Zach & Zelda

Zelda :  It’s been: 7.5 years since Zach’s initial diagnosis of stage 4 prostate cancer. 16 months since the hormone therapy stopped working. 15 months since his last bike ride. 13 months since his 4th and final Taxotere chemo infusion & the onset of severe peripheral neuropathy. 9 months since he told his mom about his initial diagnosis. 8 months since his last cancer treatment (lutetium [Pluvicto] #3). 6 months since his foot & hernia surgeries. 1 month since his last major fall. 3 days since we got the genetic test results from his latest biopsy.  So let's pick it up right there. The biopsy and genetic test was something of a “hail Mary” — a last-ditch effort to check the new cancer cells for gene mutations. And if they found some, potentially identify treatment options that would take advantage of those mutations. It was a long shot, a desperation play with a slim chance of success, but we had to try. After 2 months of waiting, we finally got the results: No useful...

Zach had to renew his driver's license recently. And he had to do it in real life, at our friendly local branch of the Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV).  In the past, he'd head down there and take care of it on his own. But this time, I asked if he wanted company, and he said yes. So I tagged along. As you probably know, simple requests can take hours at the DMV. So we packed our patience, charged our phones, went down to the office. We checked in and took a number. Then we checked the monitor. Only 32 numbers ahead of us. If each one took an average of 3 minutes…well, we were glad we packed our patience.  The waiting area had half a dozen long rows of folding chairs, most of them full of sour looks and irritable dispositions. A couple folks were slumped in their seats, possibly asleep, definitely somewhere else. But there were 2 empty seats together in the front row, so we nabbed them and settled in to watch the show. We witnessed the usual misunderstandings:  DMV rep:...

Zelda : It’s been awhile. Should we bring folks up to date? Zach : Sure. Zelda : How’re you doing? Zach : Peachy.  Zelda : Right. Zach : What do you want me to say? Zelda : You’ve basically been untreated for the past 8 months. No hormone therapy, no radiation, no chemo. Say how you’re feeling. Zach : Frustrated. Bored. Weak. Zelda : What’s frustrating? Zach : Being in limbo. Nothing's happening. Nobody knows what they’re doing. Zelda : For example? Zach : It all stalled this summer—except my PSA. That jumped from 300 to 5000, and nobody gives a shit. They said the “new lesions” were different. Ordered more PET scans. And that CT-guided biopsy bullshit. Zelda : Remind me: Why did they want the biopsy bullshit? Zach : To get more info on the new nasties. See if it makes sense to try something else—radiation, chemo, maybe another hormone pill. Zelda : Right. 'Cause the new tumors are different.  Zach : Yeah, Pluvicto didn’t touch ‘em. Zelda : So you got the biopsy. Zach : And we...