It is probably too long between posts! Please feel free to nudge me when I overlook posting.
Since her Whipple operation, Gabriele has been doing phenomenally well, considering all of the circumstances. Her healing has progressed in a quite amazing fashion and she has a beautiful peace-sign-shaped scar to show for it. She has very little pain at this point, 2 months post-surgery, which is GREAT for such a complex operation. We go for 2 to 3 mile walks with her and help her work out with weights. Her spirit is so willing, and she pushes herself constantly.
We continue to battle with nausea and eating. It's been tough to get to solid foods and decent portion sizes; Mom tends to pick around at food, and no sooner did we get past the surgical pain than we launched back into chemotherapy, using a combination of gemcitabine and cisplatin recommended by the oncologist who tested her tumor. She tolerated it fairly well except for nausea and platelet suppression.
We will start our second round of chemo today with a lower dose. Mom is quite slender and beautiful, with this shimmering silver hair growing back in and framing her lovely eyes and face. All her life she believed she had an ugly-shaped head with a "flat" spot in the back, but the opposite is true--her head shape is beautiful and round, and there is something so gorgeous and avant-garde in this new look!
We are putting together a team of doctors to continue her care: the conventional arm, with Dr. Nissen, her surgeon, and Dr. Nassir, her oncologist, at the helm, with an incredible backup team of doctors at Cedars-Sinai. There is something extremely reassuring when you get admitted to the hospital and your doctors greet you with a hug! We are also putting together a complementary/integrative medicine arm to help with the support side, supplements and other alternative medicines that will help Mom get through chemo and beyond. Both teams, conventional and complementary, will work together (hence the integrative piece!).
We continue to be amazed at the flow of love and positive energy coming our way, coming Gabriele's way, even after six months of this work and learning. Thanks to you all, keep that good energy coming!
With love,
Stephanie
You can also view Suzanne's posts about Gabriele at this website:
http://walkingpapers.wordpress.com/category/gabriele-rico/
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