August 25,2022 - 598,770,100 confirmed infections; 6,472,475 deaths
August 26, 2021 – 213,854,000 confirmed infections; 4,463,000 deaths
August 27,2020 – 24,206,820 confirmed infections; 826,59 deaths
US (Map)
August 25,2022 - 93,930,250 confirmed infections; 1,042,470 deaths
August 26, 2021 – 38,222,000 confirmed infections; 632,300 deaths
August 27, 2020 – 5,824,200 confirmed infections; 179,756 deaths
SA (Coronavirus portal)
August 25,2022 - 4,010460 confirmed infections; 102,085 deaths
August 26, 2021 – 2,722,205 confirmed infections; 80,470 deaths
August 27, 2020 – 615,700 confirmed infections; 13,502 deaths
Posts from:
August 26, 2020, “Forever?”
August 27, 2020, “Relief!”
News blues
White House COVID coordinator Dr. Ashish Jha's predicted this week that newly updated COVID-19 boosters tailored to target a dominant strain of the virus will be available in the next three weeks… that is, assuming the Food and Drug Administration and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention work through their processes for authorization ….Read more >>
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On war and culture war
Six months of war in Ukraine – photos >>***
The Lincoln Project:Last week in the Republican Party - August 23, 2022 (2:20 mins)
Meanwhile, back at the ranch…
During yesterday’s video conference with Mary’s oncologist, we learned Mary has been “re-staged.” Staging is the oncological description of how far along is a case of cancer (stage 4 is “final”).Initially, Mary had been staged at “late stage 1, early stage 2.”
Nice. Right?
It crossed my mind that “late stage 1, early stage 2” was “lucky”, given that Mary’s meso had likely started “decades ago.” “Decades” is the described longevity of mesothelioma before it is discovered in the unlucky victim’s body. (See post “Not a week, a lifetime!” for details and photos of surgical scrapings from Mary’s lungs.)
My thinking: if the disease is decades old, how come it’s been spreading so inefficiently? Well, some questions, I told myself, have no easy answers. I thanked the gods that Mary was “super lucky”: her lymph nodes showed no sign of metastasizing.
Yesterday’s conversation with the oncologist, however, revealed that “mid-chest” lymph nodes suggested “some involvement”. The surgeon and oncologist – and biopsy – re-staged Mary to Stage 3 A.
Hmmmm.
Bummer.
Given this new prognosis, Mary could, along with chemotherapy, opt for radiation therapy – highly targeted radiation aimed at the lymph.
Mary’s first take? Thanks, but no thanks to radiation therapy: the action is too close to her heart, spine, and lungs.
Based on further detailed information, she’s open to reevaluating this initial decision but for now, nope.
Long story short: Mary will begin chemo – two chemo meds, cisplatin and pemetrexed – when the oncology department can schedule her - perhaps another 3 weeks.
Outpatient treatment requires intravenous infusion – hopefully, no need for a central or PICC line, nor a portacath. Mary has good veins – protruding – so we’re hoping one of them will suffice every three weeks.
She’ll stick around the oncology setting after infusion for a couple of hours to monitor any reaction to treatment. After that, she’ll return home.
This treatment continues for four to six sessions every three weeks.
The list of side effects from this chemo cocktail are not insignificant.
The oncologist reports Mary won’t lose her hair. Dr Internet’s link, above, suggests she will. Time will tell. Hair is the least of Mary’s worries. Far more concerning is the statistic that 2 percent of chemo patients cannot take the treatment and will succumb – that is, die.
No prob. Mary has already worked with an estate lawyer....
Sunrise: 6:34am
Sunset: 7:48pm
KZN, South Africa:
Sunrise: 6:22am
Sunset: 5:41pm
Yesterday’s conversation with the oncologist, however, revealed that “mid-chest” lymph nodes suggested “some involvement”. The surgeon and oncologist – and biopsy – re-staged Mary to Stage 3 A.
Hmmmm.
Bummer.
Given this new prognosis, Mary could, along with chemotherapy, opt for radiation therapy – highly targeted radiation aimed at the lymph.
Mary’s first take? Thanks, but no thanks to radiation therapy: the action is too close to her heart, spine, and lungs.
Based on further detailed information, she’s open to reevaluating this initial decision but for now, nope.
Long story short: Mary will begin chemo – two chemo meds, cisplatin and pemetrexed – when the oncology department can schedule her - perhaps another 3 weeks.
Outpatient treatment requires intravenous infusion – hopefully, no need for a central or PICC line, nor a portacath. Mary has good veins – protruding – so we’re hoping one of them will suffice every three weeks.
She’ll stick around the oncology setting after infusion for a couple of hours to monitor any reaction to treatment. After that, she’ll return home.
This treatment continues for four to six sessions every three weeks.
The list of side effects from this chemo cocktail are not insignificant.
The oncologist reports Mary won’t lose her hair. Dr Internet’s link, above, suggests she will. Time will tell. Hair is the least of Mary’s worries. Far more concerning is the statistic that 2 percent of chemo patients cannot take the treatment and will succumb – that is, die.
No prob. Mary has already worked with an estate lawyer....
***
SF Bay Area: Sunrise: 6:34am
Sunset: 7:48pm
KZN, South Africa:
Sunrise: 6:22am
Sunset: 5:41pm
