dukenukem

I’m really torn about alcohol. I like a pint of a good draft now and then or maybe two fingers of Crown Royal. But I try to limit it even more. I’m anxious about anything that increases the burden on my liver.

Gavin – I didn’t find much about moderate use of alcohol using Search. Do you remember something definitive you may have come across? Thanks.

I think your onc and mine read the same book – at least about the six months with no chemo. But looking back, if I had asked the right questions about elevated alk-phos, I think I would have been diagnosed seven months earlier. Which means I should never have made it to the diagnosis. Even though I was an engineer, I now have a totally different opinion of statistics. As has been said numerous times in these Boards, the current stats are based on studies performed years ago which do not reflect the current treatments and results. I’m undergoing chemo and will as long as I can tolerate it and it produces positive results. A positive outlook by you and your husband is essential. That and communication between you.

I can’t imagine getting told over the phone by a nurse practitioner. It was hard enough being told by my onc face to face. Her body language said it all even before she started talking.

You will find help in some strange places and from people you might not expect. Others, who you think would help, are going to treat you like lepers. Your lives will change. Stay active. Stay positive. You and your husband are best friends and lovers. Grab that and hang on for all you are worth. At the end of the day, after your glass of wine, it’s just the two of you and God.

Hold the torch high so the rest of us can follow you. We can’t physically help you along but know that our thoughts and prayers go out to you. When you need strength, close your eyes and open your mind – we’re there for you, just like you’ve been there for us.

My dosage of gemcitabine is nominally 200 mg (as long as my platelet count is >100,000). It’s lowered if the platelets are between 90,000-100,000.) I think it also depends on the patient’s weight.

As far as diet goes, you should be eating what non-CC healthy people eat. Low fats and sugars, lots of veggies. Exercise prudently. Could I do better? You bet! Will I? Probably not. To me, this is a little different aspect to “quality of life.” Right now I am eating Fritos and sour cream dip, washing it down with a Coke. Will it take a few minutes off my life? Yes. Does it taste good? Yes. Tomorrow it will be cucumber slices instead of Fritos and chamomile tea instead of Coke. It’s a choice – my choice.

Onc said we sticking with gemcitabine as long as it continues to control the tumors. Plan B will be Folfox with Plan C looking for a Phase 1 trial.

I’ve said it before. I beat the odds to get this cancer and I’m going to beat the odds again by outliving the statistics. If I stop believing that, it’s over.

One thing I heard from my onc today is that I could be prone to blood clots, so I should not sit for more than two hours at a time (couch, car, airplane). Has anyone else been told that?

I think the majority of participants here are caregivers rather than patients. A few are/have been both.

I read about “quality of life vs. quantity of life”. Selfishly, as a patient, I want both. But it’s not all about me. A few months is probably not significant, unless there is a major milestone coming up. My father hung on a few months so that he could hold my son, the first grandson with the family name. I have accidental video of him doubled over in pain on our last visit. The pain was the price he willingly paid. I hope it is as black and white for me later as it is now.

Now, to the point. Lainy said it all. There will come a time when he is ready to go. He needs to know that you will be ok. Assure him of that. And as she’s said elsewhere, work out signals from him to let you know he is ok.

Treasure and rejoice in the quality of time you have left together, that is what’s important, not the quantity.