Penny & Irv - June 2010

Hooray! My Oncotype DX test was 5. Meaning that I have a 5% chance of the cancer returning with or without chemotherapy. Even if I had lymph nodes to stage the cancer - they were all taken with the previous surgery in 2000 - the score is low enough that if I was lymph node positive it would still mean that I didn't have to have chemo. What a relief.

Irv, unfortunately, is still having ups and downs. He had another episode of acute pancreatitis last Saturday which meant another trip to the emergency room. His liver function tests had returned to almost normal when last drawn on June 4. But, June 12, with the pancreatitis they were all sky high again! The gastroenterologist had another set of liver tests drawn today to see how they are doing and put him on another antibiotic. This is so frustrating. I wish there was someone who could oversee all this and give a diagnosis. Irv has seen so many different doctors, with different and/or similar symptoms we now wonder if anyone knows all of it - in one brain, one doctor, etc. We both hate this to infinity and beyond!

Now, if the weather would Please, Please, Please get better. We have teaser hours, not days, and now a thunder storm is brewing if the sky is any indication. Plus, we did try to go camping on Monday up to Big Lava Lake. That afternoon wasn't too bad, a little windy. Then Tues it started to cloud up, sprinkle, then rain, then SNOW! By Wed morn we had about 1 inch on the picnic table. The dogs were filthy, we were cold and so we packed up and came home. The temp when we left the campground at noon was a balmy 36º. What kind of crap is that?

I will begin breast reconstruction in late July. I hope to have my left great toe fixed by then. At least the deductibles are out of the way so we are "free" until Nov. 1. The fact that I'm writing checks totaling $25,000 for bills accrued just since April is very demoralizing and hateful and awful and horrible.

Love to you all;

Penny