12.27.2009

Traditions

With school and other busy things happening on the 24th and 25th, it didn't feel much like Christmas. Santa knew that I had an early hospital appointment on Christmas Day so he did a fly-by and deposited a few presents for the children on the balcony while they were watching TV in another room on Christmas Eve. I hope the neighbors weren't troubled by the crescendo and decrescendo of sleigh bells punctuated by a thump on the balcony in between. The girls got clothes and L got some batting gloves. We were lucky enough to score a hand-me-down uniform. A diminutive classmate of N's has graduated the little league and his mom called to ask to come over so she could give us the entire summer and winter set and an aluminim bat to boot. Everything was just the right size and it was in great condition so L was quite happy.

J and her brass ensemble have been practicing for a competition, so she's been busy all week and will begin her New Year's break tomorrow. The other 3 children started their break on the 26th. We'll have some friends over for a turkey dinner tomorrow.
Then N will have the pins in her arm removed and get a new cast the next day. Always busy, never dull.

11.18.2009

Belated Photo Update


Gamma Completed

The iffy area in the cavity in my brain from last April's surgical resection turned out to be tumor action so I spent 92 more minutes on the Leksell Gamma Knife table at the Tokyo Women's' Medical Univ. Hospital to blast away with rays of Cobalt and clear the cancer again. As long as we find and recurrences when they're small enough, I can keep zapping away when necessary. This time, I had the procedure on an outpatient basis and a good friend gave me a ride home. I was home before the kids got home from school; an easy day, actually.

My son is hoping to join the little league so I went to practice on Sunday to get more information and scope out the possibility of getting a hand-me-down uniform. It looks like I'll have to call around a bit yet. There's a contract I have to sign, promising to participate in the roster of parent volunteers at practices and sell hot dogs or noodles as various festivals held on the elementary school grounds. It also warns that that two parents will be needed on the committee that controls the use of the school grounds and someone to handle collecting the $20 per month dues for each child will be chosen from the contract signers. It looks like the older kids ride their bikes to practice at the riverside field and the school grounds aren't used much...I guess I'd better look for a bike for L too now...He did come home from his trial day quite satisfied with his experience. He said that only the captain was faster than he was and that the coaches were nice.

M is getting ready to sign up for exams to enter high school. We've spoken to her junior high teacher who is in charge of guidance for his whole class (he's not very encouraging...), and we're off to visit the school she wants to attend for an open house on Saturday. Then we'll rush home so she can study for final exams at her junior high. These exams will affect her chances as they are a very large part of her grade and the grade is used in conjunction with entrance exam results in February. I hate the pressure these kids get from their schools about this all right when they're a mess of teenage hormones. She seems to be doing OK so far. She's finished the hard part; choosing a school in the first place.

Public or private, high school is not mandatory so tuition is required. Of course public schools are inexpensive but we can only try for one as the exams are usually on the same day, while the private schools have various schedules. There are hundreds of public schools, some really academic, some remedial types, some vocational etc. J's school is a super academic type. M is more interested in practical studies with a hint of academic topics so she chose a business communications high school. As N will graduate from elementary school and go to junior high in spring, I'll have four kids and four schools from April. I may need a manager so I get to all the class meetings and school events.

In the meantime, this month marks five years of post diagnosis breast cancer survival and I'm turning 45 so a week of celebration and Thanksgiving with family and friends is in order. We may see our niece from Kyushu who will visit her brother and his family this weekend as well. Before I get too busy, I think I'll take a walk to see some foliage tomorrow. The temple area near the Tokyo Metropolitan Botanical Gardens is usually stunning right about now.

11.07.2009

Detours

I managed to keep my schedule for my October MRI and ten days of radiation to nip the pain producing cancer in my pelvis, making good use on my time between finishing my last chemo and starting the next regime. Two days before the scheduled MRI I noticed a few things I thought my neurosurgeon should know (trouble talking and mini-convulsion on my right side for about 30 seconds) so on the day I got the MRI I stopped by to leave a message and was told I should call him at the hospital on the next evening as he was out of town. He answered right away even though it was Saturday night and explained that the MRI showed some swelling around the Gamma rayed area and that if I had any leftover steroids (I got a three day supply each three weeks to deal with post chemo days but always stopped at two days because post chemo days have been okay.) I should take a big dose and go in to see him first thing Monday morning. He said that I should immediately take an ambulance any time if I had any seizures. The steroids did their job and I didn't need any emergency transportation.

After my 60 seconds of radiation on Monday, I stopped by neurosurgy and got more details and a presciption for more steroids plus an anticonvulsant and we made plans for to me check in to the National Cancer Center the next week for the final two days of radiation and another craniotomy. The kids and I spent the week getting ready for them to feed themselves and go to and their respective schools in time etc. We even got all the Halloween costumes together so the could go have fun at an annual party. I thought I'd been dragging them there all these years, turns out they were having fun and were game to go even if mom didn't drag them. Good friends were there watching out for them and the the three who went (J had school) say they had a good time.

Plans went well and I came home yesterday. I'm stuttering a bit but am improving as the part of my brain that work the motor control for speaking had a little trauma. I know that I don't sound like I usually do, but I can still speak in English or Japanese I consider any apraxia very mild.

I have appointments all week, some for getting ready for the new chemo (Tykerb and Xeloda, need to check liver and heart functions) and others for evaluating another "iffy" area in my brain for possibly another Gamma surgery. The nature of this breast cancer means it tends to keep popping up so I remain vigilant and zap when (and where) necessary.

Today I'm off to elementary school to check out this year's art display.

10.14.2009

A Little Radiation Before Tykerb

The "lifetime limit" for one of the chemo drugs in my regimen is six to eight treatments so I'd been expecting to hear about the next step sometime this month as I'd already had six. Last week's CT scan showed tumor progress so there is no reason to stay on for another treatment or two. While I take a break from chemo, I'll be heading downtown every day for radiation to my pelvis to get rid of the pain in the... but I'll still remember to take my meds for a while until my ten days of rads kick in.

In mid November I'll start and oral drug that was recently approved in Japan, lapatinib (Tykerb), and an oral chemo drug capecitabine (Xeloda). The Tykerb works like the Herceptin I had and supposed is more effective when used with Xeloda. I've had Xeloda before without any side effects but also without much tumor shrinkage. I've heard good thing though from ladies who've been on Tykerb with and without Xeloda. I'll continue to get monthly Zoladex IVs for the bones.

A few belated photos

The kids agreed that Niagara Falls was a major highlight of our trip.


Of course anything involving jumping came in at a close second. Fortunately they didn't want to try going over the falls in a barrel.








My cousin entertained with a magic show at our Thanksgiving in August and then made these awesome hats.Showing thanks for all of the good times?

It may be pride, but I enjoyed the character of my hometown with its quaint colonial flair and miles and miles of rolling green hills.
Of course running into family and friends there makes it better than any old town with a view.

Learning to Touch Type

People of my age are likely to have had typing classes in high school but I found that even when had a job with a typewriter (remember those?) I tended to look at the keyboard as I typed. I still find myself pressing backspace and retyping the very letter I mistyped as if I were using those sheets of white-out paper that could be slipped between the paper and the typewriter ribbon to remove or cover up unwanted letters with the hassle of painting on a liquid white-out and impatiently waiting for it to dry or risking a major mess, possibly a hole in the page. I was not a great typist. I've been training lately though, thanks to a combination of the kids and our cat. If anyone leaves the laptop open and unattended for even a minute, Koro sits on the keyboard and removes the keys. I've been able to replace the keys I've found but there are a number of soft (silicone I assume) blue pads with no keys.

9.02.2009

Back to School

All the schools are concerned about H1N1 flu and we've been asked to take each child's temperature every morning for a couple of weeks and go see a doctor for every sniffle, sneeze or ache before heading off to school. J came home early with a slight fever and a scratchy throat on Monday and L woke up at 4:00 a.m. on Tuesday with a headache and promptly threw up twice. I took them both to the clinic down the street to be diagnosed with a common cold and a stomach bug respectively. They stayed home although they already felt better because school was almost over by the time we finished at the doctor's office. Everyone went to school today.

J was relieved that it wasn't the swine flu as she has a big event coming up at school this weekend. Many of her classmates are wearing surgical masks at school, hoping to ward off the flu until the school festival is over. I imagine it will look a little strange; thousand of teenagers presenting their projects and trying to show visitors a good time while wearing masks. I hope that it stays cool for the weekend so I can go and listen to J's wind orchestra concert.

M has to start narrowing down her high school choices. I guess we should check out a few more festivals and open houses. She is not very excited by the prospect of entrance exams. Next February and her school is trying to stir the entire 9th grade into a frenzy about matriculation so I expect she'll be in a bad mood for the next six months. She is looking forward to her school trip to Kyoto this month at any rate.

I've been to the hospital a few times since returning from our wonderful trip to Central New York. The neurosurgeon didn't like some swelling around the gamma-knifed tumor and wanted a PET scan to confirm that it was not active cancer. Thankfully, it wasn't, but we have to watch the area to make sure that any necrosis in the area doesn't spread. He wanted to know if I'd been having trouble speaking or with coordination on my right side (no problems that I'd noticed). Of course as soon as he asked, I found myself at a loss for words. I'll see him again on 9/11 (when I go for my next chemo) and we'll decide if I should take steroids to keep any swelling down.

In the meantime, the restaurant a friend and I had reserved for a big luncheon in November called to cancel our reservation as they are going out of business. This was after we'd sent out hundreds of flyers with information on the restaurant and started taking reservations. Auuugh! Fortunately we were able to check out a few more options today and reserve a new place near the same station and the event will take place on schedule. We even managed to keep the same theme, Italian, and about the same price. So, any AFWJer who might be reading this, please know that we are looking forward to seeing you at the Kanto Fall Luncheon and further details will be posted shortly in the e-groups and other group media.

8.15.2009

Too Busy To Post


Well, my kids are just having an awesome time traveling all over New York State and seeing rainbows here and there. I managed to connect with a few classmates at the local pub and then more again at another classmate's annual picnic on his farm with an awesome view. (We're returning tomorrow for a hayride behind some beautiful Belgian draft horses). They were most impressed by Niagara Falls and still full of energy after hiking up Whiteface with my brother and his family. The Enchanted Forest in Old Forge with water park fun and carnival rides among the fiberglass fairy tale characters satisfied their hunger for cheesy entertainment and they were quite excited to take the wheel for a while on my cousin's party boat at White Lake. My brother and his wife hosted an August birthday bash for my niece, N and L at my brother's place with some mean margaritas, fajitas and a wonderful spinach salad last night.

Among and around all of these activities N has had two piano lessons from a very pleasant local piano teacher and is practicing some exercises now without being asked or told to do so. She sat down at Mom's piano when we arrived and started playing although she hadn't had any music lessons other than at elementary school and my mom was excited that is actually sounded like music. We'll be looking into lessons in Tokyo and trying to figure out the logistics of piano access if N would like to continue.

7.22.2009

A Cycle of Sorts

Monday I'd been looking forward to a visit by a former student Ikue, a very pleasant young woman whom the children adore. I cleaned up the place a little bit (never seems to make much of a difference) and bought some snacks and green tea. The recent lack of my bicycle meant that snacks and tea were about all I could carry in a single shopping trip so I decided I'd order rice and a few other heavy things for delivery on Tuesday and stretch the cup or so left in the storage bin.

Ikue's brother, Ken, who helps out at our language school from time to time, called to let us know that she'd arrive around 3:00 p.m. and that he'd be with her. He was hit by a car last week and has a splint on his leg and tape on his wrist so they came by cab. We were glad to hear that there were no broken bones but it sounds like his bicycle was totalled.

The doorbell rang while I was changing so I had M answer it. I heard her thanking someone and she came to the kitchen with a bag full of freshly picked tomatoes from "some lady with a dog, a chihuahua maybe..." So now I have to ask our building manager who might have a small dog and a plot in the community garden to figure out exactly where the delicious fruit came from.

As I was relaxing just after lunch, my cancer survivor friend from the fourth floor decided to stop by with a six and a half pound sack of rice. She'd been getting behind in consuming all the rice her meal and grocery delivery service had delivered and "needed some help." She stayed for tea and chatted away until the doorbell rang and our anticipated guests arrived and made her way downstairs after asking to to keep her updated on this week's CT scan results.

Ikue and Ken brought ice cream and now own the souls of the two younger children who were home and the little boy from downstairs who'd been hanging out here all day. They also brought a gift box of Asahi beer which S is enjoying this week. Ken produced two birthday gifts, one each for L and N who will have birthdays while we're in the States. L was very happy with his Pokemon cards and N with her puzzles which she insisted on doing right away with help from us all. It was a pleasant afternoon with no bickering on the part of my children, probably because two of them were away.

A few minutes after or afternoon guests left, the little old lady from the third floor shuffled in with her usual greeting "Is your mom home?" I always answer with a hello and a yes I'm home to which she dejectedly replies "Oh, she's not home?" and I have to convince her that I am really here and guide her to a chair. She brought her shopping bag and wanted to know if I could top up her rice supply. She has a large Ziploc bag that holds about five pounds of rice (or so I thought). I transferred the new supply from the fourth floor to the bag and learned that it actually holds about six and a half pounds. She's helping the lady on the fourth floor now. I also had some cans of fish, curry roux, a cabbage, some pork and some Japanese bottled sauce that she likes to refill her refrigerator and pantry. She asks for these things a few times a month and pays me back when her pension is deposited to her bank account every two months.

While I was guiding the lady back to the third floor and carrying her food, the next door lady rang the bell and gave N five tickets for free admission to the Yomiuriland pool a few stations away from here. Of course N couldn't remember her name and described her as the cute old lady with glasses who likes music. I was able to thank her when I saw her in the hall the next morning, taking out the trash.

I love how stuff seems to go around like this. Last week a few frozen fish from Kyushu offered to our building manager (also from Kyushu) turned into a can of beer a few evenings later. Somebody had given it to him and he gave it to me to share with a visiting friend while we were up on the roof watching fireworks.

Round and round it all goes.

7.17.2009

Summer Vacation - Almost

J's last day of school was Wednesday but her after school club, the wind orchestra, is so active that they'll be practicing every day all summer so she gets up and heads off to school every morning anyway. The string orchestra, wind orchestra and glee club have pooled their resources to book four large buses and rent an entire hotel (well, a medium sized ski lodge) in the mountains of Nagano for four days next week for an intensive training camp. She'll return the evening of the same day that N departs for her three day trip to the Chiba coast with the sixth grade. This means a little more space on the floor for the non-travellers to sleep in comfort for five nights next week. N is happy that she'll return just in time for the local summer festival at school.

M finished school today and has her package of summer homework which I hope she starts soon so we can leave much of it here when we travel. She wasn't too happy with her report card but she did better than I expected she would from the amount of effort seen (more like not seen) this term. Fortunately none of the grades were below average. We have a student-parent-teacher conference first thing Tuesday morning where we'll talk about her hopes and plans for high school and what she'll need to do to achieve them. She's having trouble imagining past a day or two in the future and thinking about the next three years seems a little daunting. Attempts to open conversation remain unappreciated so far. Aaah teenagers - I'm not sure which is tougher; being one or having one (or two or three).

N and L have the same three day weekend and then a morning of school before they bring home their report cards and stacks of summer homework assignments. The rest of their school stuff is clogging up the entryway where they dumped it before running off to play in the park. Again, I hope they can tackle most of it before heading to the airport. I'd hate to have them do all this work and have it lost in transit on the way back.

7.07.2009

Shopping with my fingertips

Until April, my bicycle was the equivalent of the Ford Country Squire my mom used to drive in the 1970s. I ferried kids around on it until they were old enough to ride their own bicycles and I transported tons of groceries home. I even stacked a new set of futons on it and rode home one day to save the $12 delivery fee. I didn't appreciate my vehicle until I found myself suddenly unable to use it in April.

When I started having hallucinations and couldn't ride straight on my may home from shopping in April, I quickly got of the bike and pushed it home through the myriad of telephone poles, sign posts and even buildings which kept jumping out at me from the left. If I hadn't been dealing with cancer in the first place, I might have been terrified; "What is this?!" Instead I just called my oncologist and took care of it right away.

The doctors confirmed that my optic nerve was slightly compressed due to swelling around the tumors they found in my brain and I had medication to decrease the swelling before and after surgery. The most recent MRI I had showed that my brain is clear of cancer (good!)and that the swelling in my brain that was still evident immediately post surgery was gone. This is great, except I still don't feel confident riding my bike.

The neurosurgeon says that it may take some time but I tend to think that I'll end up getting by OK by compensating and looking around more carefully rather than relying on my peripheral vision. In the meantime, I can walk to the store and buy and carry enough food for a meal or two at a time, or I can order groceries from the same store online and have them deliver. A combination of the two has been working well and nobody is going hungry.

Still, I miss jaunts on my Country Squire.

6.28.2009

June has come and almost gone

I have been moping around all month, lamenting the heat and humidity and not really doing much at all. I have managed to get plans rolling to visit my parents from late July for three weeks with the younger three children. J has too many things going on at school to get away so she'll be in charge of the cat and S is terrified of flying and being surrounded by friendly strangers so he'll be in charge of himself.

I had to make a few trips to the Japanese passport office to get the documents right before they'd accept our applications for the kids' passports (L's signature was outside of the lines but they wouldn't let me sign and add "by mother" as they determined that he's old enough to sign for himself so I had to fill out a new application, take it home, have him sign it again...) I think I have everything right now, per their instructions, and will turn in the applications tomorrow morning. My British friend was kind enough to drive me there last week and also swing by the immigration office so I could transfer my residence permit into my not so new passport and purchase a multiple use re-entry permit valid for three years. She has offered to give me a ride tomorrow too. I'm very glad as her car is airconditioned and she is entertaining. Much nicer than the train. We were able to meet two North American friends for an inexpensive Indian buffet lunch to boot.

Belated Mothers' Day Photos




Here are some pictures of our Mothers' Day Hike



5.16.2009

I haven't been doing much on the computer these days just because the kids were home a lot for some holidays and I've been relaxing a lot. A friend gave me an iPod Touch so I've been lurking and looking though (and calling people on Skype).

On Mothers' Day, some friends and I went for what turned out to be a 5 mile hike through a fairly well groomed trail. The younger two ran ahead and I worried a little about being such a slowpoke but they were smart enough to wait at our destination and not go off with strangers. This was one week after the 5/1 gammaknife surgery I had to blast the smaller of the two brain tumors (at a different hospital than where I had the craniotomy on 4/17) but I'd been told that I could do anything from the day after the surgery and to go ahead and dance, have wine, sing karaoke...if I wanted to by the lovely gammaknife neurosurgeon so I suppose it was OK.

It felt good to be in a forest before the heat and bugs came out but I was worried about having to go a little slowly while the kids went off ahead. They knew enough to wait at the end of the trail anyway and the friends walked ahead and make sure they were OK. I rested the next day but surprised that I had no aches or pains from all the ups and downs of the trail parts (about half of the walk was paved). The friend took lots of pictures I'm hoping she'll send some so I can post some here.

I had a round of appointments yesterday, the first since I checked out of the Ntl. Cancer Center on 4/25 and blood work and heart scans showed I was fine to start Adria/Cyto chemo so, after working out the post chemo prescriptions with my breast/lung Dr. (who seemed a little surprised and pleased I'd gone out to the mountains), I got a baseline lung x-ray and headed off to see my neurosurgeon who said he didn't need and MRI that after all (skipped breakfast for naught!). He brought up the prescription from my breast/lung Dr. on the screen to compare with the anti brain swelling steroids and anti convulsion meds he wants to decrease as one of the chemo tolerance steroids is similar. We shuffled things around a bit and I'm on a lower dose over all post chemo and then half of that until June 5, my next chemo day.

I'm planning to take the children to visit my hometown from 7/27 to 8/19 and have been making itineraries this morning. Hopefully all four can go but my eldest, J, may be too busy with the band she joined in her new high school. She's spent a summer with my parents all on her own, as has M, but the younger two have no memories of an American small town summer on the lake with Grandma and Grandpa so I really want to do this.

5.02.2009

Quick Update

There's so much I want to write but with the family home for some holidays, I expect we'll be a little busy doing fun stuff in this fabulous spring weather.

I am home and feeling fine after a whirlwind couple of weeks including a craniotomy to remove what turned out to be six centimeter tumor from the center back right side of my brain at the National Cancer Center and then gamma ray surgery at the Tokyo Women's Medical University just yesterday to kill off the almost three centimeter tumor behind my left temple. This postponed chemotherapy plans a few weeks but I'll start on Adriamycin and Cyclophosphomide on May 15 to blast away at the lung and pelvic bone metastases and am ready with my spring line up of kerchiefs and caps for this summer's no hair look.

The onset of the symptoms of the brain tumors and my gut reaction to get myself to my usual hospital immediately were so sudden that it caused a bit of a panic on the home front but battalions of friends jumped right in to make sure that my family was OK, that I had everything I needed while I was in the hospital and that my family and friends had updates. It was not only a huge relief, but also heartwarming.

So, on to Golden Week - No school for six days and lots of sunny days...picnic time.

4.15.2009

Disoriented in the Orient

Last Friday started lurching around like a drunk so rush home to call my oncologist and he urge me to get to the cancer center right away. An adventurous journey to my station on downtown as confusion and nausea escalated got me here in about 90 minutes where I stumbled to the restroom and lost my lunch before checking in being whisked upstairs for an MRI.

Dr. F. met me back up in the room he'd arranged for me and confirmed two brain tumors; 4.0 and 2.5 cms. The big one comes out Friday and then the team will reassess the situation.
Meds are keeping symptoms at bay and my room has a view.

I may not post for a while because this computer is hard to use but I feel lots of love and prayers from family and friends around the world.

Disoriented in the Orient

Last Friday started lurching around like a drunk so rush home to call my oncologist and he urge me to get to the cancer center right away. An adventurous journey to my station on downtown as confusion and nausea escalated got me here in about 90 minutes where I stumbled to the restroom and lost my lunch before checking in being whisked upstairs for an MRI.

Dr. F. met me back up in the room he'd arranged for me and confirmed two brain tumors; 4.0 and 2.5 cms. The big one comes out Friday and then the team will reassess the situation.
Meds are keeping symptoms at bay and my room has a view.

I may not post for a while because this computer is hard to use but I feel lots of love and prayers from family and friends around the world.

3.31.2009

More Kool-Aid

I get a three week break from Herceptin starting today. We decided that the Herceptin and Taxotere regime has lost its effectiveness and that a stop-gap chemo until Tykerb becomes legally available here is the next step. A few years ago I had a Kool Aid red colored chemo called Epirubicin. From April 21st, I'll start a similar drug, Adriamycin. This one is orange, and is as toxic to the heart as Epirubicin so there's a "lifetime limit" to worry about. Herceptin also affects heart function adversely, so I'm taking a break to clear the system for a few weeks before blasting away with this old fashioned nauseating, hair reducing chemo once every three weeks for a while. Lucky that I have lots of good anti-nausea medications to make treatment a little smoother.

I skipped the Hercptin today but ahead and got my Zometa, the bone strengthening IV, today so I won't have to go in next week and I can enjoy J's entrance ceremony.

I'd expected a longer day of treatment and left lunchboxes full of chirashi sushi for the kids so I decided to take advantage of the beautiful weather and walk a few stations before heading home on the train. I went from Tsukiji to Jimbocho via Ginza, Yuurakucho, Hibiya (near the imperial palace) and Kanda. In Kanda there are a few large sporting goods stores and one of them had boxes and boxes of various training wear out on the sidewalk on the final day of a blowout sale (or maybe they just fell off the back of some truck...) Brand name tee shirts, cotton tennis slacks and jerseys for 300 yen each, the sign said. "J needs sportswear for high school..." I thought as I rummaged through the boxes and battled my way into the bowels of the store where the cashier asked if I had a "service card." The walk was a spur of the moment idea and the discovery of the sale pure luck so of course I had no service card. Did this mean I couldn't partake in the bargains? I must have looked a little panicky because the nice guy told me that it wasn't a problem and he rang up my purchases for 243 yen each so J's gym wear cost me a total of 729 yen. He gave me a "service card" for 20% off on my next purchase. I still don't know where he plucked 243 yen from though. Oh well, I like nice guys, it was a nice treat to get a bargain on something I needed to buy anyway and walking is good for my heart.

Tomorrow we're off in search of sakura (cherry blossoms) with onigiri rice balls and tea.

3.24.2009

Sigh

I met with Dr. F. today before my I.V. and he had bad news. There aren't any trials that I qualify for after all. He said he could try contacting colleagues in the U.S. but he knows that it would be very expensive and not covered by any of my National Health Insurance. He can also look at other hospitals in Japan but from what I've seen, the National Cancer Center seems to be the hub for trials.

The Tykerb approval I'd been expecting in December is likely to happen in June. He says I can try different chemo drugs to tide me over until the Tykerb is released. I feel pretty good for someone biding time until the next drug comes out...

I will go ahead make an appointment with the home hospice clinic to get that ball rolling anyway. Then I guess I'll make a list of all the drugs that women in the online breast cancer support group have had success with and hand it over to Dr. F. when I see him next Tuesday for bone scan results and treatment. I can get some input on whether they're available for breast cancer treatment or when they will be. Now I'm free to enjoy the foreign wives association picnic on the first. J plans to go with me tomorrow to walk around Tsukiji and Ginza while we wait for my skeleton to absorb radioactive injection the bone scan. She can carry any bargains we find at the market home for me.

3.23.2009

Thinking about the trial appointment

I'm sure that they have my medical history but I thought I should have a digest on hand when I talk with the doctors about whatever trial they're hoping I'll take part in.

Here it is:
Nov 2004 - partial masectomy (clear margins) - ER/PR++ HER+++
Dec 2004 - Started Tamoxifen
Nov 2005 - Mets to axial, clavicle and neck lymph nodes - Rads for 30 days, then CEF-T Chemo for 7 months
Jun 2006 - Lung mets showed up mid-chemo , shrank a little w/final few treatments - oral toremifene
Oct 2006 - changed hospitals
Dec 2006 - Tamoxifen and monthly Zoladex
Feb 2007- Dramatic growth of mets! Stopped Tamoxifen and Zoladex
Mar 2007 - Began weekly Herceptin
Jun 2007 - Added weekly Taxol to regime
Apr 2008 - Yet more lung mets - stopped Taxol
May 2008 - Started Xeloda - 3 weeks on 1 week off
Aug 2008 - Got a port!
Sep 2008 - Stopped Xeloda, started weekly Navelbine
Dec 2008 - Tumor progression, stopped Navelbine
Jan 2009 - Taxotere begins again, once in every three weekly Herceptin IVs
Mar 2009 - Added Zometa because of painful pelvic bone event, tumors progressing

3.20.2009

Thank you MIJers!

Last year at this time I was overwhelmed with the worries of paying for ongoing life extending cancer treatments and then overwhelmed again by the support of MIJ sisters, women in an online group in Japan. Thanks to the pledges and donations I received, I was able to relax and focus on getting my weekly treatments and enjoying time with my children this year.

The National Health Insurance plan has a contingency to assist members when their 30% share of the medical costs is high so I have been able to keep my medical costs down to 44,400 yen a month plus train fare after the monthly refunds. I've been able to continue teaching at my husband's English school as well as a few extra teaching and editing jobs here and there so things don't seem so dire financially this year. Whew! Thank you for helping through that all MIJ.

Treatment-wise, I've worked my way through the various treatments that were available and and the tumors in my lungs are still growing, probably more slowly than with no treatments. I'll be getting a bone scan next week to check on some spots that look cancerous on my hip and pelvis. The treatment for these bone metastases will be radiation every day for two or three weeks when I decide that I need help with the pain. I'm not in pain now though, so I'm in no rush to roast my rump just yet. I will be talking with a team of oncologists on April 1st about possible phase one clinical trials. Phase one is just after the lab research, basically when they need to find out how much humans can tolerate before it either stops working or the side effects become worse than the disease. It's exciting that I may get to try new treatments sooner rather than later. I guess I just have to wait until April to find out exactly what trials though, no matter how impatient I am.

I am glad that I feel well enough to get out and around with the kids and enjoy this lovely spring.

3.08.2009

Plan B, or is it C?

Not wanting to waste the weekend I wrestled away from the children's friends and other activities, when we all felt fine after all on Friday night, I decided to use the refund from the canceled ski trip on a day at Disneyland. L was very pleased as he had never been. We took an early train and had a great day in spite of the crowds.

We got back around 10:30 and were surprised to see that S had scraped old paint off the bathroom walls in order to repaint them this weekend. We were too tired to do much but change into pajamas, brush our teeth and go right to bed anyway. S came home after 11 and was surprised to see us. He thought we were off skiing because he hadn't heard when we told him that we'd canceled. He was going to surprise us with home improvements.

Exhausted from our adventures, we slept in until noon today and he had plenty of time to paint without all of us underfoot. Then I set up a "Do Not Cross" line with masking tape across the door so the kids, who listen as well as S does, wouldn't go and touch the new paint after I told everyone "Don't touch!" (Which they all understand as"Touch and see why she says that.") The visual reminder has been effective all day. I took the children to a large public bath a few stations away for the afternoon so now we're as clean as the newly painted bathroom is. Tomorrow is a new week.

3.05.2009

Disappointed

I had some very sharp pain last week right where my right leg meets my butt. I'm the sort of fool who doesn't recognize pain and has her first child at home but last week I could barely walk. I decided to have the local orthopedic surgeon take a look at it and get an x-ray last Friday. I gave him my history of cancer and, after he saw the x-rays, he asked a few questions about how recently I'd had a bone scan etc. It looks like I ever so slightly chipped my pelvis when my bike slipped a few weeks ago and the area was a little stressed. Then when I crouched to flip hot rice in the rice cake making event at jr. high school last week, the area was stressed again and BAM! Pain! He didn't like how the x-ray looked and didn't want to say anything specific until my oncologist saw the films. Fortunately, the pain has eased and I can walk again.

The weather forecast was for some snow on Tuesday so the Cancer Center wasn't so busy; nobody wants to risk falling down on slippery streets. My neighbor from downstairs had an appointment so we went together. Three out of four children stayed home from school with a stomach bug so I planned to rush home. I showed my films to Dr. F. and he asked to be excused while he ran over to show them to the osteo guy who was even less busy than our breast and lung specialist. The consensus was that my bones are in no imminent danger of crumbling, but now would be a good time to add bone strengthening Zometa once a month to my IVs and think about two weeks of radiation to the pesky bone mets so they won't be such a pain in the butt, literally. He sent me upstairs to have some more x-rays taken and then on to treatment.

I'll make up my mind on the radiation this week after I decide if the pain is really my bones or if it's from pulling something while doing the rice cake crouch. No rush, as I'm already in treatment for cancer. I'll have a CT scan on the 13th and a bone scan on the 25th at any rate. I think I should go ahead and get the radiation before it gets hot and humid (from mid April to October) making possible side effects (itchy itchy and a little sore) even worse.

So, I had Zometa on Tuesday and the side effects, for the first dose at any rate, were listed as slight fever, flue like aches and nausea. Not unlike the stomach bug already raging at home. Whatever it was, these symptoms hit with a vengeance on Tuesday night and I had to cancel lessons on Wednesday evening as I had no energy. Poor S wasn't feeling too well either but he managed to teach his classes. L and N stayed home today but it looks like the worst of it is over. I had to cancel our ski trip though. Sad.

2.22.2009

An Encore

J's artwork was chosen again for the annual public school art exhibit at the Tokyo Metropolitan Museum of Art in Ueno. I'll be sure to take a picture and post it here when we get it back. We took the opportunity to go look at the exhibit and buy a book bag for high school at Ameyoko Street, the land of discount shops.

A friend and I took the train out to Chiba yesterday to attend the Gala Banquet celebrating the 40th anniversary of the Association of Foreign Wives of Japanese. Actually, there was a three day convention and the dinner was on the second night but I just couldn't manage to get out for that long. I really enjoyed meeting many of the ladies I'd been corresponding with in our e-groups in real life. The food and entertainment were fantastic and I had a blast. I'm glad my friend was with me because the train ride home was very long.

2.10.2009

Too Busy to Post Much

Thank you for crossing your fingers for J. She had her exam and group interview for her first choice high school on January 27th. Most of the students we saw returning to the nearest station as we were on our way to check the results on the wall outside the school office on February 3rd looked pretty glum so she was very nervous by the time we got there. She was overjoyed to find her number on the list of students who were accepted. Wooo hoooo!

There is an orientation for her on March 24th, so we've decided not to go to the U.S. this spring. I will probably go in July with just the younger two or maybe even on my own. My high school class is planning a reunion. M can't miss any school this coming year if she wants to apply for early decision by interview for the high school she's thinking about and J will be busy all summer with brass band and high school culture festival preparations so a trip for them is out. N will have a school trip to the beach in Chiba at the end of July and S won't be too happy if she or L miss any school so the solo trip is looking better (and more relaxing for me!) My brother and his family may be travelling to Japan this summer so I guess I should try to coordinate a little more. So much to think about...

This puts us back at square one of the bucket list; taking the kids skiing. I found a very cheap bus tour that gives us transportation to and from Tokyo, two full days of lift tickets, a night in a small hotel with an all-you-can eat chicken hotpot dinner and buffet breakfast and free skiwear and ski rental. We leave on Friday night March 6th from Harajuku and spend a night on the bus and the bus home leaves the ski area around 4 p.m. on Sunday so nobody has to miss any school and we can make the most of our weekend in the snow.

My next task is to scour the local second-hand shops for goggles and gloves for L, N and myself. J & M are set as I was given said items last year for their school ski trip.

The next item on my list was to attend one of the national events of a women's club I'm in. Each year the Association of Foreign Wives of Japanese has a convention somewhere in Japan. I've never been in a position to travel without the kids (or with them much for that matter) but this year the convention will be near Tokyo. I still can't really spend a night or two away without a lot of grief but I have managed to sign myself up for the celebration banquet on the second evening and plan to make a nice day of it. It's a chance to meet old friends and new who are coming from all over Japan for a workshops and social fun. I'm loking forward to meeting some of the women from some of my e-groups there. This year is the 40th anniversary of the founding of the club and I've heard that about 160 women will be at the celebration (note to self - search for my black slip to go under the sexy dress I plan to wear). My friend from Maine who lives down the street will go with me. I expect we'll be on one of the last trains home that evening.

Nothing like going hog wild and getting out twice in the same decade.

1.28.2009

Busy and Long Day

S accompanied J to the high school she hopes to enter. Today was the first round of interviews and essay writing. There was a sign at the gate forbidding anyone but students with validated interview registration cards from entering so he spent three hours in a nearby coffee shop. I'll go with her on Monday to see the results. Cross your fingers. More than J realizes is riding on the results.

I had to wait until the other three made it out the door before heading downtown for my full course of tests, consultations and I.V.s. L had a headache and I almost decided to stay home but as he wasn't feverish or nauseous, I hid the cord for the Wii remote control and told him to stay in bed until S and J returned in a few hours. I was more than an hour and a half late for my appointment but fortunately the computerized system enabled my doctor to know that I was not in the building and he filled the slot with someone who had arrived early for a later appointment. I had to get my blood drawn and also an x-ray before talking with him. He was as thorough as usual and even typed in that my daughter was having her entrance exam for high school on my electronic record making me chuckle. He also imput my travel plans for March so I'm waiting on J's high school results before purchasing any tickets.

The x-ray showed that there is no dramatic tumor growth since my first round of Taxotere on the 6th of January. I'll have a CT scan in early March instead of this week as the results should be more clear after two or three rounds. With all the delays, many other people got places in the chemo room before me and I had to wait for more than an hour for a bed. I didn't start my I.V. until close to 1:00, when I usually finish and head home. I used the time productively shopping for tuna, eating a few plates of conveyor belt sushi, picking up my presciption for two days of anti-nausea pills and paying my hospital bill. Then I had a three hour nap while my superzap stuff was pumped in through my port one drip at a time. I got home around 5:00.

1.23.2009

Run Run Run

Wish M good luck in this weekend at the annual Ekiden (a relay race type marathon). She's been on and off and on again this week at school with a cold and then a stomach bug but she seems well enough to run her 4 kilometers on Sunday.

Then J has a test and a group interview for a one in five chance at a place in her first choice high school. If she gets in we won't have to jump through all the hoops of taking tests for her second choice (the safety net) and then later for this first choice place place. First (and hopefully only) phase results will be posted on February 2nd.

I have the next round of Taxotere on Tuesday and a CT scan on Friday (I'll see the results on February 3rd) and will hopefully be able to make some spring break plans.

Here's hoping the week goes well for all.

1.11.2009

Looking Good

M got a "makeover" at a new hair salon as her Christmas present and was quite pleased with how manageable her locks are and how luxurious the service was on her day of pampering. The staff was pleasant and hopeful that I'd also sign up for a haircut (as I looked like I needed one rather desperately). I decided against personal pampering of the hair type as I'm probably going to be bald by January 20th and wouldn't want to deprive the kids of any barbershop fun later. She got the full treatment, cut, treatment, straightening, massage, a beverage...and was given a voucher so that friends she introduces get a 50% discount on their first visit.

A few days later, she decided to brighten her hair for the winter holidays with what she thought was a temporary coloring. She, of course, didn't consult me or anyone else in the house, or even read past "sprinkle on, wait, rinse" on the outside of the box, which she immediately discarded under several layers of potato peels and other trash, where it wouldn't be discovered. Then she wore a hat for three days, thinking we wouldn't be suspicious because sleeping in a hat keeps the heat in and it's been so cold lately. I finally told her that I knew that she'd done something to her hair and that I wouldn't be angry but would she please show me.

Helig ko! (Swedish for Holy Cow according to an online translator) All she needs are blue contact lenses! She insisted that it would wash out in a week or two but agreed to let me dye her hair back to caramel brown if it didn't before school started on Thursday. She went off on Thursday, confident that nobody would notice...J came home saying that the teachers had discussed the "situation" and that her teacher had asked her to tell M that the artificial color was not appropriate for school. M said her teachers asked her about it and that she explained that she'd thought it would be temporary (yeah, until it grows out in a year or two). We had a home spa night and she's back to brunette (still artificial, but it won't look so strange as it grows out).

J needed to do something to sharpen her image for the upcoming high school entrance test and interview so we took the 50% off voucher and headed off for another afternoon at the hair salon (minus the straightening and treatment). She has fairly short hair so she was worried about having enough for the stylist to work with but she ended up with quite a nice cut. She was impressed by the attention she got and enjoyed the massage too. With the discount, is was 1,950 yen for the whole experience. L and N had 1,000 yen / 10 minute haircuts last week at another nearby place so all in all, the kids look quite presentable, for a change. J said that the stylist mentioned that I could use the discount voucher that she gave her to enjoy a haircut too (as three weeks had passed since the previous attempt to entice me to cut my hair and it was even bigger now) and J explained that I'd be bald soon. Maybe next fall...

I had Taxotere after my regular Herceptin drip and A pre-chemo steroid drip last Tuesday and came home with a three day prescription for Decadron (the steroid) to keep me from having adverse reactions to the Taxotere. Of course the steroid makes me feel yucky in its own way, but I think that the week went fairly well. I hosted J's brass band for lunch on Wednesday and helped out at a school event on Thursday, watching over the 9th graders as they made campfires and cooked pots of vegetable and pork miso stew. Now I have to clean the closet out to look for my stash of hats as I'll probably need them in a week or so.