20 Aug 2010

Lynne's recovery from her surgery is moving along steadily. She had nine appointments this week with doctors, therapists, and home nurse visits. She is definitely ready for a nap after the therapy appointments. Lynne has moments of clear speech but still struggles to find the words to express her thoughts.

Yesterday, without warning, the batteries for the Logitech universal entertainment system remote died so I had to make an emergency run for AAA batteries. This is only an emergency when one is stuck on the couch most of the day. As I made my way to the garage, Lynne said "can I ride along?" She had just finished a physical therapy session and was ready so I helped her to the car for a few minutes out of the house. Once into the car, she said "you know I have a plan." She didn't have to say any more, I knew she wanted a McDonald's Carmel Frappe, you know the one that is fantastilicious.

Lynne's sister was able to sit with Lynne for a few hours on Wednesday. Jessica went to the mall for a little breather and I got a little uninterrupted work time. We are also looking forward to a visit from our friend in Connecticut. Lynne will get some time to talk about things other than cancer, doctors, and treatments.

We did meet with neuro-oncologist this week to discuss chemotherapy options. He recommends switching to bis-chloranitratesurea (BCNU) due to Lynne's sensitivity to Temodar. Lynne almost lost her life when taking Temodar three years ago due to platelet counts that plunged to fatal levels. Temodar is a one of the gold-standard treatments, especially following the initial diagnosis. BCNU is one of the original treatments for GBM approved by the FDA in 1977. BCNU is the same agent that is in the Gliadel wafers implanted during surgery. She has an appointment with her oncologist next week to get the chemotherapy treatments started again.