Seattle Magazine's The Best of Everything

Seattle Magazine has again listed it's Top 10 everything, and Dr G is on the list for medical oncology!

The guy who fixed my legs, Dr Daniel Flugstad, is on the list for orthopedic surgery.

Dr Martin Siegel, who saved my life by diagnosing toxic shock syndrome after my original breast surgery, is on the list for infectious disease.

Someone I've consulted with in the past, psychiatrist Dr John Wynn, is on the list.

And Dr. Mark Freeman, the endodontist who made even root canal comfortable, is on the list.

Do I have a great care team or what?!

I Have New Glasses

I’d been thinking about getting a new pair of glasses just before I was diagnosed with mets in 2008. For one reason or another I’ve put off having my eyes examined. Finally with the frustration I was having with blurry vision from the new chemo and my outdated prescription, I thought I better do something. So a couple of weeks ago I had my eyes examined, picked out a pair of glasses late last week and yesterday they came in.

When the call came, I had to go straight to the mall because I was feeling pretty excited about the look that new glasses would bring to my face. After they were on my nose and adjusted, I stepped into the mall to see the world.

Wow, I found things to be so much brighter and clearer … the Christmas lights and decorations were just so much more sparkly and alive. And the glasses look good on me too. 

During my morning cup of coffee, I could see the time on the mantle clock and my PC screen is really clear. I waited way too long.

A star is born

Yesterday was the big event: Opening night for the kindergarten-through-second-grade drama club production of "What Teachers Can't Do."



I guess, technically, it was opening afternoon. And closing afternoon, for that matter. I don't think "What Teachers Can't Do" will extend its run, which is unfortunate. It's not often that one encounters a play that explains so powerfully and beautifully that, yes, there are some things that teachers can't do. Also, there were free cookies at the end.

The kids acted out each page from the book, and they took turns playing the teachers and the students. The kids had decided that the teachers they were playing were their own homeroom teachers. The play opened with WCK writing on a chalkboard (actually, it was a big dry-erase board).

"WCK, tell us which teacher you are," prompted Miss Drama Club Teacher.

"I'M THE TEACHER ON THE FIRST PAGE!" announced WCK.

Huge laugh from the audience.

"But aren't you Mrs. NameOfYourHomeroomTeacher?" asked Miss DCT.

"Eh," shrugged WCK. "Sure."

She went back to writing on the chalkboard. Another huge laugh. She was not going to break character for anything.

I'd say the highlight of her performance was a scene in which two characters were supposed to be having a conversation on a playground, illustrating the dramatic point that teachers can't go down the twisty slide. It went something like this:

KID ONE: You should go down the twisty slide.
KID TWO: No, I can't.
KID ONE: You really should go down the twisty slide.
KID TWO: No, I really can't.

Meanwhile, WCK was acting the part of a child jumping rope on the playground, leaping exuberantly behind the two main actors and grinning at the audience. Scene stealer!

So, the play went well, and the teacher let us know that there will be another four-week drama club session starting sometime after Christmas, and the kids will work on an all new play. I can't wait to find out what it will be. King Lear? A Streetcar Named Desire? Les Miserables? I will keep you posted in January.

No change in treatment

I saw Dr G today and he decided, after careful reading of Dr Ellis's note, that I could stay on the high dose Faslodex for the time being. As per Dr Ellis, I will be carefully monitored, starting with another chest/abdomen/pelvis CT, to determine how the liver mets respond to this treatment. The high dose Faslodex is so popular that his practice is having trouble keeping the medicine in stock!


Dr G also told me that the FDA just approved another drug (Halaven - eribulin mesylate) today for the treatment of metastatic breast cancer. As he says, there is so much happening in this field that one has to stay alive for the next new thing to come down the pike.

So for the time being, I will get two shots in the butt every month -- which is way better than being on chemotherapy!

A kick in the teeth, so to speak.

I am on my way to an informational interview in New York right now.

I spent all my NY savings on rent after my 2nd diagnosis.

I applied for a SAMFund grant in September, naively thinking that they could help me with my goal of moving to NY.

I just got an email today saying that I have been rejected, because at the time I was writing my application essay, I hadn't finished treatment (this was during the RAI). So, even though I'm finished, I am disqualified.

I'm on the train and I can't contain my tears.

I really was hoping.




EDIT: this piece of wisdom has been bestowed upon me by the lovely Bekah:

FUCK Samfund. I've applied for the same grants, and they claim to reject me because I'll 'never be finished with treatment.' Since mine is chronic, it will come and go..

We create our own world with our minds -- you know this. Yes, you are allowed to be down and out, you are allowed to feel like the world will cave in. Life hits us fucking hard, but we MUST get back up.

Cry, throw things, get pissed. And then, shake it off. The world is still yours if you want it.

(I needed that.) And for the record-- New York was awesome; the people friendly, the food delicious, and the subways didn't smell (much) like pee. I'll get there despite everything.

Meds for Cramps

I talked to the nurse about the on again and off again cramps I’ve been experiencing over the past three weeks and she thinks its gas. In the past I’ve used Metoclopramide for relief from the effects of other chemos and that usually worked but I’m not having the same success this time with Brivanib.

So after three days with the trots, and then two days with no bm, I took two Senekot S and went to bed. Too late, I woke up around 11 with cramps and couldn’t sleep. So I got up and sat in a comfy chair and wrapped myself in blankets. This helped the cramping a little and I nodded off here and there. At 5 am I had the bm I’d been looking for. After that I found my way back into bed and had a couple of hours sleep before the alarm went off.

I’m going to give Metoclopramide one more try and take it exactly as prescribed, four times a day until I see the nurse in a few weeks. Otherwise, I’ll be looking for something else.

Where did you get that lovely clo?

Although I have been known to act like an evil Grammar Nazi from time to time, I usually try to correct WCK's grammar in a subtle, non-obvious way. I will usually repeat the correct word(s) back to her, as though it's just part of the conversation. For example, if she says something like, "I runned really fast!" I'll say, "Really? You ran really fast? That's great!" And so on. I figure it will just sink in after a while.

However, there is one thing that she does that I've never corrected because I find it so dang hilarious and cute. According to WCK, multiple articles of clothing are called clothes. If you have a single article of clothing, such as one shirt or one dress, it's called a "clo."

Really, this makes perfect sense.

She'll say things like, "Can I get a new dress-up clo?" or "Maybe we should get Daddy a new exercise clo for Christmas" or "I spilled oatmeal on my clo!" Not only do I not correct her, I just go along with it: "Yes, maybe we should get Daddy an exercise clo!"

This is going to come up on a spelling test in a couple years, and she's going to be really mad at me.