Word Fight!

Brain cancer is...

...giving us plenty of time to discuss things that don't matter.

This morning on our walk Darrell shared his new (as of yesterday) favorite word:  whatnot.   He likes to end every sentence he can with "and whatnot."  Example:  "For lunch, I would like to order an appetizer of Buffalo wings and whatnot."

Later, as we enjoyed the wings and whatnot, I shared with him that, when teaching, I forbid my students to use et cetera in their writing.  To me, et cetera is an excuse to be imprecise in writing.  "Say what you mean," I tell my students.  Whatnot is the cousin of et cetera.

Darrell reminded me that he is usually a very precise person, giving as evidence his work aligning the rocks on the path during our morning today.  Point taken.

He hopes that you are enjoying your Wednesday and so on and so forth.

PS...We got up early for the super blue blood moon.  We saw nothing.  Do you have any great photos or stories or whatnot?

Twelve Weeks it Is!

Brain cancer is...

...making itself scarce.

Today Dr. Park confirmed that Darrell can now shift to MRIs every 12 weeks instead of every 8 weeks.  Hurrah!

He agreed to this shift because Darrell is approaching his two-year diagnosis anniversary, 2/08/18.

Darrell's next scheduled appointments are in April--soooo looongg  after his anniversary date.  Therefore, we took anniversary pictures with some of the key Team D medical team players at St. Jude.  Above you see Dr. David Park.

Here's Nurse Navigator Deborah Yoon:

And Medical Assistant, Karen Richardson:

Long-time readers have seen all these faces before.  Today is special because they are taking their two-year bows.

Let's all start polishing our two-year smiles and practicing our bows.

Happy 12-week schedule, everyone!

A Lighter Day

Brain cancer is...

...finishing up a lighter day.

Today we took it light and easy:  Lighter on the miles, lighter on the flights of stairs, lighter on....

...the Alienist feast.  Lighter on the number of courses, lighter on the calories.  The lobster was delicious, and the low fat Greek yogurt dip worked well on everything else.

The Alienist Guillaume Critique update:  Darrell liked this week's episode (Week 2) better than that of last week.  We agree that the plotline seems more firmly established and less fantastic with this episode.

Cancer eradication efforts update:  We see Dr. Park tomorrow to discuss the latest MRI and future plans.  We're hoping he concurs with Dr. Cloughesy that MRIs can sensibly be moved to a once-every-12-week schedule, away from once every eight weeks.  Fingers crossed.  Be thinking about the number 12 at about 11:30 a.m.

We hope your Monday was nice and light as well.

50 Flights

Brain cancer is...

 ...a master of distraction.

Today was a big walk day for us; our goal was 10 miles.  We walk at a leisurely pace, so we look for things to do to keep busy.  How to keep busy during a 10-mile walk? Pay attention to other goals. 

We use my phone and various apps to track progress on our walks, including flights of stairs.  On a good day, we get about 12 flights of stairs.  Today on our walk, Darrell decided to take every path that led up.  His goal was for us to set a flight record for ourselves that we could never break.  Here it is:

Fifty flights.  That's it for us.  Feel free to best it for yourselves, but we're sticking to the flat lands on future walks.

You might also notice that we had to go beyond our 10 miles to achieve Darrell's goal.  Darrell definitely distracted me from the mileage today, which was particularly appreciated because it was 87 degrees and windy.  I can't remember the last time I felt this grimy and crispy.   

We'll be turning in early tonight.  Hope you enjoyed your Sunday!

Saturday As it Should Be

Brain cancer is...

...spending our Saturday as Saturdays should be spent.

After a great day at home, we're having a great evening at Stubrik's with Beth and Geoff.

Happy Saturday!

Busier Than It Looks

Brain cancer is...

...busier than can be seen in this picture.

Sure we walked at the park this beautiful day, but we were also busy having fun:

• Breakfast with Gordon
• Lunch with Zachary 
• Happy Hour with the Mayfields 

Dude!  Christine got this!  See?  Hope lives on.  Stories unfold.  Awesome job, Mayfields!

 Hellllooo, weekend!

No Gloomy Doomy

Brain cancer is...

 ...really good with weather descriptions.

We took today's picture on the way home from a crisp walk in the park.  Darrell labelled it "no gloomy doomy."  I'm not sure if he's referring to the blue skies in the distance or to the fact that we only walked five miles today.  In either case:  No gloomy doomy for sure.

Still Smiling, 7.5 Miles In

Brain cancer is...

 ...training.

We have a strong memory that, when Darrell was admitted to the Emergency Department in February 2016, the Super Bowl was on every television set in the place.  Super Bowl Sunday = Brain Cancer at our house.

That's why on Super Bowl Sunday 2017, we did anti-cancer, anti-Super Bowl:  We walked 30,000 steps (about 14 miles).  (Click here for the post.)  Decidedly anti-cancer, right?

With Darrell's second year diagnosis anniversary approaching, we feel the need to up our anti-cancer ultra walk:  We'll do 35,000 steps (approximately 16 miles).

We didn't train for last year's walk, which turned out to be not one of our best ideas. Therefore, we are training for our 35,000-step adventure. 

Today we walked 8 miles (17,183 steps).  At 7.5 miles, Darrell was still smiling and laughing (above). Maybe it was delirium introduced by 7.5 miles, but it looked like genuine happiness to me. 

Every day continues to be a great day for Darrell. 

Fun on a Budget

Brain cancer is...

 ...knowing that time is worth more fun than is money.

As we headed out to the park today to walk off some last night's The Alienist feast (ugh!), Darrell decided to rinse off the windshield.  He invited me to sit inside and enjoy the low-budget ride through car wash simulation (above).  Trip Advisor:  Five stars!   

If you can handle more car wash fun, here's the video version:

 Alternative YouTube Video Link

Leaving the park post walk, Darrell took me on a surprise date to Michael's craft store.  With their regular 40% off coupon, this date cost us only $3.23.  Below, Darrell says...

"I can bearly stand it!"

Me neither, Darrell, me neither!


PS...Thus far The Alienist gets mixed reviews.

The Alienist: A New Guillaume Cook/Eat/Watch Tradition? (Updated)

Brain cancer is...

Darrell's Shrimp Cocktail

 

Warm Lobster Dip

Steaks and arugula, which was good no matter what Darrell says.

 ...always on the prowl for new excuses to Eat/Cook/Watch together.

Our three favorite cook/eat/watch traditions--wherein we first prepare the food together and then eat it as we watch something important on television include:

1. Zachary's birthday
2. Game day for the Packers (and other lesser NFL teams)
3. Game of Throne feasts

Today we are excited to launch a new Guillaume Cook/Eat/Watch endeavor:  The Alienist.   We've read and seen great press on TNT's new series, which premieres tonight at 7 PT, so we did some research.

• "Alienist" is an old fashioned word for psychiatrist.  (Word lovers:  Click here to hear Merriam Webster's podcast that explains "alienist" as the Word of the Day a decade ago.)
• The new television series is based on a best selling novel of the same name by Adam Carr, written in 1994 (Book lovers:  Click here for more information on the novel.)  I am just finishing reading it, and I give it five stars as a work of historical fiction and a crime story.  
• New York City's Delmonicos is the main characters' favorite restaurant.  (Food lovers, click here for a reservation.)

Thus, we deem The Alienist show as worthy of a try as new Guillaume Cook/Eat/Watch tradition.   Let's share our ratings tomorrow, yes? (Feast pictures to follow as well.)

Update After the Show

What?  Apparently the show plays several times.  We watched it on TNT at 7 p.m., and it plays again at 9 p.m. and 10 p.m. on TNT-W.

Viewers' advisory:  As in the novel, the content is sad (murder of children) and explicit.

The show struck me as even more explicit than the novel and much darker.  It also struck me as much more stylized than the novel.  Maybe shows always need to be stylized because they cover so much territory so quickly.  I like the book better than the show, but I always do. 

With their fresh perspective, Darrell and Zach say it's worth a second Cook/Eat/Watch next week.  My goal is to appreciate the show without relying on my understanding of the book.  The episode definitely kept us talking into the evening.


The food?  It's a good thing the Word of the Year is not "restraint."  Yummy.

Here's the Guillaume The Alienist Kick-Off Party Menu 

(Recipes are based loosely on Delmonico's menu items.  We've never been there. Hey, we've never been to Game of Throne's Westeros or Castle Black either; we tend not to let such things interfere with our feasting.)  

Appetizers

• Shrimp Cocktail
• Warm Lobster Dip
• Brie cheese and crostini

 The Meal

• Steak Delmonico
• Delmonico Potatoes
• Sauteed Arugula

Titans:  Happy First Day of Class for Spring 2018! 

“It Could Be Worse, Mousse.”

Brain cancer is...

 ...ever wise.

Today, after Mousse endured one NFL championship game, Darrell consoled him, above, “At least you’re not wearing a sweater.”

These words of wisdom seem to be sustaining Mousse through the second game.

What’s sustaining the humans in the room? The last of Mayfield football treats!  Treats are way better than sweater avoidance.  Thanks again for the treats, Mayfields!

Thanks, Darrell, for your continued wisdom.

Wearing Out Our Stuff

Brain cancer is...

 ...outliving our belongings.

Above, left, is Darrell's shiny new Optune Connection Cable.  He wore out the one on the right.  Go, Darrell, Go!

Today we retired purple wheelie bag, Darrell's favorite.  We killed its wheels with our San Diego trek.

Don't worry.  Blue wheelie bag is on its way. We look forward to wearing out that one too. 

Happy Saturday!

Serendipitous Susan

Brain cancer is...

..so glad to meet Susan.

Today, in addition to vacation, Darrell experienced two great moments.

Optune Amy let us know that Darrell hit 98% compliance. Again!

And, at the San Diego Sante Fe Station, we met Susan (above), who introduced herself after observing Darrell’s Optune “ponytail.”

Susan’s son Greg is undergoing treatment for initial GBM.

Greg: Welcome to the club. We are so sorry. You've got this. Here's what 23 months looks like:

San Diego Thursday

Brain cancer is...

...very busy. 

Click here if you need the slideshow details of the day. 

FIRST!

Brain cancer is...

...enjoying the FIRST vacation of 2018 and the FIRST week of Andi’s spring 2018 leave.

Helloooo San Diego!  Click here for the video. 

A Great Day at UCLA!

Brain cancer is...

...so old!

Great news from Dr. Cloughesy this morning.  Above he points to the tumor cavity, which contains the only illuminated area in Darrell's brain.  (Remember the blog post lesson on contrast?  This is an image from the scan with contrast.)  Dr. Cloughesy reiterated today that probably future images of the tumor cavity will look like this too--scar tissue from surgery and subsequent treatment.

He also confirmed the radiologist's impression that the mucky bone pancake is holding still.  Thus, no PET scan is indicated at this time.

Finally, because Darrell is coming up on his two-year diagnosis anniversary with no recurrence, Dr. Cloughesy recommended moving from MRI scans every 8 weeks to every 12 weeks. 

Our Tiverton Celebration Breakfast Cheers...the last until April!

Please, friends, do something fun today to celebrate Darrell's old, old cancer. 

We appreciate you.

Happy Birthday, Zachary!

Brain cancer is...

...celebrating the wonderful person who is Zachary.

Today is Zach's 25th birthday.  What a great trip this year's voyage around the sun has been, Zach.  We love you and we're proud of you. 

Zach and Lilah, circa 2002

Zach and Mousse, 2016

We are tucked in at Tiverton for Darrell's Tuesday appointment with Dr. Cloughesy.

Birthday celebrations to follow, tomorrow night.

Couch Potatoes

Brain cancer is...

...spending the day on the couch.

We spent the day eating treats from the Mayfields and resting up. Plus art. 

"Good Bye" and "Hello"

Brain cancer is...

...great at saying "goodbye" and "hello."

Today's conference was too wonderful for words.  I would need to give 200 shout outs.  Instead, here's just one image to capture the spirit of the day:

What a grand finale for Andi's CSUF adventures through fall 2017/intersession 2018.

Tonight I discovered why Darrell kept smiling and delivering pizzas:  Because every pizza brought us one step closer to....

 ...Andi's family medical leave for spring 2018.

With that selfie kiss, we said "goodbye" to every good Titan thing until August 2018.  Special projects continue, but regular duties are on hiatus.

"Hello" to the next (unknown) chapter of this story!



PS...Really Mayfields?  Darrell lives for football, but I need to watch the play offs with no Packers?

Thanks for the delicious reminder that it's not all about me.  I'll watch any team but the Patriots.


Photo credits:  Cindy Davis, Darrell Guillaume

All (Conference) Systems Go!

Brain cancer is...

...relentlessly supportive.

Today and into the night was conference prep.  The Titan student volunteers met for training for the big event and made these terrific pieces:

Darrell did the pizza pick up and delivery. I am so grateful for Darrell’s relentless support.  I am almost certain he thinks I'm certifiably crazy, and yet he just keeps smiling, just keeps delivering pizza.  I know what a fortunate woman I am.

Another reason I am fortunate? My best friend from sixth grade surprised me and flew in from Utah to help with the conference. Leslie was great at the 2016 conference, and here she is to work her magic again.  Hurrah! 

Here’s to good partners and good friends:  the greatest of fortunes.

Arts Ed Conference Preparations

Brain cancer is...

 

...always give, give, give.

Above you see Darrell testing a photo booth frame with LuAnn then Gordon. All seems in order.

Saturday is the CSUF third Arts at the Center of 21st Century Education Conference.

We are in the final stages of preparation.  

Thanks, Darrell, for giving! Hope to see you Saturday, Friends, at the photo booth!

(Historical side note: The second CSUF Arts Education Conference was at the end of January, 2016. Darrell had GBM, and we didn’t yet know it. What a difference the space between two conferences makes.)

"Stable Appearance of the Brain"

Brain cancer is...

 

stable.

Darrell's MRI results were posted this evening.  Great news from the preliminary report:  No changes at the tumor site, and no changes to the mucky bone pancake.  Hurrah!

We see Dr. Cloughesy in a few days.  He is always very thorough in examining the MRI with us and sharing his expert opinion.  Then we really relax about the MRI results.

Thanks for waiting with us, Team D!

In Other News

1.  Darrell's 23-month anniversary came and went unobserved on Monday.  We slept through it with this cold.  Happy 23 months, Darrell! 

2.  We finally made it back to the park today to walk a bit.  Good thing we did, or we would have missed these tippy birds.  The video, below, bottom, gives the full tippy effect.

Onward, Team D!

Speed MRI

Brain cancer is...

...speed scanned!

No results yet (post time:  5:45 p.m.), but today's MRI experience was speedy and smooth.  They took Darrell in early, they scanned him quickly, and they burned the CD in less than five minutes.  We were home in just over an hour. Amazing. 

Also amazing:  Darrell was able to stifle a coughing spell during the scan.  That's an important accomplishment because (a) his head was bolted to the table so movement would be difficult, and (b) if he needed to cough or otherwise move, they would have needed to rescan to replace the blurry images.

The most painful part of the scan experience for Darrell was drinking the plain (gasp!), warm (eek!) bottled water post scan:

And the bottle, as you see, was huge! Poor, poor Darrell.  

Thank goodness diet Coke is also wet.

Well done, Darrell!

We hope to post tomorrow with the radiologist's initial impressions.

MRI Fun Facts

• Thus far, Darrell always has two MRI's:  One without contrast and one with contrast.
• The contrast is a substance injected into an IV in Darrell's arm after the tech completes the first scan.
• The contrast makes some things like tumors and blood vessels more visible, which allows for more accurate interpretation. (Click here for a helpful website on MRIs with contrast.)
• The contrast contains gadolinium, a rare earth metal.  It also contains "chelating" materials to which the gadolinium bonds in order to render it non-toxic while allowing it to maintain its contrast properties.
• Apparently only about 1 in 3 MRI's uses contrast.
• Drinking plenty of fluids for a couple days post MRI allows Darrell's body to flush the contrast out of his system, through his kidneys.

Still Staying Still

Brain cancer is...

 ...enjoying the rain.

We welcomed today's rain both because the region needs it and because it gave us a good excuse to spend an additional day holding still, looking out the window, and encouraging Darrell to rest a bit more before his scan.

Check in time is 8:30 a.m.  The MRI is scheduled for 9:00. Darrell's coming for you, 3T machine!

Welcome Home, Travelers!

Brain cancer is...

 ...glad to have Zach and Summer back home.

We picked up the weary travelers at LAX tonight (LAX with the iconic, magical color-changing columns, that is).

  
They had a great trip and were there to kick off the celebration season for New Orleans’s 300th birthday.  They are in Day 3 of their colds and are happy to be back home to recuperate.  

Darrell and I spent much less time resting today and plan to attempt a brief walk tomorrow, as long as Darrell continues to mend.

We hope you are well.

Last Cold Day

Brain cancer is...

 ...nursing this cold one last day.

Tomorrow we will face the world anew.

All our best.

Let's All Stay Up too Late!

Brain cancer is...

 

...staying up too late with good friends!

Finally  Darrell and Andi hosted TK and Matt for dinner.  What great conversation and great fun.  At least it wasn't two years since our last gathering (click here).

Nonetheless, sorry it got so late, guys!  And let's hope it's just as late the next time.

Gearing Up

Brain cancer is...

...gearing up for January’s cancer eradication efforts.

Darrell had his blood drawn today (see his pain, above), followed by breakfast out, as per tradition.

His MRI is Tuesday, and in the coming weeks he will see both of his oncologists.

We are done for the day, devoting the rest of our daily efforts to battling the New Year’s cold. Nurse Kathie just told us we're in it for the long haul.  Our sympathies to all of you who have already vanquished some version of the season’s illness. Fight on, friends and family, fight on!

3 2 1 Launch

Brain cancer is...

...launching 2018 and its important adventures.

Today we ended Christmas and, thus, 2017, by putting away our holiday decorations. Above see a box of special ornaments we didn’t find until today, when it was time to take ornaments down.  Happy or sad? Let’s choose Christmas 2018 happy.

Given Darrell’s questionable ethics in taking down the outdoor lights after Christmas 2016 (click here for the post), Mousse kept a close eye on Darrell as Big D packed up the 2017 lights. Mousse is watching you, a Big D!

Once we said goodbye to 2017, we said hello to 2018 and its future stories.  We enjoyed lunch with Madison, hearing her plans for her final semester at SFSU and plans for law school, fall 2018.  She has one great acceptance already.  Go, go, go Maddii!

Finally, Zachary and Summer launched into their professional worlds as academics as they celebrated the success of Zach presenting his first paper at a professional conference...in New Orleans.

3...2...1....Launch!!