A rendezvous with Dr. Grice

Today we met with Dr. Grice, Joanne's surgeon, in Seattle for her pre-op visit. He explained what will happen in surgery on the 6th, giving us the best-case scenario and the worst case. We felt he was quite optimistic that he will be able to get out all the visible tumor.

We discussed the pros and cons of doing "double chemo" after surgery - both systemically and into her peritoneal cavity. The research supports doing this, and there are more side-effects.
Joanne and I agreed that we want to go this route, so if all goes as hoped, he will insert a peritoneal port at the time of surgery. Joanne will be a two-port gal! The plan is that chemo will start about a week or two after surgery, with the systemic chemo being done in B'ham, and the peritoneal being done in Seattle, where they are experienced with this.

We both enjoyed seeing Dr. Grice again. He is so kind, confident and engaging. He excels at being fully present. All the information we heard today was sobering. Joanne is not looking forward to another round of surgery, obviously. We are choosing to believe that this trip to Virginia Mason will be easier and the recovery faster.

So, she has a week of feeling good ahead of her, and plans to make the most of every minute.
Her two sisters are coming out from the East Coast on Thursday for a few days and we are very excited to spend time with them.

We're Going on a Field Trip!

Joanne had her fourth chemo yesterday and it went smoothly. This morning we take off for Sand Point, Idaho. My 83 year old mother and my 55 year old sister are both being ordained in the Church of Religious Science on Sunday. This same sister is also being married on Sunday! Even though it is really poor timing in terms of Joanne's chemo cycle, we wouldn't miss these events for anything.

The pull to the ministry is clearly a strong genetic trait in my family. Even I still have fantasies about going to Vancouver School of Theology or Seattle U. I'm really proud of my mother and sister - they worked hard for this. They are both my spiritual soul sisters.

We will enjoy Idaho for a few days and return to Bellingham on Thursday.

Summertime - Living is Easy

I realized it's been awhile since I posted, and I want to assure all of you, no news is good news.
The injections have worked very well and Joanne's white blood count is quite high at this moment. Other than a deep fatigue, she is doing well. Chemo is this Friday again.

My pleurisy has finally resolved and I can breathe deeply again! Since I have three free days and Joanne is doing well, I am leaving tomorrow morning for a three day solo kayak trip. I get to commune with the salt water and the seals. So feel free to call Joanne - she will probably want someone to talk to!

Many thanks to all the gardening divas who so graciously weeded and dug this week: Linda Diane, Shan, Kristi, Donna and Cindy. Your help was greatly appreciated.

Our summer has been very different this year, for obvious reasons. We have stayed close to our home, enjoying summer in Whatcom County and our gorgeous surroundings right here at Lummi Shore Road. We are grateful to Netflix, Village Books and our new children, Ginger and Fred for constant entertainment.

New Additions

We are proud to announce the arrival of two new children in our family - Ginger and Fred (or Freddie until he is larger!). They arrived as foster children from the Whatcom Humane Society two weeks ago, and they have decided they want to live here. They recognize that they hit the kittie jackpot. We are madly in love. Most importantly, they are a continual source of laughter and delight. There is nothing more healing than two purring fuzz balls on your lap - and they are rapidly becoming lap kittens. Our other three adult children are in various degrees of acceptance - from cautious delight to outright contempt. They will come around.

Joanne is handling the injections for her blood count well - no side effects. Unfortunately, her counts continue to be very low so she must avoid crowds and sources of infection.