I'm practically right on schedule with monthly posts here, which I hope is satisfactory for my adoring fans. We had a big late March - April, wherein we spend a few glorious days on the beach in Cancun, returned for a week of work, and scooted down to Florida for what was supposed to be some dedicated family time with my sister and her family, but ended up a little different than expected.
1. Time in the sun and the warmth mattered greatly. I physically felt better each day we were in a warm climate, which makes more sense of the fact that we've been sending women "to the sea" for their "nerves" for centuries.
2. Time with Ruth is unbeatable. Having the chance to have this dedicated time together was everything, and we are aiming toward making sure we don't let this practice slide now that we are back to our lives.
3. Ya'll might already know this, but hanging with your close friends, your family, those little niblings, is well worth rearranging time for. it was good to spend time with my pals in cancun, and my sisters family in Florida, though I certainly wish it had been longer.
All right so you are probably hear to learn about the cancer stuff and not just how I go on vacation after vacation. Well, the cancer stuff is not good. You may remember from last month's post, we learned my first line of treatment was no longer holding the cancer back, so we made a switch to a new type of chemo that would hopefully be more effective. We learned on Friday that it is NOT more effective. After two treatments, my CEA (cancer numbers) are up, up, up. My doctor called to let me know on Friday afternoon and sounded upset, so you know its really bad news.
We don't know what this means now. My doctor said he'd had already been consulting with colleagues and investigating other non-traditional options (there's a thing where they try to administer chemo directly to the liver, instead of the whole body, for example.)They are calling colleagues in Madison and Nashville and sending my scans around the country to see if anyone knows what do to with me. All in all, not good.
As far as I can plan, I'm still planning to work, though it might have to be from home, rather than following the return to work plans of my colleagues in early May. In light of what might be a shorter window on this earth, Ruth has decided to take a leave from grad school to ensure we have time to focus on each other as much as possible.
This is a difficult time for us, but we have one heck of a support system and the love Ruth and I have for each other is at the core of our strength. We are doing our best each day.
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