And Just Like That

It's summer! And I'm in Boston! And, I'm alive to proclaim those facts. It's the little things, folks.

The news from Mass General is generally good. After interpreting lab results for the million vials of blood I have donated to the cause of research, the doctors there have decided that everything looks in order for me to continue in the lorlatinib study. That means I still have cancer, but it's not killing me yet, and the medicine might even be working to keep things in check. So yay! We'll know more about how well the lorlatinib is actually working next month after I've had a new set of scans, so stay tuned. In the meantime, I've been sent on my way with my second batch of cancer-fighting pills and a new prescription for a statin to address the recently elevated cholesterol levels, a known adverse effect (AE for those of you who are compiling the cancer abbreviation and acronym glossary along with me) of lorlatinib.

I've also been advised to abstain from alcohol completely (good lord! no bourbon? really?) due to elevated liver enzyme counts, another AE. Apparently, lorlatinib can irritate the liver, and no one wants a cranky liver. The drug can also can cause neuropathy in the hands and/or feet. And guess what? Yep, I've got it in the hands -- that wicked tingling, that inability to make the fingers do what the brain compels. So that's really fun when one is a writer, which, as you know, involves typing and/or holding a pen, both hand-intensive activities. Neuropathy AND no whiskey? Y'all are lucky I am writing anything at all, let alone something that is supposedly informative.

Anyway, I am doing what I need to do to address some of those AEs: yoga, ayurveda, massage, and, more recently, acupuncture, and they all help. Plus, the husband and I are planning a trip to New Orleans. That'll cure just about anything.