Brzycki family: Labor Day Weekend

Okay, so we can all agree that I'm bad about updating this blog?! It has been on my "to do" list for several weeks and since it's a three-day weekend, I'm committing myself to get through my "to do" list.

The good news is that I'm not compelled to update this on a frequent basis because there's not much to report. Ed continues on his biweekly chemo treatments and doesn't have any serious side effects.

He had another CT scan on 8/9 and this showed no change. No new tumors and no change in existing tumors (same size--not larger or smaller). As you'll recall, we eliminated the Irinotecan in June to give Ed a break. Since there has been no change, we could reintroduce the Irinotecan or try something else. After some discussion, we decided to just stay with the Xeloda and Avastin. We can't ask that Ed feel any better. He has so few side effects (and nothing serious) and he looks and feels good. So we figured we'd enjoy this "good" period for a little while longer (enjoy it while it lasts). If we introduce a new drug, we might not be as lucky with side effects and since there's no reason to make a change at this time, we decided to wait.

Of course, some of you might be asking why we don't want to attack the tumors more aggressively? Well, Dr. Bowers has always been clear that Ed won't be cured of cancer. Instead we are prolonging his life. So the fact that he is living a good life and the tumors are not getting any worse, we really couldn't ask for much more. So we'll enjoy it while it lasts and cross the next bridge when we get there.

For those of you who don't see Ed, you frequently ask me how he's doing and my response is "He's doing great!" and I mean that. I'm not avoiding your question or just trying to respond positively. It's the truth! Except for the biweekly appointments, the regular prescriptions to fill and take, and the aches and pains he experiences, there is little evidence of cancer in our lives. We are blessed at this time and we can't be more thankful.

Here it is Labor Day weekend--summer is over. At the beginning of this diagnosis, I didn't think beyond Dan returning from Italy. My goal was for Ed to survive that long. And here we are with two vacations at the beach behind us and Dan back to Bristol and starting his 5th year towards his Master. I no longer think in terms of "I hope Ed makes it to the next..." (insert whatever milestone). Instead we are living life and I'm reminded that none of us know when our time on this Earth will end. It could be tomorrow, next month, next year, whenever... And as much as I'd like to tell you that I live each day as if it were my last and I make good decisions about how to use my time, that is not always true. Life happens and that is what living is about. The good, the bad, the people who touch our lives and, more importantly, those lives we touch.

Life is good! And now, some pictures to share what we've been up to the past couple months!