Norfolk terrier pups, born December 8th, at 1 week old

A week has past. Mid-week I had dropped a couple more pounds, discouraging, but yesterday I was back up to a whopping 103#. Maybe I have stopped dropping. That would be nice. I am eating all the time, really I am. Even in the middle of the night if I wake up early. I saw the surgeon and the oncologist last week. Today I will see the GI doctor. Some concern over these 7 weeks of diarrhea, but we have ruled out infections. All my blood work is good. The oncologist seemed pleasantly surprised, above average it seems. The GI doctor may have more info and advice today. We have a tentative start date for chemo, Wednesday 1/6. Most likely the sessions will continue on Wednesdays, 3 in a row with the 4th Wed off, for 3 months. Not too bad. I will be asking for rides to and from the treatments, looking forward to reading or knitting by myself during the treatments.

Ben put a hefty deposit on one of the Norfolk terriers I mentioned last week, a unilateral decision I would like to add. Seems this will be his dog. He plans to take him to work each day. Hopefully I'll get to know him in the evenings and weekends! If you're interested, you can Google Jackpot Kennels in Junction City, OR. Look for new puppies available for adoption. They are cute.

I just talked to Billy in Sweden this morning. He finished his work there and will have a free day in Orebro tomorrow. Wednesday he will fly from Stockholm to amsterdam, play in Amsterdam a day, then fly non-stop to Portland on Thursday. David and Pia are flying into Portland Tuesday night. We are looking forward to being with them and Zac for Christmas.

Merry Christmas to all of you.

Pamela

SOPHIE

Nothing much new to report here. As far as medical news, I continue to lose weight, now a whopping 103#, but I continue to have a big appetite and enough energy. Without the insulation on my body, or in our house walls, I have a hard time staying warm on these cold days. Wearing many layers of clothing helps, and I now have a new selection of long underwear, turtle necks, and fleece to choose from. I have been going to yoga for two weeks, and each time I can do a little more, stretch a little farther. It's good to be back among my friends in the yoga community. My walks have become a little longer, close to what I was doing before but not as fast-paced. Even on these cold days, it feels good to get the heart rate up and breathe the fresh air. My friend Leslie has provided me a new dog friend, Sophie, who joins us on most of our walks in the hills.

On that topic, Ben is becoming serious about getting a dog. We are considering one of a new litter of Norfolk (I think) terriers from Junction City. They will be ready to adopt in February, so we are thinking of an excursion there to learn more about this breed. If all works out, we could pick up our puppy in February on our way home from a visit to Billy who will be in Gold Beach doing a rural rotation. He will have room in his apartment there and has invited us to stay a week. We loved that area of southern Oregon coast when we were there in October and can't wait to return.

Last Thursday, Zac joined us to get our Christmas tree on a farm off Helvetia Road. We have been slow to get up the decorations, but it's on my list for today, along with making gingerbread men cookies. At 11:00 AM, I am still in my jammies, puttering around the house doing email and chores, and eating. Better get with it so I will be ready for a 1:00 walk with Leslie. I hope we will also go to the gift store and gallery at the School of Arts and Crafts.

These year seems particularly festive to me. I am enjoying the mood and looking forward to having all three sons and Pia here soon to celebrate Christmas.

Hope all is well with each of you reading this.

Pamela

I had my first post-operative appointment with the surgeon today, and I feel like a huge weight has lifted from my shoulders. First of all, I learned that he did not have to remove any of my stomach. (Immediately my stomach felt better to know that!) He was very pleased with my progress so far, 4 weeks post-op. When explaining about the chemotherapy they are recommending, he said that I had responded very well to the first rounds of chemo. The evidence was that the tumor had shrunk from 4 cm (measured on the 1st CT) to 8 mm at surgery. He said my response to the chemo (and radiation I assume) was in the top 5% of patients. The reason to repeat the chemo after surgery is that statistics show that those who do have the chemo live longer than those who don't and that most patients have some cancer cells floating in them somewhere after surgery. I'm not too worried about the chemo as it wasn't that hard on my body before (as far as I could tell), and it will be the same chemical, although stronger. We'll know more about the chemo plan after I see the oncologist on 12/18. The best news I heard today was that 20% of patients surviving the surgery have no recurrence of the cancer. I didn't think that was possible. Needless to say, I am aiming to be among that 20%, and we believe it is reasonable to believe I could be. Now I need my body to start processing the food I eat better so I can stop losing weight and begin putting the pounds back on. I have lost 15# since the surgery 4 weeks ago, and it's not pretty. I'm 30# lighter than I was when I was paddling outrigger and very fit. I was never this thin even in high school when I admired the model Twiggy and counted calories like a maniac. I trust that pretty soon my body will be back to normal and that eventually I will not have a problem gaining weight.

It's a beautiful sunny, cold day here in Portland. Pretty soon I will talk to my friend Wally about the bathroom remodel we're planning in January. After that, I hope to talk Ben into a brisk walk in the sun.

Take care.

Pamela

I can't believe it is December, although the crisp cool air is convincing. Saturday night, Ben and I went on our first 'date' since surgery, downtown to see a movie. All the sidewalk trees were lit with white lights and the big Christmas tree was lit in Pioneer Square. It was quite festive.

My belly is gradually shrinking back to it's prior size, and thanks to the low-rider style of my pants, I can now where much of my regular clothing. My walks have become longer, up to 1/2 hour. One late afternoon, we walked with David, Pia, and Zac along the esplanade beside the Willamette River downtown, stopping for hot drinks at a little cafe. Yesterday Leslie and I did one of our usual shorter walks up to Council Crest Park and past my old house and back to her house. I am most pleased that I have been able to resume my yoga classes. Life is beginning to take on some familiar regularity.

Billy has phoned us from Sweden. Sounds like Patrik and the family have many fun activities planned: ski trip, dinner in a Castle, sporting events, tour of Stockholm. We hope to speak to him again soon to find out how his rotation in the hospital is going. It was to have started yesterday.

The photos above were taken on a walk on Council Crest when David visited prior to the surgery.

Take care,

Pamela