from Mom ........

Paul and I decided to schedule a couple of vacations prior to my beginning chemo, again. We met our good friends, Tony and Kathleen from Logan, and spent three days with them in Southern Utah in a small community called Boulder (less than 200 residents). Incredible valley nestled in the magnificent red cliffs of Capital Reef, Escalante, Bryce, etc. We hiked, ate, laughed and then up to Logan to see other friends; Val, Sue and John (Puma). The photo below is of the waterfalls at the end of Calf Creek, a beautiful 6 mile hike along a creek filled with brookies! Love you guys.

We arrived home Sunday night from Utah, spent Monday unpacking and repacking and left Tuesday morning for Cancun, Mexico. We stayed in a smaller, boutique hotel called Sandos. Beautiful and very quiet. Took the ferry out to Isla Mujeres (Island of Women) and toured the entire island by ourselves on a golf cart. Snorkled in the beautiful Carribean, ate wonderful seafood and relaxed on the beach. Flew into Denver Monday evening into a blinding blizzard. White knuckle drive all the way home, but we made it.

We overlapped for a couple of days with Maggie, Chad and the girls and Maggie’s best friend, Jodi and her kids from Massachusetts.

Tuesday we saw the oncologist and because my CA125 has continued to elevate, now just under 1,500, I started the Cytoxen chemo yesterday. I’ll be getting it every 3 weeks and monitoring my CA125 to see if it is effectively reducing the tumors. If not, we’ll consider another chemo but my options are becoming severely limited at this point. Started with mild “chemo flu” and nausea this a.m., but will have to see how the next few days go. I should lose my hair in the next 3-5 weeks, sigh.

The good news is tomorrow will be 75 degrees and sunny and my garden is calling for me.


Just living is not enough. One must have sunshine, freedom, and a little flower.Hans Christian Andersen
Love you all,
Nyshie

from Mom ...

... into each life ...


We saw the oncologist today and received some disappointing news. My tumor marker (CA125) has increased in 3 weeks from 860 to 1,372. Below 35 is considered “normal." This indicates that the Avastin is not working, the tumors are growing and I will have to start on the dreaded chemo in a couple of weeks. Goodbye hair, hello nausea and fatigue. The good news is I won’t have to shave my legs for the summer! But seriously, we are feeling a bit stunned at the moment. The most difficult part is just not knowing what’s around the corner. But who does? If I can stay on the schedule we worked out today, this won’t affect my family reunion on the Gulf Coast in June. We may have to do some reorganizing for Paul’s family reunion in California in July. Well, tomorrow is another day.

You gain strength, courage and confidence by every experience in which you really stop to look fear in the face.
E. Rouse

Love you all,
Big Giant Grandma Nysh