Still Swimming

Swimming against the current seems to be our theme. The challenges increase as Karen's physical abilities struggle. Every week there is something new to compromise the will. Karen went through her second dose of the chemo Doxil last week. This is the first time we've had a treatment that could only be administered once a month. We're learning which side effects are going to affect Karen and how debilitating they might be. Sometimes treatments have stalled because of poor blood counts but so far this hasn't been the case. She is starting to suffer from mouth sores for the first time. These have been mentioned as a possibility with almost every treatment but never really presented as a major problem until now. So it was off to the drugstore for some special mouth rinses. She's also starting to show symptoms of hand/foot syndrome; a condition where the doxil breaks through capillaries and damages tissues especially in the hands and feet. So some ice, elevation and cream for now.  We'll check with our visiting nurses tomorrow for further guidance and naturally at our Thursday appointment with our chemo doctor.
In positive news, we've been asked to contribute an art piece to a cancer related exhibition in Yellow Spring , Ohio during April. We collaborated on a shadowbox during one of our art parties that seems like a good fit.  Swimming Across the Universe...Swimming with Cancer. A woman swimming through the starry night; through the stars themselves.

Photo - William Evertson - Shadowbox collaboration by Karen and William Evertson

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