Respite and Recovery

I made a decision that was for me, a little scary, but oh so valuable. I was going on vacation, and with approval of my oncologist, I cut my Lynparza dose to 100 mg before bed, instead of 400 mg a day.

Oh my goodness, what a difference! Our first destination was a few days in a Madrid, and we did a good bit of walking, including climbing a lot of stairs. At home, when I would climb from the second floor to the fourth I would need to lie down to catch my breath.

From Madrid we went to Marrakech for a week. Each day was at least 10,000 steps (thank you, Fitbit) and many stairs and climbs. We stayed in a beautiful Riad, Dar Justo, in the Médina. No elevator, no problem. We had a wonderful guide who did an amazing job of showing us the city, giving us a history lesson, and steering us to beautiful sites we never would have found on our own. A far cry from the last time I was in Marrakech, where our guide took us to jewelry places because he was in search of a ring.

Deciding to cut back on the PARP was not a decision I came to lightly. I ruminated it over a number of days, weighting my decision. But ultimately, it just felt right. I would keep a low level of the drug in my system, and I would resume my full dose as soon as I got home. And I would ENJOY my trip.

On our last full day in Madrid we explored the Prado, then climbed a long steep set of stairs to head to a wonderful little bistro. At the top of the stairs I was not even winded.

Back at home, and back on Lynparza, I have no regrets. No regrets for reducing the drug and no regret for starting it back up. I know all the walking and climbing I did will help to improve my stamina, and it has given me incentive to improve my strength. I am not expecting to be able to leap tall buildings in a single bound any time soon, but I am encouraged that I can gain strength in small increments.

I am convinced the PARP is keeping my cancer at bay, so I will continue to take it faithfully. I have bloodwork in a couple of weeks, and that will certainly give me answers. My hope is, of course, that I continue my remission. We have a trip planned in four months. I am not sure it will involve as much walking, but I am considering cutting the PARP to half, if this little experiment was successful.

I also plan to keep on walking, riding my bike on its wind trainer, and investigate other ways to get more energy.

No matter the outcome, I do not regret the decision.

Comments

  1. Helen SzablyaNovember 6, 2019 at 11:03 AM

    Good for you!! Ten years ago, my oncologist wanted me to do a full year of heavy duty chemo followed by maintenance chemo for the rest of my life. At 10 months, I said I had to stop because quality of life wasn't worth it. One year later, he said I was right and I didn't need it. Had I continued, I would not be here today as I would have lost all hope. Congratulations on taking the bull by the horns!!

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Can’t Catch a Break

except for the one in my femur. After I fell a couple weeks ago I got in touch with my primary care physician's office and went in for x-rays. Nothing terrible showed up so we prepared to go to Tbilisi with my wheelchair, figuring after a couple of days I wouldn't need it. Fortunately our Tbilisi apartment had a lift and doorways wide enough for my wheelchair, so I knew I would be okay until I could use my prosthesis again. But as each day went by my leg got no better, so we made the tough decision to go home early, leaving the same day as our traveling companions. Traveling on a commercial flight using a wheelchair was a nightmare, but that's a story for another time. The day after we got back I saw my rehab doctor, Dr. Gonzalez, and she ordered another set of x-rays, and this time the news was not so good. The images showed a non-displaced hairline fracture at the top of my femur. When I spoke to Dr. Gonzalez, she told me she had spoken to one of the orthopedic sur...
Read more

All Fall Down. Again

My physical therapist warned me: the more I walk the more I'm going to fall so I'd better get used to it. But this last one was a doozy. We had come home from a lovely Rosh Hashanah dinner at my cousins' and went upstairs. I remembered I had left my phone downstairs and wanted to see my daily step count, so I headed back down to get it. I sat down on the couch to look at it, got up, and after perhaps one step my prosthetic foot decided not to move, and down I went. It was a similar fall to the one I took in Mexico City, only more so. The pain and anguish had me howling. Since I still had my phone I called Jerry to help me up. Only I couldn't get up. Just like in Mexico City. Jerry went to the garage and once again, got my wheelchair. He removed my prosthesis and helped me into the chair. He got me upstairs and helped me undress and get into bed. I downed a megadose of Ibuprofen and attempted to get comfortable. Ha! I suppose comfort is relative. I did get som...
Read more

Cha Cha Cha

This week, six years ago, I had my last chemo. It seems like a lifetime ago. My check-ups have gone from every month, to every three months, and now to every six months. A big Woo Hoo. Also, just about this week two years ago was when I got hit by a bus in London. I went from not being able to walk or use my arms to where I am now-- walking with a cane and even driving a car. I'm back volunteering at the shelter and taking Pilates. A couple of weeks ago I starting getting pretty bad heartburn, which I had six years ago. It led me to a gastroenterologist who ultimately diagnosed my ovarian cancer. So when it returned, I made an appointment with a gynecological oncologist who scheduled a CT scan. The good news was there was no ovarian cancer recurrence. The not so good news, or should I say the up in the air news, was that the CT scan showed a mass in my bladder. A small mass-- only about a half inch-- but a mass nonetheless. Today I saw a urologicsl oncologist. I was hoping he ...
Read more