Sybil Update 11/4/00

The steroids have basically driven Sybil nuts, revving up her mind and making sleep impossible. She's just started to back off a bit on the dosage so we are hopeful this will calm her down. She's also having repeated hot flashes, which we are told should not be the case with the chemo dosage she is using. On the plus side, she continues to be able to walk and eat. Her digestion has been poor however.

The days surrounding Sybil's brain surgery have been tough for us. My father had an eye operation and my aunt had cancer surgery. Worse, my aunt's son was killed in the Singapore Airlines crash in Taiwan. His body was burned beyond recognition so they had to get DNA samples for his identification. Bad as this surgery was for us we are very thankful to be here today.

Crazy as it may sound (and it does a bit to me) Sybil will soon be flying to San Francisco to see the Dalai Lama's personal physician. I may not have posted the result of her whirlwind visit to the Taiwanese TCM doctor in Vancouver. The medicine he prescribed was too nauseating (it actually had centipedes in it, but I don't think that made for the bad taste) for her to take, so we've temporarily given up on that. I fully expect the Dalai Lama's physician to spend 20 minutes looking at her tongue before prescribing a similar herbal formula.

However, this trip is as much a spiritual pilgrimage as it is a medical consultation. Sybil thinks the journey will be valuable, so I'm all for it. Throughout his long career, the doctor is supposed to have experience with metastatic breast cancer patients. I think that getting his perspective will be very useful. A big plus is that my good friend Drew lives in San Francisco and can help look after her.

Sybil got another CAT scan last night, so we are awaiting the results.

Matt Donath

Mdonath@yahoo.com