Good news

Hi faithful supporters.

I'm not updating as often because I don't have much happening. I get blood draws every week, CT scans every few months, Acupuncture is now about every 3 weeks, physical therapy to try and fix my back is ongoing a couple times each week, and chemo (avastin trial) is every 3 weeks with a exam and meeting with the oncologist.

Today was a chemo day, and I got good news from the doc. My CT scan from last week she said looks "perfect", and my CA-125 (blood marker) is still 8 - good number. All looks good right now. (I just typoed and had "Ass looks good now!" I really wouldn't know, 'cause my head doesn't go back that far! Good for a laugh.)

I'm back at LANL 1/2 time and doing ok. Having trouble getting my brain around the work - but am told that is typical at LANL now days.

Take care
Breathe
Enjoy Life

Update

Hi all.

I've gotten pretty bad at keeping up this blog. I've got a good excuse - better than the dog and the homework. The chemo brain must have misplaced my knowledge of having a blog. My cousin, Cheryle (named after me!), told me about the blog. So, here I am writing.

I went to Albuquerque for treatment today. So many wigs! The one other patient who always wore hats suddenly had shoulder-length hair. Now, I know she couldn't grow it that fast! Just 3 weeks ago she was totally bald and I had the fuzz of a chia pet. Now, I have eye brows, nose hair, etc., and she was still without eye brows.

Anyway. The doc said all is looking good. My CA-125 is still at 8, and my red and white blood counts are up. Yipee!

Other news.
My parents are the proud adoptive parents of a 3 yr little poodle. They treat her better than they treated me at that age! She is cute, adorable, white, and very spoiled. Dad takes her for lots of walks, plays tennis ball catch with her, and sleeps on the floor next to her during lightening/thunder storms. Mom cuddles, and feeds her.



I'm learning to play bridge (cards - like poker without the money) with my cancer friends. It is great getting together. Some day we will figure out how to play without telling everyone what is in our hands.

Got to go. Getting that headache that comes on the day of chemo. Am also on a steroid high, so will be awake tonight and like a pregnant mother on due date tomorrow.

Cheri

down with the flu

The Dr. thinks it is H1N1 - most of LA has had it. My symptoms are sore throat, cough,headache
(could be the avastin - chemo drug giving the headache), run down feeling. Got lots of drugs to combat this and am tying to take it easy. I'm not good at this! Good thing this is a mild case.

Jodi is off at a Youth Group CON this weekend, so I'm using her room for refuse and her notebook to type this. It is really hard to type on the smaller keyboard.

Updating on my condition/progress

Hi.

Had my 8th treatment (8 more to go) and visit with my Dr. yesterday. CA-125 is still down (8) - WOW, this is an "8" moment. Maybe I should buy a lottery ticket and choose all "8s"! - but my liver function tests are high. Got an ultrasound and it didn't show anything, so we'll just keep an eye on the blood tests.

My strength comes and goes, for the most part I'm doing well. I'm told I will probably never get back to the full energy level of pre-cancer - good thing I started with being a "high-energy" person.

Current symptoms I'm having are not too bad, just a bit irritating.
Head aches
Neuropothy - pain in feet mostly, some in hands
High Blood pressure
Upper spine pain
Insomnia
and the infamous "Chemo brain"

=============

Signs and symptoms of chemo brain may include:

• Being unusually disorganized
• Confusion
• Difficulty concentrating
• Difficulty finding the right word
• Difficulty learning new skills
• Difficulty multitasking
• Fatigue
• Feeling of mental fogginess
• Short attention span
• Short-term memory problems
• Taking longer than usual to complete routine tasks
• Trouble with verbal memory, such as remembering a conversation
• Trouble with visual memory, such as recalling an image or list of words

Signs and symptoms of cognitive or memory problems vary from person to person and are typically temporary, often subsiding within two years of completion of cancer treatment.

=============

The Dr. wants to wait another couple treatments (end of October) before thinking about releasing me for work. Hopefully I can gain strength and get a better handle on how to work around the brain function issues.

Thanks to all of you for the wonderful support.

Good news from Dr.

Went for chemo yesterday and got some good news. My CA-125 is down to 7, and my latest CT scan does not show any cancer tumors. The chemo seems to be doing it's thing. I'm now on the 2nd phase of the Avastin trial. Hpefully I'm an getting the real drug and it will keep the cancer from growing.

All is well.

6th Chemo treatment

Had 6th Chemo treatment yesterday. Went well.
I was feeling a bit nauseous and continue to have neuropathy mostly in my feet and some in my hands.
Other than that, feeling pretty good. Do have a case of "Chemo Brain" and bit of disorientation and can't concentrate well. Probably the chemo and the path I'm using.

My check up with the DR. went well. My CA-125 is down to 9 (normal). I get scans in the next couple weeks, should show if any cancer growth - most likely not.

This is my last treatment with all 3 drugs. Starting next will just be Avastin or the placebo.

Thanks for the wonderful Surprise Party

I wish to thank all of you who helped make my surprise party a good time. I kind of knew something was up, but had no idea so many people would be there to help celebrate my 50th.
(Hard to believe I'm so old - isn't it!?)

Thanks so much.
Cheri

Here are comments about me from Mary Erwin (Theresa's sister)
Cheri's idea of fine dining is noodles with "butter".

Cheri is 50 years old and still orders from the children’s menu at Lopez. Now she will get both the kid’s deal and a senior citizen discount? Lopez may end up paying for her to dine there!

Never discuss home improvement projects with Cheri. At a party on Saturday night my wife discussed her thoughts about laying tile in our bathroom. The next afternoon Cheri had tiled the bathroom and was just finishing up the grout by the time we got home from church. Tim the Tool man has nothing on this chick!!!

Never let Cheri help you pick out a pet. She must have thought we were lonely when she brought us the psycho schizophrenic dog from the "Espanola dog lady" When you took this animal for a walk it would lay down in the middle of the street and you would have to drag it home on its back. Most dogs get hit by the car first before you have to drag them from the road. Cheri thought this dog was the pick of the litter!!!

Obviously the "odd couple" was her favorite TV show when she was a kid. And Felix Unger was her idol. When I first moved to NM we stayed with Cheri and I remember at dinner I had left my plate on the table to check on my infant son Luke. 5 minutes later when I returned to the table my plate was gone and already washed and put away in the dishwasher. This happened on several occasions so I had to adjust. Cheri could never understand why I took my plate with me to the bathroom at Thanksgiving.

Along those same Felix Unger lines, Cheri is the only person we know who not only cleans out the dryer lint vent before every load, but also uses the dust buster every time to pick up any lint that falls on top of the dryer.

She thought that one baby blanket on the floor a few weeks after
Jodi was born signified that she was letting the housework get
completely out of hand.

Cheri refuses to let any food be thrown away. She will clean the
plate of all children (I’m not sure, but she has probably even eaten
baby food), and no matter how little is left, will save it for later
in Tupperware in the fridge.

She thinks the best place to find the newest fashions is at Casa Mesita.

Cheri was relegated to traveling long distances at night even before
the kids were born so she would sleep and not need to make a rest
top every hour due to her tiny bladder.

She is most definitely a morning person if there ever was one. Once
she’s awake, whether it’s 4 a.m. or 7 a.m., she gets up. No lounging
in bed for her.

Cheri always has a cause. During the difficult time at Los Alamos
regarding scientist Wen Ho Lee spy case I recall Cheri wanting to
put a "Free Ho Lee" pronounced (frijoles) bumper sticker on her
little brown Spitfire. No place but America can you have a little
honky techno-lesbian riding in a beamer car declaring freedom for a
foreign national in the name of Mexican cuisine!!

We love you Cheri, as wish we could be there to help you celebrate
the big 50. We will drink a beer for you in Germany and toast your
birthday. The Erwins