4-16-2010: Another good check-up, plus a picture of Deb stalking our local swans.
8-31-2009: Another good check-up. Plus the story of how hard it is for Deb to get out of an emergency room, and a picture from our 25th-anniversary trip to Iceland.
1-28-2009: We had another scare, but
ultimately things turn out to be OK. Bonus: two pictures from trip to
Sedona we took while we were waiting for the test
results.
7-11-2008. No need to link to anything,
here's the whole report: Friday Deb had her twice-a-year check-up
with Dr. Lange, the oncologist. All the scans look good. Dr. Lange
poked around on a worrisome blemish and pronounced it a harmless
cyst. We'll see him again in half a year. February marked the 5-year
point since the GIST was removed from her abdomen, and early August
will make it 12 years since the breast cancer was discovered.
1-11-2008: Still nothing new
5-25-2007: A boring update on Deb’s health.
11-24-2006: We don't even need a link for this: Another CAT scan, another meeting with the oncologist. No news.
5-2-2006: Things still look good. Next scheduled check-up in November.
11-15-2005: Another good check-up. Picture of Deb at the Rio Grande.
5-12-2005: The May CAT scan gave us a scare, but it all came out fine.
10-18-2004: October CAT scan clean. Next one in May.
6-23-2004: Another clean CAT scan. Next scan in October.
2-21-2004: Good news preceded by much pointless anxiety
11-18-2003: Still Dancing with NED
8-20-2003: Tightroping to 90
7-18-2003: Good news from a CAT
scan.
6-11-2003: Four months
after surgery. All previous trends continue.
4-20-2003:
Deb returns to work.
3-27-2003:
No news is good news.
3-7-2003:
Deb starts taking Gleevec.
3-4-2003:
A cold and fever is delaying Deb starting Gleevec.
2-25-2003:
A day of follow-ups at Beth Israel.
2-18-2003:
Deb is home from the hospital.
2-17-2003:
The pathologist's report is hopeful.
2-13-2003:
Deb's first day of recovery went well.
2-11-2003:
The tumor is not completely removed. The doctors suspect another
tumor elsewhere.
2-7-2003:
How we expect things to go Tuesday. Don't expect news until
Wednesday.
2-5-2003:
Surgery has been scheduled for Tuesday February 11th at 4 p.m.
2-3-2003: A new tumor has been found. It isn’t a recurrence of breast cancer.
11-28-97: It's the day after Thanksgiving, and I'm setting up this web page on the history of Deb's breast cancer. We are both thankful that the previous year has gone as well as it did.
Here's the current situation: Deb seems to be in good health, other than a typical winter cold that started last week. (I got it too.) It's the first time she's been sick since her immune system got zapped in March. The last round of tests for cancer was done in October, and turned up nothing. Cancer testing is an inexact science, so there's no guarantee that the next set of tests (presumably in April) won't find something. We continue to wait and see.
Deb's hair came back in her original color, but curlier than it has ever been. I think it's cute. Sooner or later I'll get around to putting pictures up on this site.
As far as life-in-general, we're still living in Nashua, NH, and enjoying it. We have a wonderful apartment in an old mill building. Deb works halftime at Mitre, and I'm working at home on a book about Windows 98.
I've assembled the medical updates that I was sending to friends during 96 and 97. I don't think I found all of them, though. If you were on that mailing list and have the messages filed, I'd appreciate it if you could find some that I missed. In particular, I think I missed the first mailing in August, and maybe one or two in March or April..
6-7-97 Radiation treatment ends, concluding all the treatment we envisioned in September.
5-5-97 Deb returns to work. Radiation treatments
4-13-97 The rules come off. Freedom from house arrest.
3-27-97 Good-bye to Mass General. The catheter is removed.
3-21-97 Home again, home again. The low-bacteria diet.
3-18-97 Our hotel stay
3-16-97 Deb negotiates her release from Mass General
3-13-97 The stem cells return
3-12-97 Waiting for the stem cells to ride to the rescue.
3-9-97 High-dose chemo, day 2.
3-8-97 High-dose chemotherapy begins. The isolation ward at Mass General.
3-5-97 Preparing to go into Mass General. Tips on healing visualizations.
2-26-97 Pre-transplant tests are OK
2-18-97 Filtering stem cells out of Deb's blood
2-9-97 Home again. Initial impressions of Mass General
2-8-97 Beginning of PSCT process
1-23-97 Plans for the peripheral stem cell transplant
1-11-97 Fifth cycle and future treatment plans
12-17-96 Fourth cycle begins
11-26-96 Third cycle begins
11-7-96 Second cycle of chemotherapy
10-20-96 Start of chemotherapy
10-8-96 Deb returns to work
9-26-96 Treatment plan chosen
9-17-96 Follow-up surgery
9-13-96 First good news: bone scan negative
9-10-96 Pathologist's report
8-30-96 Deb leaves hospital
8-28-96 Post surgery report
8-27-96 Deb goes into hospital for surgery