March 6, 2022
Home | Previous Update | Next Update
Hey folks -
Things have been gloriously quiet on the Melody front, with thankfully, no dramas to report. Though it has not been a pleasant experience, particularly for her, she did so much better after round 4 of chemo than she did after previous treatments. Plenty of nausea (though regulated enough by our pal THC to prevent "externalizing" any of her meals) and abundant fatigue, but a faster recovery this time than ever, contrary to expectation - we assumed the worst, due to the cumulative effects of treatment. Our working theory is that she is getting more resilient because she had mostly healed from the surgeries going into #4.
Chemo treatment #4 (on Feb 22nd) went smoothly, in part because the portacath made it
easier - no IV in her arm, so she had more freedom of movement, and was
mostly comfortable - and because we're getting to be old pros with the
pre-treatment drug regimen, packing for the day, dealing with bathroom
breaks, and wheeling Mel around in her wheelchair to and from the
parking structure.
At a peak moment of challenge a day or two after round 4, I dared to kiss my love's bald head, and immediately tasted the "healing elixir" coming out of her pores. I gracefully excused myself and discreetly spat into the sink and washed my face. Wow. I refrained from telling her about this until days later.
In additional good news, the CA125 test, which is the blood marker they
use to measure the efficacy of the treatments, continues to fall deeper
into the heart of standard range. Again, this marker is cause for
optimism, but it's not a true measure of the state of Mel's cancer (or
lack thereof) - obviously, we're hoping it's all already gone! We'll
take our blessings where we can find them!
Due to the severity of her fatigue, Mel spends most of her days in bed.
I rigged up a contraption to hold her iPad so she can comfortably watch
the Great British Baking Show, Will & Grace, etc., after running through
Friends twice! Anna gives Mel advice on lighthearted shows Mel missed
out on after watching very little TV for many years.
 She's getting stronger now, and is up more, making the occasional meal or snack for herself, folding laundry, sitting in the living room to watch the trees and the birds bathing in the fountain out front, occasionally sitting in the media room to watch an episode or two of Better Things or Mrs Maisel, and occasionally, we walk laps around the pool when she's up to it (3 times is her record so far), but she's mostly in bed where she is most warm and comfortable, napping, watching her shows, talking on the phone with Anna and Facetiming with the grandkids. We had one visit last week with the grandkids for the first time in a while (always too long between), which gave Mel immeasurable joy.  Emma and Gavin are still squeamish about Bubbe's bald head, and insist that she wear a cap, but not so little Sierra, who monopolizes Bubbe on Facetime and during this visit, when every time anyone came into their space while they were watching videos of her, Sierra pushed anyone entering their space away, making it clear that this was HER time with Bubbe!  As for me, I have settled into the groove of caring for Mel, and giving myself a little more care by riding my bike to the beach a couple of times a week, and getting caught up at work. All of this has reduced my stress considerably. I will be glad not to have to, but I will also miss taking this high level of care for my beautiful, brave wife. I am (we are) hopeful that she is going to come out the other end of this healthy and ready to enjoy our lives together for a very long time.
So, with 4 treatments down and 2 to go, we're very much looking forward to the
end of all this, and are so grateful for the love and support of
this community of dear friends and family. The word seems to be
getting out, as people Mel hadn't been in touch with for a while
have reached out, and this list has grown to almost 70 of you now.
Mel gets emotional thinking about all that love coming her way.
Love to you all, and hoping that we're really coming out of the pandemic this time! Glen |