Is it allowed to rain on vacation??

We are anchored off the coast of Cannes and it is pouring. Thank goodness we didn't have any plans today other than having lunch at a sidewalk cafe and shopping for the olive oil soap I like so much, because this is not a day to be taking a tour that one spent 75 euros on. I had considered joining a private tour and am very glad I decided against it. We are hoping for sunny, warm weather for the next several days, as we will be doing two private excursions (Tuscany and Rome) and then hope to take the ferry to Sorrento while we are docked in Naples.

We enjoyed our time in Barcelona, although not as much as the first time. I think it's because we enjoyed Paris so much and because Barcelona was the first European city we had visited (other than London). The city is still relatively clean, but it seemed much more crowded and noisy than last time. We think that is partly due to all the motorcycle traffic, owing to the high cost of fuel.

Yesterday was the nicest of the three days in Barcelona weatherwise, with sunny blue skies and warm temperatures. We were the first two passengers to board Brilliance, and she is exactly as we remember her. We've even run into a few crew members from past sailings, including having the same cabin steward who took care of us on our first Brilliance cruise back in February 2003. Our friends, Skip and Kathy, will remember that cruise, as we met them when we shared a table at dinner until I caught traveler's diahrrea and was quarantined in our cabin for three days. I'm actually surprised that Catcha remembers us fondly after that incident but she seems glad to see us.

I hope the sun is shining wherever you are. This vacation has thus far exceeded our expectations and we are looking forward to 11 more wonderful days at sea!

Another rainy day in Paris

We spent about four hours of our day today eating, drinking, or simply hanging out in cafes here. What a lovely way to spend a day. No one rushes you, no one brings you the bill until you ask for it, and people are content to hang out and relax over a cup of coffee for hours. I could get used to that.

We are waiting in the lobby of our hotel before heading to the station to catch our overnight train to Barcelona. We are traveling in a sleeper cabin, which will probably be about the size of one of our closets at home. Should be interesting. I'll be sure to write from Barcelona.

We're tired but having fun

Friday we walked down to the Eiffel Tower and after waiting on a loooong line took the elevator up to the second level (which is about 400 feet). It was a beautiful view and worth the wait. Following dinner, we hit the sack around 9:30 and I woke up at 8:45! Guess the night of almost no sleep caught up with me.

Saturday in between the raindrops or pouring rain or under the sunny skies (depending on the time of day) we visited Notre Dame, Saint Chapelle Church, the Archeological Crypt, climbed to the top of the Arc de Triomph and then walked down the Champs Elysees before walking back to the area of our hotel and having dinner. (Please forgive any mispellings. I'm pretty tired.) After dinner we waited for the "light show" at the Eiffel Tower, which consists of sparkling lights going off for 10 minutes every hour beginning at dark, which here at this time of year is 10 p.m.!!

Today, despite a forecast initially calling for rain, was a lovely day. It started off chilly but quickly warmed up. We started off the day visiting the Louvre, followed by the Musee d'Orangerie (impressionist art work), followed by lunch and then Musee d'Orsay (more Impressionist art work). Unfortunately, we ran out of time to visit the Musee Rodin, but we may try tomorrow. We're very tired and are taking a much needed break before dinner.

Tomorrow I'm hoping to do a boat tour on the Seine, but it's supposed to be raining so we'll have to play it by ear. We leave Paris tomorrow night on the overnight train to Barcelona at 8 p.m., so we have a full day.

We've been doing our part to keep the French winemakers in business. I've been drinking some excellent coffee as well, and today we had some French pasteries as our after breakfast snack. Yummy! Our hotel is lovely, the part of town we are staying in is perfect, the food has been okay to good, and we are really enjoying ourselves. I think we'll both be sad to leave.

I'll report back from Barcelona!

We're here!

Bonjour!

We've arrived in Paris. Our plane landed just about on time this morning and after gathering our luggage and taking a taxi to our hotel, we have managed to settle in and eat. Ed is napping while I finish up here, and then we are off to see the Eiffel Tower up close and personal, followed by a brief visit to the Louvre after 6 p.m. Ed got more sleep than I did last night on the plane, so I probably only have a few more coherent hours left in me today.

The trip so far has been relatively painless. We are looking forward to our time here, as well as the rest of our vacation. I still can't believe I'm in Paris!!

Just a quick note on the meeting with the surgeon: He says no to surgery right now because the mets are so small. I will follow up with him on a regular basis, but for now we continue on with chemo.

Exhausted

I admit it: I did too much. As is always the case before vacation, there are lots of things to do and time runs short. It doesn't matter if you are on chemo or not -- that clock keeps ticking. I tried to pace myself, but I felt pretty good on Saturday and I had a few things to take care of, so I just kept going like the Energizer Bunny. Big mistake. Yesterday I was extremely tired and today is no improvement. I don't know whether it is all the things I'm thinking about and trying to sort out in my head or whether it's the steriod making me wired, but both Saturday and Sunday nights I was still awake at 11 p.m. despite having gone to bed around 8. We have a bunch of errands to run tonight and then I hope to get to sleep at a decent hour.

On the bright side, everything is ready to be packed except for Ed's clothes, although he has promised me he will get them all out today. I finished transferring the toiletries to mini-bottles, have almost all of my paperwork together, reviewed my packing list again, and charged up all my electronics' batteries. If I had to leave tonight I would be good to go. Ed, not so much. I'm sure he'll come through in the end as he always does, though. If not, he will be buying a lot of clothing in Paris. :)

I am going to try to post here as we travel, but I won't promise how often or how much.

Thanks for all the bon voyage wishes. We'll be back in the States before you know it.

On another rainy Friday...

Before my treatment started today, one of the nurses who has been "in charge" of me in the past asked how I've been feeling. I mentioned to her, as I knocked wood, that following last week's treatment I felt no nausea. I attributed it -- possibly -- to the slightly lower dose of Gemcitabine. Well, it's less than two hours following my treatment and I'm already nauseous. That may be because despite reading aloud and confirming that my infusion should take place over 90 minutes, the nurse I had today doubled the rate (45 minutes). Granted, it was only about five or seven minutes before she realized and corrected her mistake, but I'm assuming that's the cause. Usually every week Ed and I look at the numbers on the electric IV machine to make certain they are correct, but for some reason this week neither of us did. Lesson learned.

It's raining here again. In fact, it seems as if it's rainy and windy every Friday lately, making slogging back and forth to MSKCC, the office and the subway station unpleasant. I try not to sweat the small stuff these days, but it's becoming annoying. Of course, in a few months the weatherpeople will be talking about how hot it's going to be and how we could use some rain, so I suppose I should simply be grateful for it. I'm trying, but I guess I need to try harder.

This weekend will be busy with packing when I'm feeling up to it. At least I know I don't have to water the gardens this weekend. LOL

Hope you have a wonderful weekend!

Follow up with Dr. Healey

I wouldn't call the second time a charm. Yesterday I waited two hours to see Dr. Healey. I thought I was going to get lucky when they called me into a room at 11:50 (only 20 minutes after my scheduled appointment time), but then I waited until 1:10 for his resident to see me and then another 30 minutes before Dr. Healey came in. It's a good thing I admire him so much or I would have read him the riot act!

My x-rays were fine and he remains pleased with my (his?) ankle. We had a discussion about my treatment and he suggested that there may be a very small window of opportunity during which a thoracic surgeon may be able to remove my lung mets. He recommended a surgeon at MSKCC, and I set up an appointment for May 21. I will see what he thinks about my scans and his chances of removing all the mets. If he were able to do so, I would be NED again and chemo would end. I will fill you in after my consultation with him.

Otherwise, I am still getting ready for vacation. Other than getting our toiletries together and actually packing the suitcases, my portion of the prep work is just about complete. Now if I can get Ed to pick out his clothes....

I'll be back after treatment on Friday!

I passed!!

My counts were back up so I had treatment this morning. In fact, my ANCs were at 3.0, which is pretty good. Dr. K made an adjustment to my medication, though, and my prescription is now for 900 mg rather than 1000 mg. Not a major change, but perhaps enough to keep my counts above the minimum and allow me to take all my treatments. Also, the difference in the amount of medication is not enough to change its assault capabilities on the evil doers, so we're not worried about that.

Chemo nurse Karen had a little difficulty getting a good blood flow, but she presevered as always and eventually got enough for testing. After a bite of lunch here at the office, we will be heading home so I can take a rest. It may be a long trip since we are experiencing very heavy rain with gusty winds here, although the weekend promises to be nicer.

Bon voyage to Steve and Kate, who are off today on another cruise adventure. Have a fabulous time in the Mediterranean!

Happy Mother's Day to all the moms out there! Take a day off. You deserve it!