How Do You Eat an Elephant?

One bite at a time!

Apologies for the lack of updates. This is primarily due to the lack of anything new to report (which is good). Karen has stopped taking Compazine (anti-nausea) and is now solely on Kytril for nausea. Her tongue is back to normal.

She is dog-tired each day but overall feeling much better this week and has been able to return to somewhat normal eating. She's also added "Boost" and "Ensure" supplements to the regimine to help build her back up to normal weight.

So why the goofy title on this post? Basically because we are running a marathon, not a sprint. The initial panic of diagnosis has worn off and we are now trying to settle into a routine that'll work for the next 6+ months of treatment. There are 11 more rounds of chemo, each round is 2 weeks, the next one being on Tuesday the 29th May.

That will be followed by a PET scan on Friday the 1st. This will tell us whether there is cancer anywhere else in Karen's body besides the colon and liver. Fingers crossed on that one.

Once again I must thank so many people. It's incredible the amount of well-wishes that have been flowing through the Shanahan household. I have always known that Karen is special but this experience has just re-affirmed that knowledge by witnessing the impact her illness has had on the people around her. It may be only a short one-liner but each and every note gives her that little lift at the end of each day.

Over the passed few weeks I've also made contact with a number of patients and care-givers who've been so supportive aswell. Although I would never wish this experience on anyone it does help to know we are not alone.

And so we are in this for the long-haul and although a few days may go by without an update on the blog, know that your messages are reaching us and encouraging us each day.