Things are good

Today was a day when I didn't have any medical appointments! I also feel fairly normal and not tired. That is due, of course, to my blood transfusion yesterday. I thought that I might feel this burst of energy, but instead, it's more like my normal self. I like that.

I saw the wound care nurse, first, yesterday. She said when she saw how much the wound had changed in one week that it was "exciting". She said the same thing last week, too. So, I asked her why she was so excited at the changes in my wound and she replied that usually, when she and others see a cancerous wound/tumor as large as mine was, it usually keeps growing and eventually the patient goes home to die.

Whoa. I didn't realize it was as bad as that. Good thing, too! Anyway, she said that the whole area seems to be responding very well to the Abraxane treatment (which I believe is working in conjunction with the immunotherapy I had through UW). The wound/necrotic tissue has gotten smaller, from a high of 12x15 cm to what is now a 9x7 cm area. In only a few weeks, too. So, yes, I guess that it quite amazing!

I had the blood transfusion yesterday and it took about 5 hours from beginning to end. It went off without a hitch, as far as I can tell. I worked some, I called and made/rescheduled appointments, I played on facebook, I answered work emails, etc. I love all those nurses up there. They are very nice and sweet.

So, today was a good day. I met with my grad student; she now has a plan of action for the next few months. I taught my class. I have so much material I want to share with them and I always run out of time. But I guess over prepping is better than under prepping. It's a good class.

Then, I received an email about a co-authored journal article submission after I returned to my office and it got me all riled up. I won't go into details, but it seems that personal politics played a role rather than an objective reading of the article. I wrote a draft response - sent to a friend - so I can get it all out of my system. Otherwise, I might sit and fume about it.

Then again, maybe not. I think I'm changing inside and am learning to let go of stuff easier. Plus, I'm dwelling instead on the good news that after only three Abraxane treatments, I seem to be having an excellent response. Oh, and I got two cute crocheted hats in the mail today from a friend from high school. Thank you, C! Reason to celebrate! (I've said that before, huh?)

Ah, so no complaints. Life is good.