neatening up

Dad's out on a shopping errand, and Mom is insisting on being up and about today. As happened a few days ago, Mom was irritable and stubborn when Dad tried to get Mom out of the bathroom, but once she was on her feet, she was ready to move on. Today, though, she was grouchy at both of us guys for forcing her to move around-- a good sign, since that indicates the return, at least partially, of her ego.

Mom tidied up the dining room, then went back into the kitchen and slowly washed the dishes, despite my repeated insistence that all those dishes were bound for the dishwasher.

I wonder if all this means the Avastin is working. It's hard to tell. At times, Mom's behavior seems as perseverative as ever, such as when she puts some pills into her hand and then stares at them for minutes before doing anything else. At other times, Mom seems to be exerting her will, actually taking initiative and making decisions on her own, even to the point of waving us off to prevent us from helping her. If that signifies the return of her fighting spirit, then that's a good thing.

But these very different behaviors leave me with little clue about the overall picture: are the tumors still growing? Are they shrinking? Have any new ones appeared? Only an MRI will clear that up, and Mom won't have her next one until the end of this month: October 29. On October 30, we'll be talking with Dr. Fine and his team again, and at that point we'll have a better idea of whether the Avastin has given Mom a temporary reprieve from the relentless onslaught of her disease.

Right now, Mom is defiantly upright and in the kitchen. She appears to be reading something in there. I have no idea what, and I don't care: I'm just glad to see her on her feet instead of seated in front of the living room TV.


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