My wonderful wife, Elaine, is fighting Stage 3c peritoneal (ovarian) cancer. Although we understand the tumors have been growing in her for as long as a year, the symptoms began in late February and culminated first in two exploratory surgeries that began April 1st. Then a major operation three and a half weeks later, on April 26th, found the tumors. That moment is when this log began.

The posts below are updates I sent out to family and friends while she was in the hospital after the 3rd procedure, on April 26, and then later and more intermittently, from home.

As experienced friends have noted, cancer immediately takes over your life. This site is simply a way for us to document and communicate what we’re going through, and for friends and common travelers to check in with their own comments.

Thanks much for visiting.

Brian

On Thursday Elaine went in for her 4th of 8 every-three-week chemical infusions, a 4-hour exercise involving three very powerful drugs, followed by another 24 hours later. It is a communal event. A group of women sit together, each receiving a specific mixture. Some have been fighting cancer for 10 years or more. It goes into remission, then recurs. The doctors dig deeper and deeper into a limited arsenal to find something the cells will respond to. It is not a pleasant prospect.

A couple months ago I visited close friends, both oncologists, who now live in Truckee, CA, just outside Tahoe. Elaine was just beginning the chemo treatments. Larry told me, “The first round is the worst, because its unknown. After that, people say, “Well, it wasn’t pleasant, but I can get through this. Then around the 5th cycle, they’re literally sick to death of it and thinking, “Oh, just go ahead and shoot me!”