Friday was my 5th Chemo treatment. This one was a short one, only a couple of hours and change. It went OK but that night I just couldn't get my stomach settled.
Saturday was a different case altogether. I managed three good meals, including a pastrami sub for dinner. In addition, I found the energy to do a little trimming in the backyard. My backyard is semi-lush and suffers from extreme shagginess if I don't trim it regularly. I also had a nice cigar and a whiskey on the patio late in the afternoon. Vicki had lunch with friends from South Dakota at the local Native New Yorker earlier in the day and came home to tell me all about it.
Sunday was different as well. Vicki woke up feeling poor and I did laundry, dishes, changed the bedding and generally did everything I could to let her rest. I am hopeful she will get her issue worked on soon. Her health is not that good right now.
So... It would have been a great weekend if Vicki had been OK, but still, this was the best two days in a row I've had in quite a while. Let's hope it continues into the week. My next treatment this coming Friday will be a long one which includes a drug that gives me the intense sensitivity to cold and more nausea and fatigue.
I am continuing to hang in. Best to you,
RT
Monday, March 2, 2015
Sunday, February 22, 2015
The Second Session
I had a visit with the chemo oncologist this Friday as well as a chemo treatment. He stated we had two more rounds then a scan. This means two more in the next two weeks then a week off before I start the third round. As long as my white count and my weight stay up I can continue on pace.
The side effects are becoming more pronounced with each additional treatment. This weekend my hands are not able to hold a bottle or can from the fridge. My jaws and mouth have strange sensations and pains when I start chewing. Fortunately, these go away as I continue to chew. Otherwise I would not be able to eat. I have been able to keep the nausea mostly under control, at least enough to eat.
The fatigue is another matter however. I woke up this morning and felt more tired than when I went to bed. It just creeps up on you and never lets go. It's frustrating because I would like to do a few little things around the house, but there is just no energy for doing much of anything.
Still, I can't complain. I see people at the cancer center in a much worse shape than me.
Instead I think I'll remain focused on the positive. I just watched the end of the Daytona 500 and on another channel I can watch some Hockey. So life isn't all bad. A good friend at work gave me a bottle of single malt scotch whiskey, which I hope to sample today with a cigar if I can get my stomach right.
Vicki is out at the Renaissance Fair with the girls of the family. This is a day for her to forget about me and my cancer and just have fun. I so hope she is doing just that. She needs it. She has been great, but the stress of caring for me and grieving for her Mom is getting her down. She needs a break and I think a girls day will help in that regard.
That's if for me. I hope your weekend went well.
I will continue to hang in.
RT
The side effects are becoming more pronounced with each additional treatment. This weekend my hands are not able to hold a bottle or can from the fridge. My jaws and mouth have strange sensations and pains when I start chewing. Fortunately, these go away as I continue to chew. Otherwise I would not be able to eat. I have been able to keep the nausea mostly under control, at least enough to eat.
The fatigue is another matter however. I woke up this morning and felt more tired than when I went to bed. It just creeps up on you and never lets go. It's frustrating because I would like to do a few little things around the house, but there is just no energy for doing much of anything.
Still, I can't complain. I see people at the cancer center in a much worse shape than me.
Instead I think I'll remain focused on the positive. I just watched the end of the Daytona 500 and on another channel I can watch some Hockey. So life isn't all bad. A good friend at work gave me a bottle of single malt scotch whiskey, which I hope to sample today with a cigar if I can get my stomach right.
Vicki is out at the Renaissance Fair with the girls of the family. This is a day for her to forget about me and my cancer and just have fun. I so hope she is doing just that. She needs it. She has been great, but the stress of caring for me and grieving for her Mom is getting her down. She needs a break and I think a girls day will help in that regard.
That's if for me. I hope your weekend went well.
I will continue to hang in.
RT
Sunday, February 15, 2015
Week 4
This has been the toughest week so far. Even though I did not have a chemo treatment this week the effects of the last treatment are still with me. I am reduced at this point to trying different combos of nausea meds to keep whatever food I manage to eat down. So far I have been successful in that regard.
What I have not been able to get a handle on is fatigue. It is unrelenting at this point.
So... I will continue to soldier on as best I can.
Wish me luck,
RT
What I have not been able to get a handle on is fatigue. It is unrelenting at this point.
So... I will continue to soldier on as best I can.
Wish me luck,
RT
Monday, February 9, 2015
Threes a Crowd?
Last Friday I had my third infusion chemo treatment. This one kind of snuck up on me. Saturday I was able to be moderately active, but by Sunday I was done in.
In addition to nausea and fatigue I am starting to feel some of the other side effects. My hands and feet are increasingly sensitive to cold and I get this weird pain in my jaw each time I begin to eat. It only lasts a minute or so, but it is so strange.
The good news is that I get a week off now. My next chemo is the Friday after next. I am hopeful that will be enough time to build up some strength and maybe even gain a couple of pounds. I was at 158 last Friday and I hope to be at least at 160 by my next treatment.
In the meantime I continue to hang in.
Wish me luck,
RT
In addition to nausea and fatigue I am starting to feel some of the other side effects. My hands and feet are increasingly sensitive to cold and I get this weird pain in my jaw each time I begin to eat. It only lasts a minute or so, but it is so strange.
The good news is that I get a week off now. My next chemo is the Friday after next. I am hopeful that will be enough time to build up some strength and maybe even gain a couple of pounds. I was at 158 last Friday and I hope to be at least at 160 by my next treatment.
In the meantime I continue to hang in.
Wish me luck,
RT
Sunday, February 1, 2015
2 down ? to go
I had my second infusion chemo this Friday. This one was considered the short one and only went about 2 1/2 hours. It went OK. I am still lucky to not be experiencing the more troubling side effects that come with this treatment. Wish me luck, I might have some time yet to enjoy before they hit.
Saturday we hung out around the house and did chores. I was able to do a few things as well.
Today, Sunday, Vicki went shopping and I changed the sheets on our bed and put the towels and wash clothes in the washer. Not much I admit, but changing the bed linens took me 2 attempts. I had to rest between the efforts.
I am doing well considering my cancer and treatment. Vicki gives me awesome support and is patient with my weird diet and other peculiarities associated with my condition. We talk a good deal these days and we get that we are blessed to have each others love, support and companionship during these days.
We are both doing our best to live in the moment and enjoy what we can of it.
I wish you and yours the same. Please take time today to fully invest yourself in who you are, where you are and who you are with. It may sound simple, but you'll be pleasantly surprised to find out how much you've missed by not doing that all the time.
Hang in and Stay Cool,
RT
Saturday we hung out around the house and did chores. I was able to do a few things as well.
Today, Sunday, Vicki went shopping and I changed the sheets on our bed and put the towels and wash clothes in the washer. Not much I admit, but changing the bed linens took me 2 attempts. I had to rest between the efforts.
I am doing well considering my cancer and treatment. Vicki gives me awesome support and is patient with my weird diet and other peculiarities associated with my condition. We talk a good deal these days and we get that we are blessed to have each others love, support and companionship during these days.
We are both doing our best to live in the moment and enjoy what we can of it.
I wish you and yours the same. Please take time today to fully invest yourself in who you are, where you are and who you are with. It may sound simple, but you'll be pleasantly surprised to find out how much you've missed by not doing that all the time.
Hang in and Stay Cool,
RT
Saturday, January 24, 2015
My first Chemo Treatment
This Friday I had my first long chemo treatment. It went from a little after 1:00 PM to around 4:30 or so. The freshly installed power port worked fine though it still freaked me out a little when the nurse hooked it and uncoupled it. In spite of the need to be put out and the uncomfortable feelings for a few days I think the port will work out just fine.
Today I feel the best I've felt in quite a while. The worst of the chemo side effects ( a severe lack of tolerance for cold on my hands, feet, mouth and throat) has not shown up yet. I am happy for that. I am even hoping to fire up a cigar and the fire pit tonight. Maybe a whiskey to go with it as well.
We had a big breakfast this morning and I ate it all. Then we worked on getting some Christmas stuff in the overhead rack in the garage. We made it less than halfway through that project before I pooped out. My heart was racing and I was breathing hard. I had to use Vicki to push me up the ladder with the large containers in hand. We decided to try again when Vicki gets back from grocery shopping, something I am just not able to do yet.
So....There it is. Vicki thinks I'll only have 8 more treatments, I think like 11 more. We'll see. I intend to live my life as normal as possible till I can't. The pain from the surgery is getting less and less every day and the uncomfortable feelings from the installation of the port are lessening also.
I am very hopeful I can heal up as close to completely as possible before I start to feel that Chemo. If I can go a couple of weeks more and go to work every day, that would be awesome. Everyone has been supportive at work and it is nice to see some friendly faces each day and not be home laying in bed staring at the walls or sleeping.
That's my story for this week,
I hope your week went as well as mine,
Stay Cool,
RT
Today I feel the best I've felt in quite a while. The worst of the chemo side effects ( a severe lack of tolerance for cold on my hands, feet, mouth and throat) has not shown up yet. I am happy for that. I am even hoping to fire up a cigar and the fire pit tonight. Maybe a whiskey to go with it as well.
We had a big breakfast this morning and I ate it all. Then we worked on getting some Christmas stuff in the overhead rack in the garage. We made it less than halfway through that project before I pooped out. My heart was racing and I was breathing hard. I had to use Vicki to push me up the ladder with the large containers in hand. We decided to try again when Vicki gets back from grocery shopping, something I am just not able to do yet.
So....There it is. Vicki thinks I'll only have 8 more treatments, I think like 11 more. We'll see. I intend to live my life as normal as possible till I can't. The pain from the surgery is getting less and less every day and the uncomfortable feelings from the installation of the port are lessening also.
I am very hopeful I can heal up as close to completely as possible before I start to feel that Chemo. If I can go a couple of weeks more and go to work every day, that would be awesome. Everyone has been supportive at work and it is nice to see some friendly faces each day and not be home laying in bed staring at the walls or sleeping.
That's my story for this week,
I hope your week went as well as mine,
Stay Cool,
RT
Friday, January 16, 2015
New Year, New Gear,& Randomness
Thursday the 14th I had a port put in my upper left chest for the coming chemo treatments. The procedure was done at Chandler Regional Hospital by the same doctor that has performed my last 2 operations. The surgery went well and I was back home by 1:30 or so. I had something to eat, took some pain medication, and crashed till around 5 or 6.
Vicki made beef soup for dinner and I even had some dessert. I need to get my appetite back and gain some weight. When they weighed me at the hospital on Thursday I was down to 151. I start Chemo next Friday.
So that's my new gear for the new year.
Concerning randomness.....
Did you know an easy way to feel instantly better about yourself is to watch the People's Court or Judge Judy. When you hear some of the stuff these folks come to court about you just know you're smarter than them. (cause they were dumb enough to air their petty grievances on national TV)
OK, OK, yea I know I am a 65 year old white man with cancer. I get that. And I know that after a very aggressive round of radiation and chemo and pretty serious surgery I am still going to have to take more chemo for the next few months. With all that said, one episode of Judge Judy and I don't feel so bad about my situation. Don't hate me for these guilty pleasures, at least I haven't sunk so low as to watch Jerry Springer.
On the way to the hospital on Thursday morning we were forced to detour off Alma School at the sports complex just north of the Safeway. A big construction truck had T-boned a small car at the intersection. Judging from the wreckage that remained it did not look like the driver could have survived. Life is precious and it can be gone in a flash. We should cherish every moment and live in that moment as much as possible.
It turns out Hollywood may be more racist than your average American worker. At least that's what the critics are saying about why the Oscar Nominees are all white this year. I hope I never feel the need to look to Hollywood for advice on how to live. Their movies mostly show us what not to do anyway. (Whether the writers, actors, directors, etc, intended it or not) Yet I still love movies.
When watching the media's coverage of the shootings in Europe I get the feeling like I'm living in the Matrix. Like all the stuff that comes out of some anchor man's or woman's mouth is just melodrama doled out to the masses. I'm pretty sure I'm mistaken, but I still believe a healthy skepticism is in order when watching what we call news today.
It feels like my pain meds are wearing off, so I'm done for this week. I hope I'm doing good enough tomorrow to have a whiskey and a cigar. It may be the last one for several months.
Stay Cool,
Oh, and I'm thinking about naming my port. Not Portsmith, or the Port of New Orleans, or Import or Export, no none of those. Something more along the lines of Excelsior or Entrance, or Burl. Let me know if you have any ideas.
RT
Vicki made beef soup for dinner and I even had some dessert. I need to get my appetite back and gain some weight. When they weighed me at the hospital on Thursday I was down to 151. I start Chemo next Friday.
So that's my new gear for the new year.
Concerning randomness.....
Did you know an easy way to feel instantly better about yourself is to watch the People's Court or Judge Judy. When you hear some of the stuff these folks come to court about you just know you're smarter than them. (cause they were dumb enough to air their petty grievances on national TV)
OK, OK, yea I know I am a 65 year old white man with cancer. I get that. And I know that after a very aggressive round of radiation and chemo and pretty serious surgery I am still going to have to take more chemo for the next few months. With all that said, one episode of Judge Judy and I don't feel so bad about my situation. Don't hate me for these guilty pleasures, at least I haven't sunk so low as to watch Jerry Springer.
On the way to the hospital on Thursday morning we were forced to detour off Alma School at the sports complex just north of the Safeway. A big construction truck had T-boned a small car at the intersection. Judging from the wreckage that remained it did not look like the driver could have survived. Life is precious and it can be gone in a flash. We should cherish every moment and live in that moment as much as possible.
It turns out Hollywood may be more racist than your average American worker. At least that's what the critics are saying about why the Oscar Nominees are all white this year. I hope I never feel the need to look to Hollywood for advice on how to live. Their movies mostly show us what not to do anyway. (Whether the writers, actors, directors, etc, intended it or not) Yet I still love movies.
When watching the media's coverage of the shootings in Europe I get the feeling like I'm living in the Matrix. Like all the stuff that comes out of some anchor man's or woman's mouth is just melodrama doled out to the masses. I'm pretty sure I'm mistaken, but I still believe a healthy skepticism is in order when watching what we call news today.
It feels like my pain meds are wearing off, so I'm done for this week. I hope I'm doing good enough tomorrow to have a whiskey and a cigar. It may be the last one for several months.
Stay Cool,
Oh, and I'm thinking about naming my port. Not Portsmith, or the Port of New Orleans, or Import or Export, no none of those. Something more along the lines of Excelsior or Entrance, or Burl. Let me know if you have any ideas.
RT
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