Updates: It’s safe to say that the events of the last year or so year have caught up with me, and I have generally put down anything that isn’t work, family, friends, and leisure. Emphasis on leisure. Consequently, it has taken me a bit of time to write this. We had also been waiting for…
Author: Aaron
Sushi For Dinner 夕食は寿司
Updates: It always seems to be the case that the first blood parts that return to full strength after treatment are the white blood cells and the neutrophils. These are the main immune cells, and thankfully their return means that Makoto is now less compromised and can return to some normal habits. The first thing…
Good Update 良いお知らせ
Updates: Last week Makoto did something that we all do from time to time. She slightly burned the inside of her mouth on some hot soup. For anyone else, this is no big deal, but for a person who has very low platelets, the wound has difficultly healing, and with no neutrophils, there is very…
Unplanned Visit 予定外の訪問
Updates: Makoto left the hospital after treatment a few weeks ago and mostly it went as it always does. This time has been a lot more difficult, fatigue, nausea, etc. coming and going over the days. On Tuesday night, after feeling particularly bad afternoon, Makoto spiked a fever with chills. Since Makoto is at her…
Second Opinion セカンドオピニオン
Updates: I’ve decided to use a bad morning to send a good message. The previous update had a negative tone but recently we’ve had some clarifications and more discussions with oncology that have given us a lot of hope going forward. First of all, the qPCR blood test came back completely negative, so that right…
Not Out Of The Woods まだ安心できない
Updates: The first bit of concern walking down the Happy Path came during testing before the last round of chemo. There are the four sensitive tests that are done each time Makoto does treatment, looking for her particular mutation. But there is a fifth test done, a wider look at the DNA that comprises her…
Short Update Post 短い更新投稿
Updates: After a particularly rough recovery from the last treatment, Makoto started to get back to normal. Our house, while a bit less boxy, is still full of boxes and a bit of chaos. Last weekend was a bit lost to us, since Makoto threw her back out incredibly badly. But she’s back on her…
Worse Before Better 良くなる前に悪化
Updates: Top news for us is that the most sensitive test from the bone marrow biopsy came back and this time there was no disease detected, at all. So either there is no disease left, or it’s so small that even the most sensitive PCR test can’t find a single bit of cancer. This is…
2 Down, 1 Happening, 3 To Go
2つ終了、1つ進行中、あと3つ Updates: I don’t have much to add to the updates above. The process of moving back home has been long, difficult, and time consuming, but it is done now. It’s much better being so close to the hospital now and should make a lot of things much easier for us. Makoto entered the hospital…
80% Chance Of Happy Path 幸せな道の確率80%
Updates: This is all good news, and we’re hopeful that 80% will turn into 100%, but we’re not there yet. We will probably have a better picture after this treatment. No matter what, it appears that the treatment is extremely successful, and that is very comforting. アップデート: これはすべて良いニュースであり、80%が100%になることを期待していますが、まだそこには達していません。おそらくこの治療が終わった後、よりはっきりした状況が見えてくるでしょう。何があっても、治療が非常に成功しているように見えるのは、とても安心できることです。