Packed and Ready for the Scan

Brain cancer is...

 ...set for tomorrow's scan.

Above is our pack, ready to head to St. Jude at 7:00 tomorrow morning.  Darrell is all set, with our notebook, towels for his head, a bag for arrays, his fleece, and other mandatory items for scan day all packed up.

We keep learning new things.  Today I called Dr. Park's office again to check on blood test results because they still haven't been posted.  We learned that even though the results are not released to us via Darrell's portal, they are indeed available to the radiologists.  Thus the scan can proceed.

We are lying low today. 

We hope your Monday is good to you!

Rusty Pelican

Brain cancer is...

...enjoying dinner with Beth and Geoff.

Dinner in Newport Beach, enjoying people who enjoy life.  The weekend doesn’t get much better, right?

Happy Sunday, Team D!

Cool Kids

Brain cancer is...

...hanging out. 

We are having a great time hanging out with Charlene and Ryan.

Happy Saturday!

Less Difficult, More Awesome

Brain cancer is...

...having a good day.

Today is less difficult, more awesome.  Here it is in a few images.

Darrell greeted me this morning with coffee and two dozen roses (above).  And I'm not the one having a scan!

We beat the heat...and the fatigue...at the park first thing.

Darrell's hard work with rocks yesterday paid off.  Thumbs up!

The van did fine today.  And while I was filing car paperwork, we ran across this bit of great news:

Our purple van is rocking on, long after it should have died.  Go, purple van, go!

We had linner at Fratellino's.  Locals:  Look how cute their patio is becoming.

Good thing we ate inside, though, because we overheard the quote of the day:

"How big is a 10-inch pizza?"

The blood test results are not yet released, but we have faith that they will be before the scan.  We'll call again Monday.

We are home for the afternoon with an array change and air conditioning.  Awesome!

Cancer Course: Coming in Hot!

Brain cancer is...

...just dealing with it. 

One of the things we have learned in 41 months is to expect difficulties during Cancer Course. No matter how far in the horizon we predict it, we can't prepare for the emotional burden.  Let’s talk difficult, and then let’s close with awesome.

Difficult

1. We both woke up in the early morning hours with shingles vaccine injection site muscular pain. No more rolling over to the left.
2. By the time we hit the park, we experienced more shingles vaccine side effects: extreme fatigue.
3. At the park (above), people interfered with Darrell's rockmeister volunteer gig of keeping the native garden walkway open.  Sisyphus? 
4. The van's transmission...or clutch?...makes us worry about taking the van on the freeway for much longer.
5. Darrell's blood test results never posted.  No blood results = no scan.
6. Andi, who makes all calls, couldn’t finish the phone calls for the day—medical and otherwise.

 Awesome

1.  We made it through the park walk.
2. Gordon keeps getting stronger.  We had a good visit.
3. Chinese food with LuAnn was tasty and provided time for important conversation.
4. Several phone calls resulted in the knowledge that Darrell's blood results are indeed in; they are just not posted because Dr. Park is gone and hasn't released them.
5. We now know that this, too, shall pass.

Here's hoping that your Thursday was less difficult and more awesome.

Same Great Efforts, New Great Name!

Brain cancer is...

...changing Cancer "Week" to Cancer Course.

It's that time again, Friends!  Cancer eradication efforts are upon us.  Efforts formerly fit into a tightly packed week, but now they spread out over several weeks. The order is:

1. Blood draw and results
2. Scan
3. Dr. Cloughesy
4. Dr. Park

Darrell sailed through his blood draw this morning. We are still awaiting results.  His scan is Tuesday.  We go to UCLA next weekend.  Then we see Dr. Park.  Therefore, we are changing Cancer "Week" to Cancer Course.  Mostly we are just tired of typing the double quotes around the now-figurative Week.

We are enjoying more balanced days recently.  Days are still busy, but now they hold a better variety of activities.  For example, after Darrell's blood draw this morning, we had world famous breakfast burritos with Kristine and Christine at Pepe's.

Darrell went about his business while the women enjoyed a day at ELD summer camp.  Great stuff.  Later Darrell and I took care of more medical chores, including shingles vaccines for both of us.

(Public Service Announcement:  The vaccine is now in ready supply!  All of our friends who are 50 and better, head to your local pharmacist.  Those of us who have had shingles implore you.) 

After a walk, we are ending the day with dinner in front of Law and Order.   Nice!

Happy Hump Day, Team D!

Adieu, Dew!

Brain cancer is...

 ...drinking mostly blue waters.

This just in:  Darrell is cutting back drastically on his former drink of choice, Diet Mtn Dew.  Originally he began drinking less of the Dew because he thought it was linked with gastrointestinal troubles.  Now he is just losing his taste for it.  I know many of you are with me on this:  We never saw it coming!

In other news:  We headed to the park for the first time in a while.  Lovely.

Beowulf did great.  He walked the whole three miles without a break.  Here he is near the finish line:

Yes, you may see that he's sporting his new summer 'do.  His parents call him Chihuawulf.

Sure, we can see that.  But maybe also... a little...

Image Site

 ...Anubis...?