Dropped Out!

Yes, like Frenchy in Grease, I've missed my proverbial mid-terms. Time to go back to high school.

You stay in a drug trial as long as your disease doesn't progress. Well, guess what? Mine progressed a fair amount in the two weeks since I started the trial (plus the 4 prior that I was off all meds). Lesions in my lungs had grown, and my old friend, the pleural effusion, was back. The end result is that Dr. Z and I decided to pull the plug yesterday. We also drained 1.3 liters off the right lung yesterday (that's a total of 3.8 liters for all of 2013.) Today, I'm back at his office for a return to the last chemo. That was a tough one, but at least the disease showed very little progress over the time I was on the drug.

So now the short term goal is to stabilize things. And to be a good shape for A&J's B'nai Mitzvah next month. Attendees, don't worry. I've already reassigned my preferred task of lifting the Torah to a more able-bodied Congregant. Apparently, dropping a Torah isn't one of those sins you can get out of simply by waving your cancer card.

On a personal and unrelated-to-cancer note, I'm happy to say that after 40 years, Kittredge Court is once again Beskind-free. My dad's house sold on Monday - as is. Marcie and the kids did a ton of the work to get it emptied and presentable, as did my in-laws, Dara, Alexis, Vince, Kim, Scott, and Erin. Miriam had helped set up his new place a while back, and Danny made the referral to the buyer. If I've forgotten anyone, let's chock it up to chemo brain. It took a village to make this happen, and I can't tell you how much my dad and I appreciate all you villagers! You are the best!

PS - I hope to have a better excuse than "sorry, I have cancer" when it comes time to return the favor!