Back in the Saddle

It’s 2007 and I’m back after a very nice week in Yosemite. Three days of Nordic skiing, a snowshoe trip to a fabulous overlook near Badger Pass and a hike halfway up Yosemite Falls.

Anyway, to the matter at hand: My dad. I shall be brief because it is rather late.

• Despite being listed as such on the appointment schedule Kaiser provided my father, last Thursday was not a chemotherapy treatment. Instead, my mother says he was given an infusion of iridium. Although I’ve found several references to iridium in the treatment of lung cancer, none seems to apply here. I hope to get more details from my mom tomorrow, after which I will follow up.
  
• My dad did receive a chemotherapeutic treatment earlier today. When I saw him earlier this evening, he seemed and said he was fine, save for a bit of post–treatment nausea; which is not uncommon with chemotherapy. He did add that Kaiser administered an anti-nausea agent for the first time.
  
• Thursday is the next appointment with the oncologist. We’re expecting him to schedule another CAT scan. My thoughts are that it, along with its predecessor, will allow his physicians to assess the rapidity of the cancer growth and maybe—not to be morbid—make a gross prediction as to my dad’s longevity.