Thursday, August 20, 2009

R7112

Dear friends,

As Maya has told you, I am feeling better. The nausea is gone and I am smiling again. Thanks for cheering me up (and for all the anti-nausea tips).
This time I will not pretend, the first days on the study were not so easy. It was hard to control the nausea, I did not eat, I got dehydrated, felt miserable and my weight dropped to 81 pounds.
The good news is that I take the drug for ten days and then I rest for seventeen days. Unaware of this "minor" detail, I was suffering just from thinking that I would have to take the five pills (250mg each) everyday for months. So imagine how I felt when I realized that I was starting a break on Wednesday.
Now, that I entered the resting period of the study, I have to recuperate the weight I lost. Today we had Dim Sum (Yam Cha) in Chinatown with Paula, a friend from my childhood in Macau. We had a wonderful time.
Tomorrow, Carlos, my dear high school classmate, will be the one trying to fatten me up.... again in Chinatown, of course.

Someone wrote that this drug has worked on some patients that took 90mg. I am taking one thousand and two hundred and fifty milligrams (1.250mg), while the first patients on this study started with 40mg. My cohort must be one of the last ones on this group since it is already at such a high dose. Knowing that the drug was effective at a lower dose is certainly the best news I have had in months. Thank you for the encouraging information.

13 comments:

Erin said...

Hurray! I'm glad you can rest for a few days! Now go eat! Creme de papaya...lots of calories and it's out of this world delicious. If you were here, I would make you some...
Beijos!

Got Hope? I Do! said...

Elsa, I am so happy to hear that you are doing so much better. Now you need to go stuff yourself with good eats in Chinatown.
I could only imagine the smile on your face while I was reading the blog and it brought a smile to my face to know that you are feeling better now.

:)

tapioca said...

as notícias não podiam ser melhores!
Estamos muito, muito, muito felizes e agora "torcemos" para que comas muitas coisas boas e carregadas de calorias para aumentar esse teu peso pluma...
Montes de beijinhos

Anonymous said...

Querida Elsa

Que boas noticias, saber que te estás a sentir melhor é uma grande alegria para mim, agora aproveita bem, descansa e come muito muito muito, pede ao Carlos para te levar a uma tasca de Van Tan min que ele me levou uma vez em China town que é uma maravilha, tudo nessa tasca é bom eheheh

beijinhos e muita força

Matilde

Kathy said...

Elsa, will you take a weight donation? I seem to have a little extra on the rear end that I would gladly give up and do my good deed for the day!
:)
Happy you're feeling better. I can't wait to read about those fantastic scan results.
Kathy

Je Vois La Vie en Vert said...

Que bom !

Bem tentei também ver se engordavas um pouco com pasteis de Belém....

Quando quiseres fazer um transplante de gordura, ponho-me a tua disponibilidade.... :-D

Beijocas cheias de areia

Verdinha

CLARA'S BLOG said...

Ola Elsa, que bom que estas-te a sentir melhor! Logo que quiseres uma visita, diz-me, ok? Continua a comer muito e beijinhos, Clara

Anonymous said...

Elsa, so nice to see your face on Card Blue blog again. I love your photos from Lisbon and lament your return to misery of a trial -- but glad there's one for you. The terrible paradox. I'll be thinking about you. Let us know your new MSKCC regime; would love to cross paths there. Take care. -L

David said...

Dearest, Elsa. Just fyi. There is a small biographical blurb about Leonard Cohen in this week's (August 24th) New Yorker magazine. Pages 78 and 79. We miss you here in Boston. Love, David and The Farber Family.

Pipas said...

Que bom que já te sentes melhor....
Yam Cha que saudades... quando voltares cá vamos ao casino de estoril. Deixas-te-me com água na boca.
Muitas saudades

Anonymous said...

Here's looking at you, kid.

Michelle said...

I'm glad that you get a brake.I hope you are feeling better today.
Are you around Tuesday? I get my stitches out and results from the pathology. I'll be at 1275 York. I would love to see you! I am around all week too and can meet up with you anywhere.
It's so uncomfortable for me to eat....I eat mush all day! We can fatten each other up!
I want to go to Baby Cakes. It's a store in the city that has Vegan desserts....yummy! We can eat all the cupcakes we want, no sugar!
Love & miss you

Anonymous said...

elsita mi vida
despacha-te com isso
porque ainda me estás a dever um jantar
vê la hein
se arranjas tempo
da proxima visita
para te levar a umas dicotecas
africanas
uma kizombada vai-te fazer bem
deixa-te desses jantares da tanga
com essa chata dessa matilde
que nunca te larga
chê
e mais um funana
é t vai abrir o apetite
estamos juntas
nha vida
bjs
bela madureira