Off to Oregon

Wendy and I are off to Oregon tomorrow evening for our visit with Dr. Druker at OHSU. We're scheduled to see him at 1:30pm on Thursday for about an hour or so. Our main goal is to get some information that will help us with our plans for having children.

We're staying in Portland till Sunday so that we'll have some time to experience the city. My parents will be accompanying us for their first "cancer" doctor visit with me. It's fantastic that they will be able to be there with us to help with questions and retention. I usually end up mentally frozen when I go to the doctor and completely forget most of the details that are discussed.

On a somewhat related note, some friends and family have told me that they'd like to offer help but aren't sure what to do. I found a great book called "How Can I Help? Everyday Ways to Help Your Loved Ones Live With Cancer". It does a great job of explaining what cancer patients in general go through medically, gives some ideas about small ways to help, and most importantly I think, outlines some things that you should not do. My favorite chapter lists the different types of well-meaning but generally unhelpful "cancer friends". If you notice yourself in this chapter, please reconsider your position. :-)

I'm able to drive regularly now; the vertigo and dizziness have mostly subsided. I'm still plagued by fatigue, insomnia (ironic considering that I'm tired all the time), nausea in the evenings and muscle cramps. Because of these, my disability has been extended to the first of January. In some ways that's good since a "full day" of activity right now is only a few hours long. Though I never thought I'd say it, I think I'm actually starting to miss the routine of work....