Two more misses

A few weeks ago in the Guardian, I encountered an article with the intriguing title The epic battle with cancer’s Death Star.  I correctly assumed the article would talk about KRAS, the protein that’s mutated in my cancer.  The subtitle suggested that “Forty years after the mutant genes that cause the deadliest cancers were discovered, drugs that target them could be approved”.  I dropped everything and basically ate my phone.The story is well written, starting with the lucky postdoc who identified RAS as an oncogene, a protein that,...

One near miss

It’s an unadjudicated problem among stylists of the English language whether narrowly missing a target should be called a near miss or a near hit.  There are good reasons for either phrase.  Near miss is much more popular, but it could be argued that if the miss was near, the target was hit.  Near does, after all, modify something as coming close to happening.  Merriam Webster has an entire page on this question and the curious history behind near miss.  I’ve experienced three near misses myself recently.Yesterday I finally...

Reality check

Last week wasn’t a good one.  The previous post makes this quite clear.  I worried myself into a hole that threatened to swallow me.  How I was feeling didn’t help but my state of mind was much more fundamental in this.  I don’t think I’m going to die this week or next.  There’s still too much life inside me for that.  On Sunday afternoon I grabbed myself by the collar of the shirt I was wearing and yanked myself from bed.  There’s nothing to be gained from wallowing in self-pity all day.The jolt of energy kept...

No more fun

After a wonderful Tuesday, the week progressed in a terrifying way.  On Wednesday and Thursday, I was out of energy again and confined to the sofa or the bed for long stretches of the day.  I tried to get some work done but my brain wasn’t helping much.  On Wednesday night, I had to give a presentation at a virtual conference organized by a large facility at the East coast of the US.  Luckily it was only ten minutes.  I did all right.  Unfortunately, the conference was so interesting that I stayed up much longer than...

Back from the dead

After the covid shot on Friday, I had expected life to continue just so.  Instead, it seemed to end.  I spent Saturday, Sunday and Monday largely incapacitated, entirely out of energy and in increasing discomfort.  I was lying haplessly on the sofa and in bed most of the time.  I thought the end was nigh.Since I had stitches and occasional other pain from where lung and liver are, I didn’t blame any of what bothered me on the vaccine.  I had read that I should expect a bit of fever, maybe chills, consistent with the immune...

First shot

Yesterday I got my first covid shot.  It came as a bit of a surprise.  I had registered online three weeks earlier but didn’t expect to be called until April.  Switzerland is a mess with the vaccinations.  Everything happens extremely slowly.  Less than 10 per cent of the population have been vaccinated.  Some in the highest-priority group are still waiting.I got a text message on Thursday with an appointment on Friday.  I took my doctor’s not confirming my risk-group status and my yellow vaccination passport. ...

Out of nowhere

It’s Friday already.  The week is almost over.  It was my second week on trifluridine.  What a week it was.  No comparison at all with the week before.  I felt much better throughout.  I didn’t need to puke.  I didn’t spend entire days lying in bed as if I were already half dead.  I got tired by the evenings, but that seems to be the new normal now.This was all rather lucky because Thursday was a special day. ...

Short and sweet

The recovery period is over.  It was quite remarkable.  I felt much better on Saturday already.  I had the distinct feeling of getting better as I was lying in bed on Friday night, but that can’t possibly be true.  Sunday was also good.  No pain from my belly.  I ate almost normally though not normal amounts.  I still lacked energy and spent good time on the sofa or in bed, but I got out to go on little walks.  My stomach somehow went back to feeling continuously full, even when I’m hungry, but my body has...