[PICTURE COMING!]
Well, that’s 5 full-strength courses of Temozolomide finished. Whew! This round wasn’t too bad since I was back on the previous mix of anti-emetics (vomit pills), though still no fun. My body continues to try to prevent me from taking the pills, making me gag now even if I just look at them. I take it as a sign of health, since no healthy body should want poison.
There’s no meaningful update on my progress at this point. I will have an MRI in a few days on the 30th, but I won’t know the results until I see Dr. Pu on the 23rd of June. In case I didn’t explain previously, the long wait is due to the fact that surgical consults are Monday only, the 9th is a Hong Kong holiday and the 16th is during my 6th chemo course. I continue to feel well and to hope for good news.
The only other medical-front update is that I now have an appointment to see Dr. Friedman, the top US neurosurgeon, at Duke University Medical Center, the top facility in the world for treating brain tumors. I am also hoping to see one of their neuro-oncologists if I can arrange an appointment at the same time. We will drive down to Duke from my parents home and spend 2 nights, and I’m excited both to see friends there and to see the doctors. Many thanks to my good friend Alice for helping to get this set up.
On a totally different note, I attended my first real Hong Kong-style wedding on Sunday (Nicole and my wedding was a strange Californian/Chinese meritage). My brother-in-law Dominic was the groom and it was pretty interesting. There was late-morning tea followed by a civil ceremony, then a big banquet. It was a jovial event all around and everyone had a fine time. What amused me most (and, since I couldn’t sleep the night before, pleased me most) was the tradition of the receiving line at the end of the banquet. At a little before 10:30 the whole wedding party lined up by the exit and shook the hands of all the guests as they left. I think it’s a great tradition, a nice friendly ‘thanks for coming now go home’ that allows the bride and groom an opportunity to get away at a reasonable hour. Anyway, much fun and hopefully I’ll have some pictures of the event to post later.
Other than that not much news from my end. The plans for Nicole and my visit to Ohio, North Carolina and California are now firmed up and ticketed, if you want details of when we’ll be where and what we have planned drop me an email.
Take care of yourselves and each other, and try not to let life get too serious.
-Ted
