Robin Update - 11/03/05

 
I have been informed by several of you that I am delinquent in updating Robin's Blog. I hope you will forgive me. As you will see, we have been busy.

In short, Robin is not doing great, but she is still pushing on towards beating this cancer. She received her last chemo treatment on Tuesday, November 1st. In about two weeks, she will have a series (oops- bad word in Houston) of scans done to see if anything shows. Then she will start six weeks of radiation (five days a week).

The Details:
Robin had her third chemo on October 11th, and all went pretty much as expected. The next two weeks were relatively normal and Robin's left eye (which had gone blind September 18th) was starting to clear. We saw her Ophthalmologist the following Monday (October 17th), and he said it was looking better. He planned to start laser surgery in about a month. However, Robin's body had other plans.

On Saturday, October 22nd, the Galveston "D'Feet Breast Cancer" fun run was held. About thirty of Robin's coworkers and family members ran or walked in her honor and for others who have breast cancer. Even Dr. Masel came out and ran (not walked). While they were walking and running, Robin met with other ladies who had survived breast cancer. I believe she found out how lucky she is to have the benefit of the research of the past few years when she spoke to women who fought cancer twenty years ago. Thanks to Lori and Gerry who organized the TLC group, and to everyone who works to raise money for cancer research!!! It really helps.
On Sunday, October 23rd, Robin developed a burn-like rash over most of her body. Then, on Monday, she totally lost the vision in her left eye again. That made her a bald, blind, boob-less, diabetic, cancer patient with a rash and a bad attitude. What a mouthful!!! She saw her oncology nurse on Tuesday (25th) and was prescribed steroids for the rash. She also called the Ophthalmologist and he decided to accelerate the laser surgery to save her right eye.

Monday (October 31st), was Halloween. The workers at Robin's facility dress up for the clients on Halloween. Robin's group dressed as famous bald people, and they persuaded her to dress up like Uncle Fester from the Addams Family. She looked GREAT. I posted a picture of her in costume. She even had the light bulb (I know SOME of you are old enough to remember).

Later that day, she had laser surgery in her right eye. The good doctor did more than originally planned because he felt the situation was fairly dire. The laser surgery went well, although the focal treatment caused "stabbing" pains that seemed to be tolerable, but painful just the same. For more information about her treatment, check the following website (and some of its links):
Laser Treatment for Diabetic Retinopathy

Robin had her last chemo on Tuesday (November 1st) after All Saints Day Mass. It went well. Alexis came and kept us company while Robin sucked down the toxic chemicals. It was a long day, but we were done by 5:00PM. She had to go back to get a white blood cell booster shot on Wednesday. The rash is almost gone but it left brown skin where it had been. The after-effects of the chemo are more pronounced than before, with much more nausea, but thank God it is the last one!!!

Thanks again for your kind thoughts and prayers. Now is NOT the time to stop. Robin plans to take her radiation at UTMB (University of Texas Medical Branch, for you "furners") at Galveston, so it will be fairly convenient with her work down there. We have been told that radiation has fewer side effects, and they are different. Most pronounced is the exhaustion, with some possible skin problems. So please keep up the prayers and support. As I said before, if you cannot think of anything else, send her a card with a personal note of encouragement. I cannot tell you how much these mean to her!!!
The address is 10511 Sagevale Lane, Houston, TX 77089.


Thanks again,
Larry