more like, "Oh. I believe the Revlimid is gone. Let's have some pie."
3. Maybe they'll all have their pie and go to sleep, and it'll stop going up.
4. Maybe?
The nurse said all of my other numbers were really good, and my beta-2 microglobulin was pretty low at 0.9 (that's good). Let's just ignore Spike until September, shall we?
1. Of course it is going to go up slightly. I'm drug-free. Do I wanna be drug-free, or do I wanna have a slightly lower M-spike? I wanna be drug-free.
2. It's up a little bit, but it's not like it's Cancer Cells Gone Wild in there. It's not like they're rolling a keg up the lawn going, "Woo! The Revlimid went out for the evening! Let's trash the house and drive the car into the lake and go streaking!! Woo!!" It's more like, "Oh. I believe the Revlimid is gone. Let's have some pie."
3. Maybe they'll all have their pie and go to sleep, and it'll stop going up.
4. Maybe?
The nurse said all of my other numbers were really good, and my beta-2 microglobulin was pretty low at 0.9 (that's good). Let's just ignore Spike until September, shall we?
free to a good home (part 2)
A few weeks ago, I wrote that I had an almost new prosthesis that I was seeking to re-home. This is what happened next:
Julia consulted other directors of Breast Cancer Action, who suggested that there might be a program to send prostheses to developing countries. She also called the social worker at the cancer centre who told her that Canadian Cancer Society takes donations (1745 Woodward Dr., Ottawa, ON K2C 0P9. 613-723-1744). I am so grateful to her for doing this.
Throws Like A Girl , who is part of our group at Mothers With Cancer, suggested that we need "a prosthesis relocation program."
Imstell jumped in with the following:
"Maybe we [Mothers With Cancer] could just host a bulletin board where people could post their needs:
FREE TO GOOD HOME Single 36C teardrop prosthesis. Likes to travel. You pay shipping.
WANTED swimming prosthesis. Any size large enough to hide my belly.
These had me laughing out loud but I think we might actually get something like this going.
Finally, Christine told me that she has a friend who lives locally, who was in need of a new prosthesis. It turned out to be a perfect fit.
Thanks to all who commented here, via email and on Facebook. You made me laugh. And you made me feel good about the power of community.
We are off to the maritimes tomorrow (if all goes well-it's a two-day drive with two kids and two dogs). I may be offline until August 12. I feel the withdrawal pangs starting already.
some further and disjointed thoughts on my blogher09 experience
A non-virtual connection with Melissa from Stirrup Queens (and author of "Navigating the Land of If"). We are both holding Nora's head on a stick.
1. If Twitter was played a role at last year's BlogHer conference, this year it was front and centre.
Many of us followed what was happening in other sessions we attended by following the keyword (called a hashtag with a #sign) blogher#09. These are my tweets from the session I attended about "Online Safety for Your Kids Who Are Online Themselves" (I had expressed in my previous post the concern that it would be all about scaremongering but was delighted to find that it was not):
"if you are an engaged parent you have less to worry about in terms of sexual predation online" #blogher09 session on online kids.
it never occurred to me to worry about kids taking pics at my son's sleepover b-day party. should i have? #blogher09 kids online session.
"every technology brings with it new fears." the take away - don't panic! i love it. panel on kids online #blogher09 do you post photos of your kids online? on facebook? flickr? #blogher09
"identifying information that your kids put online has NO correlation with sexual predation." #blogher09
"reputation management" never heard this before in online context. interesting. #blogher09. your photos and words may come back on you, kids
"we are tethering our kids" "we are raising our kids in captivity" - this is the way times have changed. #blogher09.
2. In the closing keynote, the subject came around again, to Twitter. One commenter likened her Twitter community to a support group "I think the women I've met online in the pregnancy loss community have saved my life" (I didn't get her name or blog. Let me know if you did). A powerful statement, but I can relate. She went on to say that support groups are not available 24/7 the way that an online community can be.
3. One of the speakers also observed that most people get started blogging because of someone they know in their "physical life." I thought that was interesting, because it was my spouse (a non-blogger) who introduced me to the blogosphere.
4. Another favourite keynote comment (again, if you know who said this, do let me know): "People with higher levels of income tend to be online. We need to be vigilant that our online communities are not recreating or reinforcing existing inequities."
5. As you can see, I found the content to be very rich and thought provoking this year, despite the size of the conference.
6. I do worry that some people spent so much time tweeting that they missed connections with real people or taking in the discussions occurring around them.
7. One of my favourite Twitter moments occurred when "phdinparenting" lamented her dislike for American beer. She posted about our interaction on BlogHer. It really tickled me that I could be of help. There were lots of those kinds of tweets, throughout the conference.
8. I wish the bookstore had been in a different location. One person suggested in a conference feedback thread that the bookstore would do better closer to registration. I suggested that book signings take place during cocktail parties, in the middle of the action (and of course it wouldn't hurt if free cocktails made people want to buy more books). The conference organizers have acknowledged that the placement of the bookstore in the far corner of the Expo hall was a mistake (too far out of the way. And who wants to buy a book when they are surrounded by mounds of free stuff?). While I do understand how experiments can fail (and how it must have seemed like a good idea during planning) I just wish that this particular year (when I schlepped a bunch of books in my suitcase) had not been the one where the bookstore flopped.
9. Elisa from BlogHer made an observation (in a tweet, of course), that she is trying to learn the distinction between things that are "wrong" and things that are just not her "cuppa tea." That's how I feel about the karaoke during the Friday night cocktail party. I hated it. However, others seemed to be having fun (perhaps I am just getting old), so I got myself a hot date and went to find a patio.
10. I have other thoughts but Sassymonkey and Blondie expressed them already. Go read their posts.
I said many times before going that BlogHer09 would be my last. I hadn't even unpacked my suitcase before I'd begun to fantasize about getting to BlogHer10 in NYC. Anyone want to drive down from Ottawa and share a hotel room with me?
Seattle heat
It's been hotter in Seattle than at any time in the measurable past. Yesterday it hit 104 degrees at Seatac airport, and was even hotter in Bellevue and Redmond. Being closer to the Puget Sound evidently meant losing a degree or two.
I had lunch with a friend and so got into an air-conditioned restaurant for an hour, but Rik stayed home with the dogs all day long. He bathed them twice in cool water, gave them ice chips to suck and chew on, and tried to keep them as comfortable as possible. We are worried about 14 year old Pumpkin in this heat, but so far he is eating the ice and does stop panting at times.
I tried to take an afternoon nap just to escape the heat mentally and was somewhat successful. A second shower was a better idea. The workers on our bathroom remodel were really sweltering. The tiler had to work outside to cut the three hundred-plus pound slab of Jerusalem stone that will become the countertop. Even in the house, with all windows and drapes closed, it was sill more than ninety degrees.
And it's not much better where we are staying. So we are trying to cope, drinking lots of water, making lots of ice cubes, and thinking cool thoughts.
I had lunch with a friend and so got into an air-conditioned restaurant for an hour, but Rik stayed home with the dogs all day long. He bathed them twice in cool water, gave them ice chips to suck and chew on, and tried to keep them as comfortable as possible. We are worried about 14 year old Pumpkin in this heat, but so far he is eating the ice and does stop panting at times.
I tried to take an afternoon nap just to escape the heat mentally and was somewhat successful. A second shower was a better idea. The workers on our bathroom remodel were really sweltering. The tiler had to work outside to cut the three hundred-plus pound slab of Jerusalem stone that will become the countertop. Even in the house, with all windows and drapes closed, it was sill more than ninety degrees.
And it's not much better where we are staying. So we are trying to cope, drinking lots of water, making lots of ice cubes, and thinking cool thoughts.
Wednesday, July 29, 2009
UPDATE ON THE 3L RR TEMPTATION SITUATION
We are getting tons of e-mails about the Russian River Temptation 3 Liter bottles every day, so I thought I should address the question formally.
-Russian River Temptation 3Liter bottles HAVE NOT been released yet.
-I spoke with Russian River five minutes ago. They told me that the bottles would be released next week, or possibly the week after that.
-I have been assured that we will be getting some, but we don't know how much, what the cost will be, etc.
-E-mailing 5 times a day will not help you to get a bottle. Just watch the blog/twitter and be patient. In the meantime, there are plenty of Temptation in 750ml bottles for sale.
-Once the bottles have arrived, they will be distributed in the most fair way possible, so that everyone who wants one will have a shot at getting one. They will be limited to one bottle a person at first, though that may change depending on availability.
If there are any other questions, please direct them to healthyspirits.sanfrancisco@gmail.com, or leave them on the blog.
cheers,
dave hauslein
beer manager
Tuesday, July 28, 2009
The Things We Remember
[Student prison, no longer in service, U of Heidelberg]
At the 30th high school reunion, I told S that I remembered that in elementary school she asked a question when the Kotex lady showed her film. She didn't remember. Via Facebook, I told A how embarrassed I'd been when I brought her a pack of cards for her birthday. She had a slumber party and I hadn't realized it was her birthday party, too. I brought, for reasons not remembered now, cards that someone had given my parents that showed racy hospital jokes--busty nurses with big syringes and so on. A didn't remember. I have just friended E, and I remember that once in the carpool she referred to her stepfather as a dumb bald, as opposed to dumb blonde. She herself had dark hair and bangs and a wide smiling mouth. She was assured. R writes that she remembers me as kind and sweet. I didn't feel kind and sweet in high school or junior high. There is the cliche, of course, that all of us were insecure and had secret crushes on people who--lo, it turns out!--were insecure and had secret crushes on us. There was a boutique around these parts owned by a couple who'd reconnected at a high school reunion. The store is now a very successful Italian restaurant. In Vienna many years ago I went to an underground pub that was very famous and very historic. Many years before that I went to the student jail in Heidelberg, walls covered with centuries of graffiti. We want everything to last. We live in an age of planned obsolescence. We want to be able to buy new, fire our friends, get divorced, move across the country. We want others to stay rooted and traditional so that we can extract comfort from them comfort whenever we want. Or need. We wax nostalgic over TV show theme songs. Because there are so many of us from the Baby Boom, we think that our numbers make all aspects of our childhoods important. We form groups: to remember Peppermint Park (2,477 members on Facebook), Westbury Square (a shopping center disguised as a pretend Victorian village), Kiddie Wonderland, where we rode ponies and drove miniature cars. This, all in Houston, a city intent on obliterating its past.
***
We wanted to believe that the city's beauty would save it. (refugee from Dubrovnik, in The Suitcase: Refugee Voices from Bosnia and Croatia).
[Dubrovnik]
hair today more tomorrow
hair growth update, because I'm sure you are dyyying to know:
Notice the eyelashes! I've still been wearing my wig, as I'm still quite self concious, but once it gets to Mia Farrow length I'll retire the fake hair for good.
My first post-chemo PET scan was a couple of weeks ago and I had terrible anxiety. Upon moving back to SF I was hesitant to start projects or emotionally invest myself in anything, for fear of my world crashing down again due to cancer. I'm agnostic, but I prayed while I was on the table. Please, please give me some time to enjoy life... even if it's just for a few years.
I figured they wouldn't call if the results were normal. The day after, I got a message from my onc's assistant. She sounded concerned and asked to call back as soon as I could. PANIC. Oh, holyfuckinggod was I scared. NOOO, not yet.
It turns out she called to tell me everything looks normal, and just wanted to say hello. Whew! Good for another three months. How do you deal with scanxiety? I feel as though I was paralyzed until the results came. The wait really is the worst...
Ok, I hope I offend you with this one:
What are Michael Jackson and Farrah Fawcett getting for Christmas?
.
.
.
Patrick Swayze.
Oooh no she didn't.
Notice the eyelashes! I've still been wearing my wig, as I'm still quite self concious, but once it gets to Mia Farrow length I'll retire the fake hair for good.
My first post-chemo PET scan was a couple of weeks ago and I had terrible anxiety. Upon moving back to SF I was hesitant to start projects or emotionally invest myself in anything, for fear of my world crashing down again due to cancer. I'm agnostic, but I prayed while I was on the table. Please, please give me some time to enjoy life... even if it's just for a few years.
I figured they wouldn't call if the results were normal. The day after, I got a message from my onc's assistant. She sounded concerned and asked to call back as soon as I could. PANIC. Oh, holyfuckinggod was I scared. NOOO, not yet.
It turns out she called to tell me everything looks normal, and just wanted to say hello. Whew! Good for another three months. How do you deal with scanxiety? I feel as though I was paralyzed until the results came. The wait really is the worst...
Ok, I hope I offend you with this one:
What are Michael Jackson and Farrah Fawcett getting for Christmas?
.
.
.
Patrick Swayze.
Oooh no she didn't.
el jay cross-post
Just a few pictures of the new room. Moved in Sunday. It's fascinating, how posessions can reaffirm one's identity SO strongly. You'd think that having your stuff packed away for a year and living elsewhere would somehow solidify your own self awareness, but au contraire! I felt lacking, I felt lost. I couldn't quite put my finger on it, but as soon as I unpacked my knicknacks and books and clothes something clicked, I felt like Kaylin again, capital K, not cancer ass-kicker or patient or whatever. Just Kaylin, and I like this.
Grandma's cigar box and a clay skull sculpted freshman year.
my gents are happy to be out of that stuffy cardboard box.
12x12 living space SLASH sewing studio, not quite sure how I will make this work...
Accidental picture funny face.
Fearlessness isn't a lack of fear, rather, it's a mastery of fear. I'm not afraid of much anymore. I am slightly afraid of cancer reccurance, if only for the inevitable decision I will have to make, but I am most certainly not afraid of death. Or pain. How many people, very honestly, can claim this at 24? I am content with the life I have lived because I've tried my very best to be an honest and passionate woman. I am broken, mentally and physically, but I'm confident that I'll adapt and overcome. Most importantly, I am happy right now. HAPPY. I will never ever ever ever EVER subject myself to the horrors of chemo and radiation and debhilitating surgery again. I gave it a sporting try but now I'm done. I am, um... master of my domain.
CD133 and poorer prognosis in locally advanced colon cancer
Higher percentage of CD133+ cells is associated with poor prognosis in colon carcinoma patients with stage IIIB by Chun-Yan Li and 11 co-authors, including Xiao-Shi Zhang, J Transl Med 2009(Jul 7); 7: 56. [Full text via Libre OA][PMC version of the full text][PubMed Abstract] Final paragraph of the Abstract:
CONCLUSION: The fact that a higher percentage CD133+ cells were strongly associated with a poorer prognosis in patients with locally advanced colon cancer implicated that CD133+ cancer cells contribute to the tumor progression, and the overpopulation hypothesis of cancer stem cell seems reasonable.
Leukemia SC cloak themselves to avoid detection
Leukemia cells evade immune system by mimicking normal cells, Stanford study shows by Krista Conger, News Release, Stanford University Medical Center, July 23, 2009. First sentence:
The two articles upon which the news releases are based:
1) CD47 Is Upregulated on Circulating Hematopoietic Stem Cells and Leukemia Cells to Avoid Phagocytosis by Siddhartha Jaiswal, Catriona H M Jamieson and 7 co-authors, including Irving L Weissman, Cell 2009(Jul 23); 138(2): 271-85. [PubMed Citation].
2) CD47 Is an Adverse Prognostic Factor and Therapeutic Antibody Target on Human Acute Myeloid Leukemia Stem Cells by Ravindra Majeti and 7 co-authors, including Irving L Weissman, Cell 2009(Jul 23); 138(2): 286-99. [PubMed Citation][FriendFeed entry].
Human leukemia stem cells escape detection by co-opting a protective molecular badge used by normal blood stem cells to migrate safely within the body, according to a pair of studies by researchers at Stanford University Medical School.See also: Molecule Helps Leukemia Cells Hide From Immune System, Drugs.com, July 23, 2009. First sentence:
Leukemia stem cells cleverly cloak themselves to avoid detection by a person's immune system, according to a pair of studies by researchers at Stanford University Medical School.And: Leukemia cells evade immune system by mimicking normal cells, Stanford studies show, EurekAlert, July 23, 2009.
The two articles upon which the news releases are based:
1) CD47 Is Upregulated on Circulating Hematopoietic Stem Cells and Leukemia Cells to Avoid Phagocytosis by Siddhartha Jaiswal, Catriona H M Jamieson and 7 co-authors, including Irving L Weissman, Cell 2009(Jul 23); 138(2): 271-85. [PubMed Citation].
2) CD47 Is an Adverse Prognostic Factor and Therapeutic Antibody Target on Human Acute Myeloid Leukemia Stem Cells by Ravindra Majeti and 7 co-authors, including Irving L Weissman, Cell 2009(Jul 23); 138(2): 286-99. [PubMed Citation][FriendFeed entry].
Monday, July 27, 2009
Facebook/Who we were
In junior high, we were S and S and S (same names, two different spellings) and L, and sometimes the other L, who wasn't Jewish. S and L were the original friends, I think. I remember going to S's house (I was one of the other Ss) and sitting on the couch, talking to her young bouncy mother, and petting the very smart dog Fluffy. You could put your hand out in front of her forehead and she would move her head down and across so that you were petting her, passively. I was so innocent that I didn't know it was trite to name a fluffy dog Fluffy. We had a dachshund named Pretzel and didn't know that a dachshund named Pretzel was the protagonist in a children's book by the creators of Curious George.
L and S and I would plan how we would dress. We read about makeup. We cut out beauty hints from teen magazines.
Is it true that L is now a swimming instructor in Philadelphia? Or is my Googling conclusion not right? I don't remember any particular love of the water when she was 14. Why has S's mother not accepted my offer of friendship from 20 hours ago? Where does S (former owner of Fluffy) live with her husband J? I see her profile on Facebook and there's no town, no state. Why do these people change their last names? I think some of them insert the maiden name just so old friends can find them, they don't use them in everyday life. Even the divorced ones will go by their ex-husband's name.
Why does it seem that only the gay people from high school are progressive politically? (An exaggeration, but close.) How does J, whom I know from her days in Chicago, know D, the daughter of my mother's good friend? How can H not respond to my request to "friend"? Does it have anything to do with her not recognizing me at the last reunion?
At the reunion, W was cool to me as usual, couldn't be bothered, but her husband was enthusiastic about meeting a writer. W never answered my friending request. Was my request sincere? Why was I collecting her?
More than 40 years ago I used to put my Barbie and her clothes and accessories in a shiny black Barbie case and go down the street to play with D. Now D has had breast cancer; she's one of nine women in her family who's had it. Another D (member of my carpool) had cancer of the appendix! All kinds of not-so-close relatives of mine have had breast cancer: two second cousins once removed (both died of it), my aunt is living with it, my first cousin (other side) has survived it, my great-grandmother's sister had throat cancer. My grandparents had colon cancer. Or was it just my grandfather? I remember answering the intern genetic counselor's questions as I was walking down Irving Park a couple of years ago. My uncle and aunt (his younger sister) died of lung cancer. He smoked, she didn't. She asked about every family member, and noted their level of education, and I remember I kept answering, master's, master's, master's.
(One time for my father's birthday we made him a certificate, declaring him Master of Ceremonies. My mother, my sister and I all had master's degrees of our own.)
I didn't think about how we would end up. Even I, morbid as I was, wouldn't imagine the demise of all of us. And I didn't imagine our survival. I didn't think about growing cancer and having it excised, leaving gaps and scars. I didn't think about scars. I worried and wrote notes to my friends, into the night. We compared our hair--our frizz--in the mirrors at school. Few people would sneak a smoke. Our gym suits were one-piece, baggy-legged, like 1920s beauty contestants.' They snapped together in front. Once my shirt was stolen during gym. Most of us girls didn't know how to talk to boys as we gathered outside the building before the bell rang. But D did. Because she found pleasure in talking to them. She found pleasure in much of life. And judging by her family picture on Facebook, she still does. (Though who wouldn't smile in a family photo they'd make public?)
[Twiggy]Some of us brooded. We worried about our permanent records, and the rules against wearing short skirts, and having our hairy toes made fun of in gym class. (C was a snob about feet with hair on them. Maybe she gets her whole body waxed now.) We began to worry about college. I wanted to go away--up North, where everyone was intellectual. I never imagined I would become moony and nostalgic about the ordinary, difficult days of junior high, where we analyzed all aspects of a boy's casual Hello or Good-bye. We were always on alert. We watched ourselves. We watched the other girls. We listened to their banter. We gossiped. Later in high school we looked through our yearbooks and decided how everyone should re-groom themselves. Everyone could be improved. Our teen magazines were predicated on that notion. Is it an American one? If we learned how to use blusher and eyeliner and lip liner and so on--would we then be popular? That was all that mattered.
Unbelievably, yesterday I saw a young woman reading Dale Carnegie's book, How to Win Friends and Influence People, first published more than 70 years ago. It was a paperback and looked new. She looked intent, as if she was reading it without irony.
Sensible.
I suppose I should post something sensible now, so that if any newcomers stumble across my blog they won't immediately see that NKOTB video and think I'm completely insane/immature/lame/14 years old.
I can be sensible. Really.
I got a comment on one of my older posts from a woman recently diagnosed with smoldering MM. She wrote:
"Hello, I've been reading through your blog as I've just been diagnosed with Smoldering Myeloma. I have 2 kids under 5 and am v scared. I have been told I have a 1 in 3 chance of developing myeloma but not much more. I wondered if you had any guidance on good questions to ask...I'm very confused!It seems in the UK SMM isn't considered serious enough to get support. I can't find anything without reading all about Myeloma and I'm trying not to do that. But unless you have cancer there isn't much around.All I know so far is that I have raised protein, raised light chain readings and abnormalities in my bone marrow."
She didn't leave an e-mail address, so I'll try to answer her questions in a post.
First of all, hang in there! Smoldering myeloma can often be more stressful and scary than "real" myeloma, because there is nothing you can do. You just go to your tests every few months and hope that all of your numbers stay in a good place, but it's not like you're really "fighting" cancer. I always felt like I was trying really hard not to fight cancer back when I was smoldering, because I just didn't want to tick it off.
Back when I was first diagnosed, I wrote a long post about what all of my numbers meant and what the doctors were looking for. Reading that might be somewhat helpful. A quick summary: When I was smoldering, the doctors wanted be sure that I wasn't becoming anemic, that my kidneys and bones were OK, and that my white cells weren't too low. As long as that checked out OK, I was in the clear and didn't need to start Revlimid yet. I had checkups every two to three months to check all of that and to see what my M-spike (a measure of the myeloma) was doing. Some smoldering people have M-spikes that are totally stable and just sit there and do nothing; unfortunately, mine would go up just a teeny little bit every time. Stupid Spike.
Probably the most important thing (I think) is to base the decision to start treatment on trends that have been going on for a while (like a slowly rising M-spike), and not one single test. Good luck, and please, comment again any time and send me your e-mail if you want! Are there any other smolderers out there who have more advice?
I can be sensible. Really.
I got a comment on one of my older posts from a woman recently diagnosed with smoldering MM. She wrote:
"Hello, I've been reading through your blog as I've just been diagnosed with Smoldering Myeloma. I have 2 kids under 5 and am v scared. I have been told I have a 1 in 3 chance of developing myeloma but not much more. I wondered if you had any guidance on good questions to ask...I'm very confused!It seems in the UK SMM isn't considered serious enough to get support. I can't find anything without reading all about Myeloma and I'm trying not to do that. But unless you have cancer there isn't much around.All I know so far is that I have raised protein, raised light chain readings and abnormalities in my bone marrow."
She didn't leave an e-mail address, so I'll try to answer her questions in a post.
First of all, hang in there! Smoldering myeloma can often be more stressful and scary than "real" myeloma, because there is nothing you can do. You just go to your tests every few months and hope that all of your numbers stay in a good place, but it's not like you're really "fighting" cancer. I always felt like I was trying really hard not to fight cancer back when I was smoldering, because I just didn't want to tick it off.
Back when I was first diagnosed, I wrote a long post about what all of my numbers meant and what the doctors were looking for. Reading that might be somewhat helpful. A quick summary: When I was smoldering, the doctors wanted be sure that I wasn't becoming anemic, that my kidneys and bones were OK, and that my white cells weren't too low. As long as that checked out OK, I was in the clear and didn't need to start Revlimid yet. I had checkups every two to three months to check all of that and to see what my M-spike (a measure of the myeloma) was doing. Some smoldering people have M-spikes that are totally stable and just sit there and do nothing; unfortunately, mine would go up just a teeny little bit every time. Stupid Spike.
Probably the most important thing (I think) is to base the decision to start treatment on trends that have been going on for a while (like a slowly rising M-spike), and not one single test. Good luck, and please, comment again any time and send me your e-mail if you want! Are there any other smolderers out there who have more advice?
Good MRI results
The results of last week's brain MRI were good -- no evidence of metastases in the brain. But it still doesn't explain the sudden onset of vertigo, which by the way has not happened since last Thursday. Dr G says to wait and see if the vertigo returns and if it does, then we will address it.
In the meantime I am thrilled to have a good baseline brain MRI!
In the meantime I am thrilled to have a good baseline brain MRI!
Tissue Factor and CSC
Tissue Factor and Cancer Stem Cells. Is There a Linkage? by Chloe Milsom and 5 co-authors, including Janusz Rak, Arterioscler Thromb Vasc Biol 2009(Jul 23) [Epub ahead of print]. PubMed Abstract. Last sentence:
We propose that both tumor cell-associated and host-related TF could influence the properties of CSCs, and that agents targeting the TF/PAR system may represent a hitherto unappreciated therapeutic opportunity to control cancer progression by influencing the CSC/TIC compartment.
Sunday, July 26, 2009
Familiar/de-familiarization
The things we know. The things we think we know. The things we feel we know. We were talking about Germany tonight. T's next book is about Germany. I thought he also said Europe, but L said he just said Germany. We were in a French restaurant. Butter instead of olive oil for the bread. I asked what he thought of the Berlin Jewish Museum. What I thought of it: it was not designed for me. It is defensive. It is begging the visitor to remember, to learn, that Jews belonged in Germany, in Europe. That Jews were part of the history of Germany (however grim; however they were persecuted). My Berlin friend J had objected to the lack of class consciousness in the museum's exhibits. She also objected to the mentions of Christmas, but as we know, Anne Frank's family celebrated it, and in this book I've been reading, Hitler's Exiles, there's repeated mention of it in the individual essays. Everyone is ripe to criticize museums; their public-ness, their please-come-and-visit-ness makes them especially prone to judgments. T said that the museum was trying to normalize Germany. I think this is what he said. I think he said that it was trying to explain the Holocaust as part of Germany's history. In the last room of the museum are eye-level cubes with color photos (note: the Holocaust is always presented in black and white; we think of it in black and white) of Jews in Germany today. We get a description and a quote. All proving: We are like you, o visitor from Europa. We are normal, just as you are normal. Is Germany normal? Not yet.
I talked about Jew-yearning, the people who feel Jewish or think they had a Jewish ancestor, or who know that their family had converted from Judaism. The little girl who spoke to her classmates about her mishpacha and the other kids didn't understand, and so she learned that she was using the Yiddish word for family. As an adult she converted. The way the German Jews (based on two examples) post their mezzuzahs inside their doors instead of outside because they're afraid. Yet the very recent trend of planting square engraved metal panels on the sidewalk in front of your apartment building, the squares with the names of family members who died in the Holocaust. Memorial squares right where you live. Very public. But not so completely public because there's no sure way to know which person in the building had this done. Though you could guess by comparing last names.
[She celebrated Christmas.]The familiar and the unfamiliar. I remember Walter Abish's book, How German Is It, which I read 25 years ago in grad school, and his questions about what is familiar. Objects can be so familiar that we don't delve into their meaning, or what's beneath them. So familiar that we can't see them as they are. When I was in San Francisco I tried to write descriptions of what I was seeing but the buildings were too familiar. San Francisco looked like San Francisco. I forced myself, as an exercise: in S's neighborhood, two- and three-story houses and apartment buildings, further apart and lighter-looking than the buildings in Berlin, more open to the street; you could walk up the steps to someone's door right off the street. The buildings were wood and stucco and cement, maybe, in pastel and other colors--gray-blue, maroon--sometimes muraled. There was a painted lady at the end of her block. You could walk up to someone's window. But the main difference is the density. The buildings in Noe Valley housed one family or two. In front of many of the homes were lush little gardens: lemon trees, bougainvillea, roses, four-foot tall geraniums, ivy. Our geraniums here don't have a chance to grow that tall outside. Mission Street with its greengrocers and taqerias and dollar stores and abandoned old movie theaters--El Capitan, Tower, Latino. One movie theater, Victor Grand, just turned into a dollar store: Grand Opening. Narrow, deep little stores with hanging pinatas and cheap pairs of socks. Anything you could want or need.
What I love about the Bay Area is its self-indulgence combined with social earnestness: I want my organic ice cream and I feel good that it comes in a biodegradable bowl. I deserve the goat cheese raspberry ice cream and I don't deserve it because over there on the sidewalk is a pile of rags that serves as someone's bed. It becomes defensive ambivalence.
The utmost indulgence, the laughable: a little shop that sells smallbatch raw food for dogs and cats. Always the threat that the rug could be pulled out from under you: This is an unreinforced masonry building. Unreinforced masonry buildings may be unsafe in the event of a major earthquake. Signs in windows in support of gay marriage, jobs in the Mission, the saving of the local firehouse.
Tonight we were in Chicago eating rich food cooked butter and lemon and talking about Germany. There's a deep part of me that feels I understand what it's like to be Jewish in Germany. Now. Maybe because of the pervasiveness of my guilt/shame (see two posts down), my defensiveness, my pride. OK, suppose I do. So what? What will I do with that?
***
In case you're looking for cancer: Before dinner we went to a party and I was talking a long time with a stranger and when he asked what my newest book was about and I told him, I could see him looking looking at my chest. I was wearing a black tank top under a sleeveless white shirt and you could tell I just had one breast. I choose to make it obvious that I'm one-breasted and yet when someone stares and stares, keeping himself from asking what he wants to ask about the obvious, I feel self-conscious, invaded. What are you looking at? Oh, I know what you're looking at and what troubles you is that you can't understand why I would go around with a flatness on one side. Maybe you even think it's indecent. Look at the result of the scourge of cancer. It's horrifying. But not strange. You can get used to it.
A neurosurgeon's guide to CSC
A neurosurgeon's guide to stem cells, cancer stem cells, and brain tumor stem cells by Samuel H Cheshier and 5 co-authors, including Irving L Weissman, Neurosurgery 2009(Aug); 65(2): 237-49. PubMed Abstract:
Stem cells and their potential applications have become the forefront of scientific, political, and ethical discourse. Whereas stem cells were long accepted as units of development and evolution, it is now becoming increasingly clear that they are also units of oncogenesis. Although the field of stem cell biology is expanding at an astounding rate, the data attained are not readily translatable for the physicians who may eventually deliver these tools to patients. Herein, we provide a brief review of stem cell and cancer stem cell biology and highlight the scientific and clinical implications of recent findings regarding the presence of cancer-forming stem cells in brain tumors.
Review in special issue of Chemical Reviews
Cancer Stem Cells: A New Theory Regarding a Timeless Disease by Bedabrata Sarkar, Joseph Dosch and Diane M Simeone, Chem Rev 2009(Jul); 109(7): 3200-8.[PubMed Citation]. Excerpt from the full text of this review:
5 Conclusions
The discovery of CSCs in several types of solid tumors over the past few years represents a major paradigm shift in the field of oncology and is likely to change our understanding of the process of tumorigenesis. The existence of cancer stem cells also has direct therapeutic implications. Most current systemic therapies have been found ineffective in the treatment of solid tumors, and this may be due, at least in part, to increased resistance of the cancer stem cells. Selective pressure provided by treatment of the tumor with chemotherapy or ionizing radiation may allow for the survival and enrichment of a resistant CSC population, with subsequent reconstitution of the primary tumor with cells that will not be responsive to further treatment cycles. It will be important to understand how cancer stem cells are different from the rest of the tumor cell population in order to develop effective targeted therapeutics to this resistant cancer cell population, with the goal of improvement in patient outcomes.This article is part of the 2009 Cancer Chemotherapeutics special issue of Chemical Reviews.
Targeted therapy for AML stem cells
New Targeted Therapy Finds And Eliminates Deadly Leukemia Stem Cells, ScienceDaily July 3, 2009. [FriendFeed entry]. First paragraph:
New research describes a molecular tool that shows great promise as a therapeutic for human acute myeloid leukemia (AML), a notoriously treatment-resistant blood cancer. The study, published in the July 2nd issue of the journal Cell Stem Cell, describes exciting preclinical studies in which a new therapeutic approach selectively attacks human cancer cells grown in the lab and in animal models of leukemia.The news release is about this article: Monoclonal antibody-mediated targeting of CD123, IL-3 receptor alpha chain, eliminates human acute myeloid leukemic stem cells by Liqing Jin and 14 co-authors, including John E Dick and Richard B Lock, Cell Stem Cell 2009(Jul 2); 5(1): 31-42. [PubMed Citation].
Saturday, July 25, 2009
having a wonderful time. wish you were here.
I am having my best BlogHer ever.
The biggest difference is that I am more comfortable in my own skin, more at ease with who I am and more willing to take risks when it comes to approaching people.
I also know myself well and am making the choices that are the right ones for me. This has meant that I am not pressuring myself to "network" not doing the parties and welcoming opportunities for one on one time with interesting people. This has led to the creation of some lovely memories and the deepening of some friendships.
Yesterday, I attended sessions on "The Transformational Power of Blogging," "Blogs and Body Image: What are we teaching our kids?" and "Patient Bloggers: You are not your disease - you just blog about it every day." Every one was excellent.
I toyed with the idea of skipping the "Community Keynote" but I'm so glad I didn't. A series of bloggers read selected posts from their blogs, each more funny or sad or powerful than the next. And some really beautiful pieces of writing.
Last night's cocktail party was a little grim (karaoke! ouch!) or maybe I am just getting old ("the noise! I couldn't have a conversation!") The free booze just wasn't enough to make me stay. Luckily, I invited Elana to have dinner with me - and she said yes. A pint and a bite and some lovely conversation later, I felt restored.
Today, I have visited the vendors, talked to people and, at lunch, I did my book signing. They had us tucked away in a far corner of the Expo hall, so it was a little slow. I was signing with Ilene Chaiken, creator of the L-Word and we still didn't draw more than a handful of people. I've sold and signed a few books, though and have done as well as anyone else here.
Next up is a session on "Online Safety for Your Kids Who Are Online Themselves." I just hope it's not all scaremongering.
I think I'm going to skip the evening cocktail party and go have some deep-dish pizza with Suzanne, her parents and some other bloggers.
This time, I wasn't to oshy to ask for a celebrity photo (that's Ilene Chaiken on the left and BlogHer co-founder - and blurber of my book - Lisa Stone in the centre).Stem-like cells in benign tumours
Tumor 'Stem-like Cells' Exist In Benign Tumors, ScienceDaily, July 22, 2009. First paragraph:
Cancer stem-like cells have been implicated in the genesis of a variety of malignant cancers. Research scientists at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center's Maxine Dunitz Neurosurgical Institute have isolated stem-like cells in benign (pituitary) tumors and used these "mother" cells to generate new tumors in laboratory mice. Targeting the cells of origin is seen as a possible strategy in the fight against malignant and benign tumors.Based on the publication: Isolation of tumour stem-like cells from benign tumours by Qijin Xu and 10 co-authors, including John S Yu, Br J Cancer 2009(Jul 21); 101(2): 303-11 [Epub 2009(Jun 30)]. Final section of PubMed Abstract:
CONCLUSION: This study for the first time indicates that stem-like cells are present in benign tumours. The conclusions from this study may have applications to understanding pituitary tumour biology and therapies, as well as implications for the notion of tumour-initiating cells in general.
Friday, July 24, 2009
Translation of knowledge about CSC into clinical use
Radiation Therapy Oncology Group Translational Research Program Stem Cell Symposium: Incorporating Stem Cell Hypotheses into Clinical Trials. Authors: Wendy A Woodward, Robert G Bristow, Michael F Clarke, Robert P Coppes, Massimo Cristofanilli, Dan G Duda, John R Fike, Dolores Hambardzumyan, Richard P Hill, Craig T Jordan, Luka Milas, Frank Pajonk, Walter J Curran, Adam P Dicker, Yuhchyau Chen. Int J Radiat Oncol Biol Phys 2009(Aug 1); 74(5): 1580-91 [Epub 2009(Jun 17)]. PubMed Abstract:
At a meeting of the Translation Research Program of the Radiation Therapy Oncology Group held in early 2008, attendees focused on updating the current state of knowledge in cancer stem cell research and discussing ways in which this knowledge can be translated into clinical use across all disease sites. This report summarizes the major topics discussed and the future directions that research should take. Major conclusions of the symposium were that the flow cytometry of multiple markers in fresh tissue would remain the standard technique of evaluating cancer-initiating cells and that surrogates need to be developed for both experimental and clinical use.
Wandering Jews again
Tonight we head back to Wedgwood to house sit for our neighbors. At least we will be closer to home at this location! It sure beats driving there every day to check on the remodel status, water plants, etc.
We spent most of the day running bathroom-oriented errands. First we went to NW Shower Door and chose a panel-door-panel configuration with a "C"-shaped handle in clear glass. Then we stopped for a quick lunch at the Shanty Cafe (reviews here). When I first moved to Seattle I lived on the west slope of Queen Anne hill and on the days my car needed an oil change, tire rotation etc. I would have breakfast at the Shanty. It's still good and was PACKED when we arrived just before 1 PM.
Then it was off to Builder's Hardware & Supply Company to choose a doorknob and hinges. They appear to have what seems to be every hinge, door knob, house number and decorative drawer pull known to mankind.
Last, we drove to Daly's Paint to match the color on the old door hinges so all three hall doors will be the same color, and to pick up small samples of the paint colors we chose. They are a reddish brown for the soffits, sea green for the walls above the shower tiles and ceiling, and cream for the remaining walls. (Just not the same cream as the current doors and trim.) Once the sheet rock has been primed, we will be able to test the paint colors to be sure they are the shades we want. Such a convenience for only a few dollars!
We spent most of the day running bathroom-oriented errands. First we went to NW Shower Door and chose a panel-door-panel configuration with a "C"-shaped handle in clear glass. Then we stopped for a quick lunch at the Shanty Cafe (reviews here). When I first moved to Seattle I lived on the west slope of Queen Anne hill and on the days my car needed an oil change, tire rotation etc. I would have breakfast at the Shanty. It's still good and was PACKED when we arrived just before 1 PM.
Then it was off to Builder's Hardware & Supply Company to choose a doorknob and hinges. They appear to have what seems to be every hinge, door knob, house number and decorative drawer pull known to mankind.
Last, we drove to Daly's Paint to match the color on the old door hinges so all three hall doors will be the same color, and to pick up small samples of the paint colors we chose. They are a reddish brown for the soffits, sea green for the walls above the shower tiles and ceiling, and cream for the remaining walls. (Just not the same cream as the current doors and trim.) Once the sheet rock has been primed, we will be able to test the paint colors to be sure they are the shades we want. Such a convenience for only a few dollars!
Thursday, July 23, 2009
What Happens to a Donated Tumor?
I truly love CR magazine. It's a relatively new publication of the American Association for Cancer Research. Since I've been involved in the Scientist-Survivor Program, I've been able to meet the staff of the magazine...unbelievable to me how such a small staff is able to turn out such a quality publication. Their most recent issue has an article about donating our tumor specimens for scientific research.
Until the last conference I attended at the AACR's annual meeting, I'd never really thought about donating tumor specimens. Anna Barker, the Deputy Director of the NCI talked to the survivors and advocates at the latest conference about the need for patients to know what happens to their tumors when they are removed, how they are preserved if saved, who has access to them, where they are stored.
As a nurse, most surgical consents I have patients sign have a general clause releasing rights to all tissues removed from the patient's body. I'm guessing my own surgical consent said something to the same effect. I think I'm like most cancer patients; we want our tumors removed, and assume they are disposed of...good riddance. We want our tumors gone and destroyed.
After becoming familiar with cancer genomics with and the Cancer Genome Atlas project via my involvement in the Scientist-Survivor Program, though, I now would care now what happened to my excised tumor, how it was preserved. In the best of worlds, all of our removed tumors would be preserved in their most usable form and be accessible to all doing cancer research. Maybe scientific and pharmaceutical access to our tumor specimens would advance the science of cancer research and help to one day find a cure for our cancers.
For a great article on the subject, read "What Happens to a Donated Tumor?" in the current issue of CR Magazine. Very thought-provoking. Something we really need to think about as cancer patients and survivors. We need to make our struggle count, we need to help someone else not have to face what we have faced.
Until the last conference I attended at the AACR's annual meeting, I'd never really thought about donating tumor specimens. Anna Barker, the Deputy Director of the NCI talked to the survivors and advocates at the latest conference about the need for patients to know what happens to their tumors when they are removed, how they are preserved if saved, who has access to them, where they are stored.
As a nurse, most surgical consents I have patients sign have a general clause releasing rights to all tissues removed from the patient's body. I'm guessing my own surgical consent said something to the same effect. I think I'm like most cancer patients; we want our tumors removed, and assume they are disposed of...good riddance. We want our tumors gone and destroyed.
After becoming familiar with cancer genomics with and the Cancer Genome Atlas project via my involvement in the Scientist-Survivor Program, though, I now would care now what happened to my excised tumor, how it was preserved. In the best of worlds, all of our removed tumors would be preserved in their most usable form and be accessible to all doing cancer research. Maybe scientific and pharmaceutical access to our tumor specimens would advance the science of cancer research and help to one day find a cure for our cancers.
For a great article on the subject, read "What Happens to a Donated Tumor?" in the current issue of CR Magazine. Very thought-provoking. Something we really need to think about as cancer patients and survivors. We need to make our struggle count, we need to help someone else not have to face what we have faced.
landed
What I mean is, that I am now in Chicago, comfortably ensconced in my hotel room and ready to attend BlogHer 09.
I didn't get sick (although both my kids did) or my symptoms were really mild (or I have yet to be felled but I won't consider that option). Thanks to everyone who wished me well. I think it helped.
I am typing this (badly) on a lovely little borrowed Netbook, since my computer died on Tuesday afternoon. After calling around for the best prognosis and cheapest care, it seems like it's fixable. I'm glad but I could learn to love this little loaner, even as I adjust to a new keyboard.
Last year, you may recall that my computer took sick right before BlogHer as well. I chose to be computer-less (and while I certainly didn't mind not schlepping the thing back and forth from Oakland to San Francisco and back every day, I did miss being wired. Twitter played such a big role at last year's conference (I'm @lauriek. Follow me, if you like!) and I missed being able to read everyone's comments at day's end and add my own. Also, the comprehensive agenda was online only and I left before it was available, so that was a bit of a hassle. This year's laptop demise may end up feeling serendipitous.
I'm not going to hide behind the computer, though. I made myself some handwritten notes this morning (I try to spend a few minutes writing free-hand most days) which can be summed up this way: relax, don't let my introversion get the best of me and have fun!
I forgot my USB cable (so no photos to download until I get home) and a little gift to exchange with someone. I did remember to bring a friend's husband's forgotten wedding ring and another friend's head on a stick.
The head (well, photograph of a head) belongs to Nora who can't be here (something about having given birth to twins). Nora and I met at last year's BlogHer. I liked her very much. And I must say that she has thus far been an excellent travelling companion. There are a few of us here bearing Nora's head and tomorrow, we are going to try and pose for a group photo.
I have to head over to the conference hotel, shortly (I am staying a few blocks away) and deliver my books the bookstore. I'm doing a signing on Saturday at lunch (12:15 to 12:40). I 'm sharing the spot with Ilene Chaiken (creator of the L-Word), so I will either benefit from her spillover or be left entirely alone. If you don't yet have my book and you want to buy it at BlogHer, I promise to sign it and write something really nice.
Wednesday, July 22, 2009
MRI today
I had my brain MRI today. Half of a one mg ativan tablet relaxed me enough to get into the tube. My eye mask helps a lot to keep me from freaking out at being inside the narrow MR tube. But the ear plugs didn't really do anything. The clanging and ringing and random LOUD sounds are so unpleasant. My ears rang for several minutes after I was finished.
I had forgotten to ask if this test was going to be performed with injectable dye, called contrast. But the technician read that I have a port-a-cath and asked if I wanted them to use it. I always say yes to this request, because I hate being stuck with a needle. So off I trooped to the infusion room, where a nurse accessed my port quickly and easily. Then back to the MRI room, had the scan, and back again to the infusion center to be de-accessed from the port. The whole process took about an hour. I get the results on Monday.
The ativan made me drowsy, so after returning to our host family's home and eating some lunch, I took a two hour nap. It was wonderful! I don't think I moved the entire time I was ensconced on the sofa. Hopefully I will still be able to sleep tonight after such a massive nap this afternoon.
I had forgotten to ask if this test was going to be performed with injectable dye, called contrast. But the technician read that I have a port-a-cath and asked if I wanted them to use it. I always say yes to this request, because I hate being stuck with a needle. So off I trooped to the infusion room, where a nurse accessed my port quickly and easily. Then back to the MRI room, had the scan, and back again to the infusion center to be de-accessed from the port. The whole process took about an hour. I get the results on Monday.
The ativan made me drowsy, so after returning to our host family's home and eating some lunch, I took a two hour nap. It was wonderful! I don't think I moved the entire time I was ensconced on the sofa. Hopefully I will still be able to sleep tonight after such a massive nap this afternoon.
BREWDOG PARADOX
Brewdog's Paradox series is now available at Healthy Spirits. All three of the beers are imperial stouts, aged in different whisky barrels.
1. Paradox Isle of Arran
2.Paradox Springbank
3. Paradox Smokehead
cheers,
-dave
1. Paradox Isle of Arran
2.Paradox Springbank
3. Paradox Smokehead
cheers,
-dave
RUSSIAN RIVER TEMPTATION IS HERE!
R
Russian River Temptation
has finally arrived! As of now, we only have the 750ml corked and caged bottles.
A lot of people have been asking about the magnums and jeroboams. When I spoke to Russian River the other day, they told me that it would probably be a week or so before any were relelased. If they become available, we will do our best to get them.
Russian River Temptation
has finally arrived! As of now, we only have the 750ml corked and caged bottles.
A lot of people have been asking about the magnums and jeroboams. When I spoke to Russian River the other day, they told me that it would probably be a week or so before any were relelased. If they become available, we will do our best to get them.
cheers,
-dave
CD133 expression has high prognostic impact for colon cancer
The cancer stem cell marker CD133 has high prognostic impact but unknown functional relevance for the metastasis of human colon cancer by David Horst and 6 co-authors, including Thomas Kirchner and Andreas Jung, J Pathol 2009(Jun 25) [Epub ahead of print] PubMed Abstract:
In colon cancer, CD133 has recently been used to enrich for a subset of tumour cells with tumour-initiating capabilities and was therefore suggested to mark colon cancer stem cells. However, this molecule has surprisingly been shown to lack functional importance for tumour initiation itself. Herein, we investigated whether CD133 may be relevant for colon cancer metastasis in patients, and as metastasis requires several additional biological characteristics besides tumour initiation, we examined the effects of knocking down CD133 expression in colon cancer cell lines on proliferation, migration, invasion, and colony formation. We demonstrate that high CD133 expression correlates strongly with synchronous liver metastasis in a matched case-control collection, while siRNA-mediated knock down of this factor has no significant effect on the mentioned biological characteristics. Thus, we conclude that CD133 expression is a marker with high prognostic impact for colon cancer, while it seems to have no obvious functional role as a driving force of this malignancy.
When Someone You Love Has Cancer
I was recently asked to participate in another blog book tour. I love to read and love to write, so was happy to accept the invitation. The book was "When Someone You Love Has Cancer: Comfort and Encouragement for Caregivers and Loved Ones" written by Cecil Murphey, who co-authored with Don Piper another book I'd enjoyed, "90 Minutes in Heaven". Cecil Murphy has written over 100 books, many as a "ghost writer". He is a former pastor and volunteer hospital chaplain. He is also the husband of a woman diagnosed with aggressive breast cancer, so is very qualified to address this issue.
Before I received the book, I was worried about being able to read it in time write my review. I was pleasantly surprised when I received the book; it was only 67 pages long. What impressed me most about the book was the profound wisdom contained in those few pages. I appreciated that the book was short and an easy read, especially considering its intended audience, those traveling the cancer journey with someone they love. From my own experience, I was so overwhelmed after my own diagnosis that I had trouble concentrating for a long time. I craved simplicity. Reading hundreds of pages wasn't something I could easily do at the time. Those close to a person with a cancer diagnosis I'm sure are in a similar frame of mind.
The book was filled with wisdom to guide those supporting someone with a cancer diagnosis. He identified his own sense of shock and helplessness when someone he loved was diagnosed. We all, patients and caregivers alike, hear nothing after the words "its cancer" at the initial doctor's appointment. He talks about the numbness, shock and grief of having someone you love diagnosed with cancer. Caregivers share many of the same emotions those diagnosed feel.
The book brought up many good points that I appreciated. He recommends being an active listener, being available to a cancer patient even when they don't want to speak or share, supporting in silence. He advocates acknowledging the negative thoughts and feelings, the anger expressed by cancer patients; we all experience those emotions and feel particularly alone when people are not comfortable allowing us to express them. He also wrote of the need to avoid indulging in statements such as "I know you'll beat this", words that often make the caregiver feel better, but that are not helpful to the patient. There is no way of knowing if we will beat our disease, we know many who don’t. We need to deal with the potential reality of a bad outcome also.
Even as a Christian and former pastor, he discourages throwing around religious slogans. A minister I know who has a great belief in heaven and whose wife was diagnosed with an aggressive cancer once tearfully said in response to congregation members who talked about his wife's eternal destiny "Yes, I KNOW she'll go to heaven, but I don't WANT her to go now". Statements such as “It’s God’s will” are not helpful. From here we can't understand or know the reasons or God’s will, to pretend we do is not helpful.
Cecil also talks about helping someone diagnosed in a practical sense. The statement "Let me know if I can be of any help" is useless. It is better to objectively identify needs and to just fill them....as church members did for me with a check anonymously left on my windshield to help with travel expenses. I received many calling cards given to me by friends when I needed to contact medical facilities across the county attempting to arrange treatment. A cell phone was given to me by a sister who knew I'd need to communicate with my kids while I was across the country for treatment. Another sister paid our hotel bills unasked when I was 750 miles from home seeking care. My mother-in-law supported my kids emotionally and provided child care when I was across the country having surgery. That help was very much appreciated. There is a great appendix “Practical Things you Can Do to Help Those Diagnosed with Cancer” at the end of the book.
One of the things I loved most about his book was his acknowledging that even those of us who have faith in God feel God's silence at some point in time. I know I did. For a long while I experienced a "dark night of the soul", God seemed not to be there for me. It was a very dark and depressing time for me, but in the end it strengthened my faith. He experienced his own "dark night of the soul" for 18 months so could relate...I've ordered another of his books about that time in his life, "Seeking God's Hidden Face: When God Seems Absent". In my cancer world, that seems to be a common experience.
From his own perspective dealing with potentially losing his wife, the love of his life (who is now 10 years cancer free), Cecil shares many of the valuable things he learned on the journey. His book would be a great gift to anyone suddenly thrust into the role of supporting a loved one with cancer.
There is a Grand Prize offered to readers participating in this tour, the blog tour participant who has the most comments to their review will be able to select the grand prize winner from those who comment. The winner will receive a package of books written by Cecil Murphy with a retail value of over $300.
And to all of you who who have or are supporting someone you love diagnosed with cancer, thank you. You are our heros!
Before I received the book, I was worried about being able to read it in time write my review. I was pleasantly surprised when I received the book; it was only 67 pages long. What impressed me most about the book was the profound wisdom contained in those few pages. I appreciated that the book was short and an easy read, especially considering its intended audience, those traveling the cancer journey with someone they love. From my own experience, I was so overwhelmed after my own diagnosis that I had trouble concentrating for a long time. I craved simplicity. Reading hundreds of pages wasn't something I could easily do at the time. Those close to a person with a cancer diagnosis I'm sure are in a similar frame of mind.
The book was filled with wisdom to guide those supporting someone with a cancer diagnosis. He identified his own sense of shock and helplessness when someone he loved was diagnosed. We all, patients and caregivers alike, hear nothing after the words "its cancer" at the initial doctor's appointment. He talks about the numbness, shock and grief of having someone you love diagnosed with cancer. Caregivers share many of the same emotions those diagnosed feel.
The book brought up many good points that I appreciated. He recommends being an active listener, being available to a cancer patient even when they don't want to speak or share, supporting in silence. He advocates acknowledging the negative thoughts and feelings, the anger expressed by cancer patients; we all experience those emotions and feel particularly alone when people are not comfortable allowing us to express them. He also wrote of the need to avoid indulging in statements such as "I know you'll beat this", words that often make the caregiver feel better, but that are not helpful to the patient. There is no way of knowing if we will beat our disease, we know many who don’t. We need to deal with the potential reality of a bad outcome also.
Even as a Christian and former pastor, he discourages throwing around religious slogans. A minister I know who has a great belief in heaven and whose wife was diagnosed with an aggressive cancer once tearfully said in response to congregation members who talked about his wife's eternal destiny "Yes, I KNOW she'll go to heaven, but I don't WANT her to go now". Statements such as “It’s God’s will” are not helpful. From here we can't understand or know the reasons or God’s will, to pretend we do is not helpful.
Cecil also talks about helping someone diagnosed in a practical sense. The statement "Let me know if I can be of any help" is useless. It is better to objectively identify needs and to just fill them....as church members did for me with a check anonymously left on my windshield to help with travel expenses. I received many calling cards given to me by friends when I needed to contact medical facilities across the county attempting to arrange treatment. A cell phone was given to me by a sister who knew I'd need to communicate with my kids while I was across the country for treatment. Another sister paid our hotel bills unasked when I was 750 miles from home seeking care. My mother-in-law supported my kids emotionally and provided child care when I was across the country having surgery. That help was very much appreciated. There is a great appendix “Practical Things you Can Do to Help Those Diagnosed with Cancer” at the end of the book.
One of the things I loved most about his book was his acknowledging that even those of us who have faith in God feel God's silence at some point in time. I know I did. For a long while I experienced a "dark night of the soul", God seemed not to be there for me. It was a very dark and depressing time for me, but in the end it strengthened my faith. He experienced his own "dark night of the soul" for 18 months so could relate...I've ordered another of his books about that time in his life, "Seeking God's Hidden Face: When God Seems Absent". In my cancer world, that seems to be a common experience.
From his own perspective dealing with potentially losing his wife, the love of his life (who is now 10 years cancer free), Cecil shares many of the valuable things he learned on the journey. His book would be a great gift to anyone suddenly thrust into the role of supporting a loved one with cancer.
There is a Grand Prize offered to readers participating in this tour, the blog tour participant who has the most comments to their review will be able to select the grand prize winner from those who comment. The winner will receive a package of books written by Cecil Murphy with a retail value of over $300.
And to all of you who who have or are supporting someone you love diagnosed with cancer, thank you. You are our heros!
Video from Stanford about CSC
Cancer Stem Cells: The Origin of Cancer. Video (Runtime: 00:48:26) produced by Stanford University Medical Center, February 11, 2009. Description:
Irving Weissman, professor of developmental biology at Stanford University Medical Center, addresses what cancer stem cells are, how they maintain themselves and why they may be resistant to some current treatments. Weissman also talks about the "don't eat me" signal and how it relates to the growth of certain types of cancer cells. Find out how Stanford scientists and clinicians are working to identifying cancer stem cells in many types of tumors and how they have used that information to develop new therapeutic strategies.Comment: Captions are available for this video. If viewed using QuickTime, the captions will be visible when the video is launched. (Unfortunately, the captions haven't been copyedited by the speaker, and contain some errors).
Tuesday, July 21, 2009
Jon Knight sings Step Five!
Those of you who are Completely Normal will not understand why this is a big deal. Those of us who have a serious NKOTB Problem (Has this been classified as a mental illness yet?) will grow shaky with emotion when Jon sings Step Five and all of the other guys start jumping up and down. I could watch this every day for the rest of my life. Maybe in the afterlife, too.
I'm just not that kind of cat
I'm a little concerned because every day I'm becoming more and more like my cat. And not Tiger, the sweet, compliant, easy-to-please one. I'm starting to resemble Puss, the feisty, particular one who knows exactly what she wants and gets grumpy if she doesn't get it.
Puss is the one who likes attention, but only on her own terms, which means that she must be sitting on my left side. Not the right. Not on my lap. Only the left side will do. She's the one who rejects all but one of the six varieties of canned food produced by Friskies. The one who insists on breakfast at seven and dinner at five. The one who likes to be stroked while consuming her meals. I blame it on her previous owner, a single 82-year-old man who doted on her for more than a decade.
I realized the resemblance when I went to Nordstrom's last week to purchase a new pair of shoes for a corporate gig. I knew exactly what I wanted, something halfway between sensible and slutty. I marched in and told the salesman, "I'm looking for a black pump with a peep toe, a quarter to half inch platform, a sling back and no more than a three inch heel." He marched me over to the perfect pair.
When he brought out the pumps, he also slipped in another box "that I thought you would like." I was delighted. I thought my salesman was like Pandora, the music application that can select tunes you'll love based on past selections. It turned out that it was Pandora's box, not Pandora. I lifted the lid and the foul odor of rubber tires rose like a fresh peel-out on asphalt. Why would he bring me such hideous and stinky shoes?
"These Tory Burch beach sandals are such a good value I thought you'd like them," he explained. "Only $55." I wanted to tell him that I liked quality, not status, and that status symbols without quality were not status at all. I wanted to yell out, "What kind of fool do you think I am to pay $55 for rubber beach shoes that smell like a tire?" Instead, I said, "No, thank you." I was so disappointed in the salesman. I thought he "got me," but he didn't have a clue. (I didn't know that buying shoes could be like dating.)
But there's clearly no doubt that I, like Puss, know exactly what I want. No wonder my doctor, who treats me like an equal, always asks, "And what do you think about this? I know you always have ideas." "Do you mean I'm really opinionated?" I asked.
I once feared that I ran the risk of becoming a "passive patient" because I trust my doctor so explicitly. When I confessed this fear to my (ex) husband, he said, "That's one thing you don't have to worry about." I guess that was a compliment.
Sometimes I think that I'll surprise my doctor one day and just coyly shrug my shoulders, tilt my head and mutter, "Whatever." But even while writing this I realize that's unlikely to happen. Apparently, I'm just not that kind of cat.
Puss is the one who likes attention, but only on her own terms, which means that she must be sitting on my left side. Not the right. Not on my lap. Only the left side will do. She's the one who rejects all but one of the six varieties of canned food produced by Friskies. The one who insists on breakfast at seven and dinner at five. The one who likes to be stroked while consuming her meals. I blame it on her previous owner, a single 82-year-old man who doted on her for more than a decade.
I realized the resemblance when I went to Nordstrom's last week to purchase a new pair of shoes for a corporate gig. I knew exactly what I wanted, something halfway between sensible and slutty. I marched in and told the salesman, "I'm looking for a black pump with a peep toe, a quarter to half inch platform, a sling back and no more than a three inch heel." He marched me over to the perfect pair.
When he brought out the pumps, he also slipped in another box "that I thought you would like." I was delighted. I thought my salesman was like Pandora, the music application that can select tunes you'll love based on past selections. It turned out that it was Pandora's box, not Pandora. I lifted the lid and the foul odor of rubber tires rose like a fresh peel-out on asphalt. Why would he bring me such hideous and stinky shoes?
"These Tory Burch beach sandals are such a good value I thought you'd like them," he explained. "Only $55." I wanted to tell him that I liked quality, not status, and that status symbols without quality were not status at all. I wanted to yell out, "What kind of fool do you think I am to pay $55 for rubber beach shoes that smell like a tire?" Instead, I said, "No, thank you." I was so disappointed in the salesman. I thought he "got me," but he didn't have a clue. (I didn't know that buying shoes could be like dating.)
But there's clearly no doubt that I, like Puss, know exactly what I want. No wonder my doctor, who treats me like an equal, always asks, "And what do you think about this? I know you always have ideas." "Do you mean I'm really opinionated?" I asked.
I once feared that I ran the risk of becoming a "passive patient" because I trust my doctor so explicitly. When I confessed this fear to my (ex) husband, he said, "That's one thing you don't have to worry about." I guess that was a compliment.
Sometimes I think that I'll surprise my doctor one day and just coyly shrug my shoulders, tilt my head and mutter, "Whatever." But even while writing this I realize that's unlikely to happen. Apparently, I'm just not that kind of cat.
Monday, July 20, 2009
Bathroom update
Here are some new photos of the progress on our bathroom.
The floor is completely tiled, just awaiting grout.
The decorative tiles from Israel look terrific in the shower!
The floor is completely tiled, just awaiting grout.
The decorative tiles from Israel look terrific in the shower!
not this time
We got back yesterday evening from my spouse's family cottage. It's a place I love and where I am always happy, even when the weather does not cooperate.
So despite the fact that I couldn't bring myself to go swimming and I didn't sit around on the dock in my bathing suit, I still found time to read, enjoy the company of family and make art with D. ("Who would have thought that painting could be so much fun?" he said. "Using your imagination!"), knit, go for walks, eat and drink too much and just relax. My spouse taught S. how to play Backgammon and D. taught me how to tolerate playing PayDay.
It was all quite lovely, even if we we did miss the sun.
On the very last night, though, D. woke with a fever and could not get back to sleep. He threw up twice (and copiously) on our long drive home.
I kept him home today and let him watch DVDs in his pajamas. By this evening, he was asking to go to the park.
Through it all, I comforted, fussed and nursed. And tried not to heed the guilty voice in my head: "The kid has lousy timing! I can't get sick. I leave on Thursday for BlogHer!"
This evening my head hurts and I am achy. I feel just as I did before the fever set in, on the day before my ill-fated Toronto book launch.*
I cannot get sick. I will not get sick. I am going to bed and tomorrow, I will wake up feeling well.
Cross your fingers for me, OK?
*temporarily ill-fated. Re-scheduled for October.
Sunday, July 19, 2009
Exercise today!
I got more exercise today than I have had since my hospital discharge in May. Yes, I walk the dogs every day, and pick the fruits of our garden, water the plants etc. But today I walked the two miles around Seattle's Greenlake with nary a twitch of discomfort. (The fact that I had premedicated with half of a vicodin may have had something to do with it.)
I brought Bob the Cavalier along and he panted a lot in the heat but seemed to enjoy the unusually long walk.
We joined friends for a yummy Chinese dinner at our favorite place, Chiang's Gourmet on Lake City Way. Only the best Chinese food outside of the International District! I think they are trying to improve their service, which has always been spotty at best. We were asked to complete a brief survey. And the waiters were terrific about bringing each dish piping hot from the kitchen as it was ready. We had vegetarian spare ribs (made with taro, I think), vegetarian hot and sour soup, tea smoked duck, moo shu beef, sauteed green beans, green onion pancake, and handmade noodles. It was all delicious and fed eight people for under $75, with a small amount of leftovers to bring home for our hosts' daughter. Yum!
I brought Bob the Cavalier along and he panted a lot in the heat but seemed to enjoy the unusually long walk.
We joined friends for a yummy Chinese dinner at our favorite place, Chiang's Gourmet on Lake City Way. Only the best Chinese food outside of the International District! I think they are trying to improve their service, which has always been spotty at best. We were asked to complete a brief survey. And the waiters were terrific about bringing each dish piping hot from the kitchen as it was ready. We had vegetarian spare ribs (made with taro, I think), vegetarian hot and sour soup, tea smoked duck, moo shu beef, sauteed green beans, green onion pancake, and handmade noodles. It was all delicious and fed eight people for under $75, with a small amount of leftovers to bring home for our hosts' daughter. Yum!
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