On the DL

So the good news is that the crizotinib really does seem to be working. Karen is breathing much better and she's not coughing anywhere near as much. We've been managing her nausea pretty well and have hit upon a series of treatment solutions (including an occasional assist from Dr. Snoop Dogg) that keep it at bay most of the time. The one thing we haven't been able to deal with effectively is her fatigue. This is not the fatigue she was experiencing from the cancer--it's from the meds. It's a subtle difference and in practical terms it really doesn't matter: dead tired is dead tired no matter the cause. That being said, when she's not fatigued her energy is markedly improved over what it was a month ago.

Karen has not hit the wall with the same results as this freak.

But she has effectively hit the wall. She's tired most of the day, getting up for an hour or so before needing to go back to bed for a nap or just some rest. Although she was doing her best to soldier on working from home she just doesn't have the energy for it anymore. As a result, effective today she has taken disability leave. There's a chance that the fatigue could lift after six to eight weeks so Karen has benched herself for just eight weeks, hoping that the tiredness will eventually lift and she can return to work. That's one benefit of the targeted, oral drug she's taking--unlike chemo, where the side effects get worse over time, the side effects of this treatment tend to become more tolerable.

It's a drag because Karen absolutely killed herself all year working for a promotion that an extended leave (longer than what she's taking) will at best jeopardize if not outright cost her. On the other hand, I get to have her around the house all day, so that's a plus.

Another side effect of this whole cancer thing: I've been reordering my Netflix queue. For some reason, I'm just not in the mood for my usual fare of subtitled gloom. It's remarkable how palatable something like Premium Rush can be when your brain cycles are consumed with all manner of nastiness.