Another good MRI

Susan’s MRI at UCLA yesterday showed continued improvement with her blood clot getting smaller and tumor remaining unchanged and stable. As the clot from January’s hemorrhage resorbs and clears on its own, it reveals a clearer look at the tumor. Since it blocked much of the detail on April’s scan, Dr Nghiemphu couldn’t be certain about tumor stability even though things looked good in general. Yesterday’s scan allowed Dr Cloughesy a clearer view and left everyone with a sense of gratitude about Susan’s progress. She’s doing well on her Decadron taper and was cleared to stretch her dose another notch to one-half milligram every two days instead of every other day. She’ll be off it completely before long. We'll go back for another scan in six weeks. Meanwhile, Susan continues to strengthen and improve both physically and cognitively. She’s able to stand and climb steps more easily, has better mental clarity, and seems more her normal self all the time. We had a great day together yesterday with her UCLA appointments and enjoyed a lunch date at BJ’s in Westwood afterwards. We found ourselves walking past Diddy Riese after lunch, found ourselves standing in line, found ourselves ordering hand-made ice cream sandwiches, then found ourselves sitting along the sidewalk and eating them. We are mind-numbed robots with no actual control over ourselves. But at $1.50 for two freshly baked cookies squished around rich ice cream, self-control is out of the question.

The boys and I got to be lumberjacks again on Memorial Day weekend as the four of us and Daisy the dog got back to the family cabin in Angelus Oaks. We were rejuvenated by the sunny, mild weather, fragrant forest and tree-felling man work. The County of San Bernardino increased their fire safety requirements, so we had to limb-up and thin areas of the property that have been untouched during my lifetime. It’s a work in progress that we’ll continue over the summer; but we made a good-faith effort and a highly visible difference with the help of our neighbor, Jim Finn. You gotta love the power tools. Susan is yet unable to prepare meals and handle the indoor activities she used to do, but her greater independence made it possible for us to work outside without having to be with her 100% of the time. Some brief visits with friends and beautiful weather made it another memorable weekend. We treasure our family hideaway.