So this past weekend was our local Relay for Life, which I participated in for the first time. I joined the Clearview Elementary team (Ashley & Shannon's school) at their request, and only afterwards did I find out that BOTH of Shannon's 5th grade teachers were also Cancer Survivors!
We had a great day on Saturday with the entire Clearview team walk/running to raise money for fight against Cancer. Not only was it Marnie & myself out there, but both Shannon and Ashley got into the swing of things themselves! They each walked/ran over 8 miles .. and had a good time doing it! There were so many other kids out there, friends from school supporting other teams, people from softball, around the community it was truly awesome seeing the whole Herndon community come together for this event.
Saturday night was a bit wet and we didn't make it through the night, went home got a few hours of sleep and came back early with donuts & coffee for those from our team who kept the baton going through the night! The girls wanted to spend the night, but this being our first year and me still not up to snuff, we weren't ready. Next year however, we are there for the haul, and look forward to seeing ya'll out there with us, one way or another!
At this point, thanks to the many generous contributions we crushed my goal raising $3,285, the Clearview Team has almost double their goal raising $6,898 and the entire Herndon Relay for Life had 787 participants, raising $183,945. It was truly an awe inspiring event just as a person, let alone as a cancer survivor!
Special thanks to those who did come and walk with me during the event, your presence lifted my spirits and lightened my load. I am truly blessed to have people like you in my life and words alone can't express the Thanks and emotions that I feel. Hope to see you all out there again next year!
Monday, June 15, 2009
Tuesday, June 9, 2009
Playing the waiting game.
Well things are getting back to normal around here.
My blood chemistry is almost all back in the normal range, so that is a great start! I'm back in the office full days again. And back active all around, slowly getting back that strength and stamina though, some days I'm just knackered.
Started playing Men's softball again as a sub for a friends team and that is going well, a little rusty but was great to get back out on the field again! In an ironic twist of fate, the team I'm now playing for was the team I last played against 3 years ago before my shoulder surgery!
Things at home are busier than all get out, end of the girls softball season, start of swim season (for Ashley), end of school year, Shannon graduating from elementary school, Marn doing a little more traveling now that I'm getting healthy again, and of course we are out riding the motorcycles now that the weather is getting nice!
Everything with regards to the big "C" is on hold right now.. waiting for the PET scan which is scheduled for Jan 24th. This will tell us if the remaining mass is metabolically active. The hope is that what's left on the CT scans after the Chemotherapy is just fibrous tissue or "scar tissue", if that's the case, then into watching mode for the next few years. However if the remaining mass shows as metabolically active in the PET scan, then I will be having surgery to remove the remaining tumor and then we go into the watching mode. Very hopeful that another surgery is NOT required, as that will take a couple weeks to recover from, given the location of the metastatic tumor in me.
Follow with the Oncologist is scheduled for July 2, so just weekly blood work between now and then, keeping an eye on things, had my medi-port flushed out last week and am so ready to have that removed!! But alas until we are sure things are done, it remains buried in me, just in case.
My blood chemistry is almost all back in the normal range, so that is a great start! I'm back in the office full days again. And back active all around, slowly getting back that strength and stamina though, some days I'm just knackered.
Started playing Men's softball again as a sub for a friends team and that is going well, a little rusty but was great to get back out on the field again! In an ironic twist of fate, the team I'm now playing for was the team I last played against 3 years ago before my shoulder surgery!
Things at home are busier than all get out, end of the girls softball season, start of swim season (for Ashley), end of school year, Shannon graduating from elementary school, Marn doing a little more traveling now that I'm getting healthy again, and of course we are out riding the motorcycles now that the weather is getting nice!
Everything with regards to the big "C" is on hold right now.. waiting for the PET scan which is scheduled for Jan 24th. This will tell us if the remaining mass is metabolically active. The hope is that what's left on the CT scans after the Chemotherapy is just fibrous tissue or "scar tissue", if that's the case, then into watching mode for the next few years. However if the remaining mass shows as metabolically active in the PET scan, then I will be having surgery to remove the remaining tumor and then we go into the watching mode. Very hopeful that another surgery is NOT required, as that will take a couple weeks to recover from, given the location of the metastatic tumor in me.
Follow with the Oncologist is scheduled for July 2, so just weekly blood work between now and then, keeping an eye on things, had my medi-port flushed out last week and am so ready to have that removed!! But alas until we are sure things are done, it remains buried in me, just in case.
Tuesday, May 26, 2009
Visit with the Dr
Sorry if I freaked a few of you out, got caught up with getting ready for Rolling Thunder and didn't get to posting here! Well after recovering from a weekend of riding the motorcycle and spending time with a couple hundred of our close SCRC friends, back to business.
Saw Dr. Heyer on Thursday and he confirmed what I saw on the CT scans, the chemotherapy shrunk the tumor over 60%! And he was overall happy with the results and my tumor markers in my blood are all back to a normal level.
What they can't tell at this point is if the remaining tissue is just 'scar tissue' or it is still metabolically active (ie still a viable tumor and growing) Based on previous studies less than 25% of the time is the tumor still alive. So to determine if this is the case, I'm going to have a PET scan (Positron Emission Tomography) at the end of June. With the help of a tagged sugar, this scan determines if the area is still highly active (indicative of cancer)
If the PET scan comes back as normal, then we are into the watch mode following treatment that can go on for 3-4 years. If the PET scan comes back with the tumor as still alive/active, then I have surgery to remove the residual mass (now possible due to being post chemo and the size of the remaining mass)
So right now just getting back on with life, softball is winding down, school ends in a couple weeks and Shannon will be graduating to Middle School! Working at least half time in the office, and slowly increasing that over the coming weeks. But taking it slow as I regain my strength and stamina.
Not the ideal outcome from the Doctor's visit, would have loved to hear that the tumor was all gone! But better than it's still the same and chemo had no effect on the tumor.. YIKES... that would have sucked! So we are just trying to put this on the back burner and keep busy with life, family, friends, work, etc. We'll see what happens come the end of June. Will keep writing here every week or so, keeping ya'll up to date.
Your thoughts, prayers, and everything else has certainly been invaluable and I can't express enough what it has meant to not only myself but Marnie. We are still in awe of all the support that we have received from all corners of our lives, you guys ROCK!!
Saw Dr. Heyer on Thursday and he confirmed what I saw on the CT scans, the chemotherapy shrunk the tumor over 60%! And he was overall happy with the results and my tumor markers in my blood are all back to a normal level.
What they can't tell at this point is if the remaining tissue is just 'scar tissue' or it is still metabolically active (ie still a viable tumor and growing) Based on previous studies less than 25% of the time is the tumor still alive. So to determine if this is the case, I'm going to have a PET scan (Positron Emission Tomography) at the end of June. With the help of a tagged sugar, this scan determines if the area is still highly active (indicative of cancer)
If the PET scan comes back as normal, then we are into the watch mode following treatment that can go on for 3-4 years. If the PET scan comes back with the tumor as still alive/active, then I have surgery to remove the residual mass (now possible due to being post chemo and the size of the remaining mass)
So right now just getting back on with life, softball is winding down, school ends in a couple weeks and Shannon will be graduating to Middle School! Working at least half time in the office, and slowly increasing that over the coming weeks. But taking it slow as I regain my strength and stamina.
Not the ideal outcome from the Doctor's visit, would have loved to hear that the tumor was all gone! But better than it's still the same and chemo had no effect on the tumor.. YIKES... that would have sucked! So we are just trying to put this on the back burner and keep busy with life, family, friends, work, etc. We'll see what happens come the end of June. Will keep writing here every week or so, keeping ya'll up to date.
Your thoughts, prayers, and everything else has certainly been invaluable and I can't express enough what it has meant to not only myself but Marnie. We are still in awe of all the support that we have received from all corners of our lives, you guys ROCK!!
Wednesday, May 20, 2009
Catching back up
Wow been almost 2 weeks since I last blogged here, sorry for falling off the wagon. Let me update you on the happenings since I last posted.
So had the last chemo on Tuesday May 5th, and found out that I was pretty anemic. That would explain why I had mentally felt good the week before, but was so physically exhausted. I was unable to do a lot and was resting with morning and afternoon naps because my body wasn't getting enough oxygen.
Dr. Heyer said we could do nothing and it would take me 6 to 8 weeks to recover, or I could have an infusion of 2 units of blood and that put some pep in my step. Well that was pretty much a no brainer! So spent 6 hours on Wed May 6th getting infused with 2 units of whole blood. Took a couple days and then I was raring to go. Some folks who saw me before and then a couple days after the infusion said it was like two different people! The bags were gone from under my eyes, my skin tone went from Chemo Grey to normal and I looked all around more healthy.
Since then I have been trying to get out of the house, now that I don't get exhausted so easily. Been working half days in the office last week and this week, and jumped back into coaching softball. Keeping busy and trying to keep my mind busy and feeling good to be out and about again! Had a nice long walk yesterday with Shannon (riding her scooter!) and after this weekend will start some light weight lifting again.
Went for my CT scans on Monday May 18th (Chest, Abdomen, and Pelvis) it was a quick in and out for the scans, which was nice, although I felt the contrast throughout my body the rest of the day. It has been hard with waiting for the results, all sorts of thoughts going through my mind and I have been trying to keep my mind busy with other things, yet it seems to swing back around to here again and again. Been hard to communicate and that is a primary reason why I haven't blogged in so long.
See Dr. Heyer again on the afternoon of Thursday May 21st and will get the results of the CT scans then as well as the next course of action. This being in limbo is driving me batty!
Will post here tomorrow evening and let you all know what happens...
So had the last chemo on Tuesday May 5th, and found out that I was pretty anemic. That would explain why I had mentally felt good the week before, but was so physically exhausted. I was unable to do a lot and was resting with morning and afternoon naps because my body wasn't getting enough oxygen.
Dr. Heyer said we could do nothing and it would take me 6 to 8 weeks to recover, or I could have an infusion of 2 units of blood and that put some pep in my step. Well that was pretty much a no brainer! So spent 6 hours on Wed May 6th getting infused with 2 units of whole blood. Took a couple days and then I was raring to go. Some folks who saw me before and then a couple days after the infusion said it was like two different people! The bags were gone from under my eyes, my skin tone went from Chemo Grey to normal and I looked all around more healthy.
Since then I have been trying to get out of the house, now that I don't get exhausted so easily. Been working half days in the office last week and this week, and jumped back into coaching softball. Keeping busy and trying to keep my mind busy and feeling good to be out and about again! Had a nice long walk yesterday with Shannon (riding her scooter!) and after this weekend will start some light weight lifting again.
Went for my CT scans on Monday May 18th (Chest, Abdomen, and Pelvis) it was a quick in and out for the scans, which was nice, although I felt the contrast throughout my body the rest of the day. It has been hard with waiting for the results, all sorts of thoughts going through my mind and I have been trying to keep my mind busy with other things, yet it seems to swing back around to here again and again. Been hard to communicate and that is a primary reason why I haven't blogged in so long.
See Dr. Heyer again on the afternoon of Thursday May 21st and will get the results of the CT scans then as well as the next course of action. This being in limbo is driving me batty!
Will post here tomorrow evening and let you all know what happens...
Sunday, May 3, 2009
I'm going to Relay for Life
Well as the Chemo is winding down, I'm starting to feel normal, just get tired out way to easily! Got out to work for a bit on Friday and it was good to be out of the house, doing some things. It was great to see faces and not the four walls of the house! Here's a photo that was taken by a co-worker while I was at the office.
Saturday, I got out to Shannon's softball game and sat on the bench (well mostly! LOL) and helped coach for the first time this season. The girls were excited to see me out there and I was really enjoying being there, watching them play ball and improve. I miss this and look forward to getting back to coaching soon! However, it certainly takes a lot out of me, had a two hour nap that afternoon.. LOL Then went over to a friends for a nice relaxing evening of poker.
So, Thursday afternoon I was down at the girl's school and found out that Shannon's teacher from last year (Whitney Cook) is also a Cancer Survivor, along with several other faculty and staff from Clearview Elementary. They invited me to join their team and walk with them in the Relay for Life. I was honored and agreed to participate.
I'm wanted to let you know about this decision I have made and ask you to again support me in my continued fight against this insidious disease. It would be great to make a big contribution and hope that you will consider assisting me in this endeavor! You can help out by visiting the link below:
http://main.acsevents.org/goto/rogmon
If you would like to come out in person and be a part of the actual Relay for Life activities, here are the details:
Where: Herndon High School
When: Saturday, June 13, 2009
Time: 1:30 p.m. until 8:00 a.m. Sunday morning (Luminary lighting 9:00 p.m.)
Location: 700 Bennett St
Herndon, VA 20170
I'm still in awe of all that so many have done and continue to do as I battle the Cancer that invaded my body. We talk about friends and being there for one another, well if there were ever any doubts in my mind, they were eradicated as I have watched and received so much support, thoughts, prayers and help from people near and afar! I am honored, shocked, humbled and truly appreciate what you all have done to support not only me, but Marnie and girls during this challenging time in our lives.
Saturday, I got out to Shannon's softball game and sat on the bench (well mostly! LOL) and helped coach for the first time this season. The girls were excited to see me out there and I was really enjoying being there, watching them play ball and improve. I miss this and look forward to getting back to coaching soon! However, it certainly takes a lot out of me, had a two hour nap that afternoon.. LOL Then went over to a friends for a nice relaxing evening of poker.
So, Thursday afternoon I was down at the girl's school and found out that Shannon's teacher from last year (Whitney Cook) is also a Cancer Survivor, along with several other faculty and staff from Clearview Elementary. They invited me to join their team and walk with them in the Relay for Life. I was honored and agreed to participate.
I'm wanted to let you know about this decision I have made and ask you to again support me in my continued fight against this insidious disease. It would be great to make a big contribution and hope that you will consider assisting me in this endeavor! You can help out by visiting the link below:
http://main.acsevents.org/goto/rogmon
If you would like to come out in person and be a part of the actual Relay for Life activities, here are the details:
Where: Herndon High School
When: Saturday, June 13, 2009
Time: 1:30 p.m. until 8:00 a.m. Sunday morning (Luminary lighting 9:00 p.m.)
Location: 700 Bennett St
Herndon, VA 20170
I'm still in awe of all that so many have done and continue to do as I battle the Cancer that invaded my body. We talk about friends and being there for one another, well if there were ever any doubts in my mind, they were eradicated as I have watched and received so much support, thoughts, prayers and help from people near and afar! I am honored, shocked, humbled and truly appreciate what you all have done to support not only me, but Marnie and girls during this challenging time in our lives.
Wednesday, April 29, 2009
And then there was one
Well the 5 days of Cisplatin, really whacked me good this go around. Finally feeling human again, and am hopeful that I never have to get Cisplatin again!
Lung function test on Monday was good, the results were better than the previous one, so that meant I got the Bleomycin yesterday.
My body really hates Bleo.. a hard night last night only got a couple hours sleep with the Chills so bad, Marnie was holding me tight, fever and my body resetting. Today has been blah with recovering from last night, feeling drained, tired, sore from everything.
So just taking it easy and resting. My plan is to get some time in the office tomorrow and Friday depending upon how I feel. Hope to be able to attend a Relay for Life event on Saturday.
Speaking of which.. if you haven't already seen, go to my Facebook page and look at the photo of what my High School Friends did for me out in Oceanside, CA. I'm truly at a loss for words.. still! And just in awe of all that everyone has done/is doing for me, Marnie and the girls.
Ya'll rock!!
Lung function test on Monday was good, the results were better than the previous one, so that meant I got the Bleomycin yesterday.
My body really hates Bleo.. a hard night last night only got a couple hours sleep with the Chills so bad, Marnie was holding me tight, fever and my body resetting. Today has been blah with recovering from last night, feeling drained, tired, sore from everything.
So just taking it easy and resting. My plan is to get some time in the office tomorrow and Friday depending upon how I feel. Hope to be able to attend a Relay for Life event on Saturday.
Speaking of which.. if you haven't already seen, go to my Facebook page and look at the photo of what my High School Friends did for me out in Oceanside, CA. I'm truly at a loss for words.. still! And just in awe of all that everyone has done/is doing for me, Marnie and the girls.
Ya'll rock!!
Thursday, April 23, 2009
Only a few more left
Well this week is almost over, just tomorrow's treatment and then one Tuesday and the following Tuesday, hopefully that is it!
As usual, this first week of the cycle has taken it's toll upon me, mentally and physically. My gut has been in turmoil, sleep compromised with battling gut and the medication they are giving me to make me pee a lot, but healthy kidneys are a good thing! Am looking forward to getting this out of my system this weekend and back to a 'normal' schedule. LOL.. but nothing has been normal for a while!
There was some concern on Tuesday as my lung function test came back and there was a slight decrease noted there. Dr. Heyer sent me for a chest X-ray first thing that morning and didn't see anything there, so he went out himself and recalculated the lung function test and thinks that when they did the calculations for the lung function they made a mistake. But heck, better to be safe than sorry. Really like how Dr. Heyer and Staff all around trying to whack the cancer, but not cause any other problems along the way and are being aggressive about keeping an eye on these other side effects.
So this means I get to have ANOTHER lung function test on Monday, last thing they want to do is have the Bleomycin damage my lungs. Otherwise been a mostly uneventful week thus far just working while getting Chemotherapy pumped into me.
On the upside only a few more treatments left, have a date for the follow-up CT scans to evaluate the effectiveness of the treatment. I will be having CT Chest, Abdomen & Pelvis on Monday May 18th. Given the Bleomycin, Dr. Heyer wants to have a good look at my chest/lungs to make sure things are good. I imagine that I'll be meeting with him later that week or early the following week to discuss the results and were we go from here, based on the CT scans.
Please keep the thoughts and prayers coming.. they are doing wonders. Can't wait to get started healing from the bashing my body has been taking from the Chemo!!
As usual, this first week of the cycle has taken it's toll upon me, mentally and physically. My gut has been in turmoil, sleep compromised with battling gut and the medication they are giving me to make me pee a lot, but healthy kidneys are a good thing! Am looking forward to getting this out of my system this weekend and back to a 'normal' schedule. LOL.. but nothing has been normal for a while!
There was some concern on Tuesday as my lung function test came back and there was a slight decrease noted there. Dr. Heyer sent me for a chest X-ray first thing that morning and didn't see anything there, so he went out himself and recalculated the lung function test and thinks that when they did the calculations for the lung function they made a mistake. But heck, better to be safe than sorry. Really like how Dr. Heyer and Staff all around trying to whack the cancer, but not cause any other problems along the way and are being aggressive about keeping an eye on these other side effects.
So this means I get to have ANOTHER lung function test on Monday, last thing they want to do is have the Bleomycin damage my lungs. Otherwise been a mostly uneventful week thus far just working while getting Chemotherapy pumped into me.
On the upside only a few more treatments left, have a date for the follow-up CT scans to evaluate the effectiveness of the treatment. I will be having CT Chest, Abdomen & Pelvis on Monday May 18th. Given the Bleomycin, Dr. Heyer wants to have a good look at my chest/lungs to make sure things are good. I imagine that I'll be meeting with him later that week or early the following week to discuss the results and were we go from here, based on the CT scans.
Please keep the thoughts and prayers coming.. they are doing wonders. Can't wait to get started healing from the bashing my body has been taking from the Chemo!!
Monday, April 20, 2009
Once more into the breach..
Well it has been a busy time this past week, got a little excited at feeling mostly normal and pushed things a bit too far. But ah slept a LOT making up for that.
So the Bleomycin continues to be just nasty, when ever I get that drug, I pretty much have a fever of 100.3 and feel like doing nothing that evening. Then Wednesday morning is the tiredness from the fever. Finally about Wednesday afternoon start feeling normal again. This time around though it came with a splitting headache that kept me in bed were the room was nice and dark, until it finally passed.
Thursday was off for the PFT, huffing and puffing into the machine. Had the same tech as before and it was a shorter test than the initial one, so that was cool. Got into the office and spent some time catching up on stuff there. Very much needed and was good to be out and about.
Friday was another day in the office.. but can I just say I'm tired of being tired!! I mean all I did was carrying a couple dozen donuts from the car into work and I was exhausted! Collapsed into my chair and took me a bit to recover. That is the most frustrating thing and can never tell what is going to tire me out!
Well Saturday morning was feeling my oats.. so heck it was off to Opening Day Ceremonies for the girls softball league, jogging in from the field with the girls sure got my legs sore and elevated my heart rate though! LOL Came home, had a rest then rode the motorcycles out to the 2nd Annual Club Days at Loudoun Motorsports. Again our chapter had the most people show up, we won first prize and promptly donated the proceeds to charity, way cool! From here we zipped home, collect Mom and went to Ashley's first game of the season. Both Marnie and I forgot to apply the suntan lotion to ourselves (remembered the girls though!) and got some nice red arms from sitting at the game. But what a beautiful day out, with the girls playing ball.
Came home and between the activities and the sun was wiped out.. had some friends come by for dinner and for a while I wasn't much company as I was just feeling blah from everything all day long. Ate some dinner and was in bed by 8pm, dozed and then crashed around 11... slept a good 9 hours.
Sunday morning Marnie and Ashely were off to church and I got Shannon to go outside with Grandma and do some gardening/yard work with every intention of joining them.. really!! But instead laid down on the couch and slept for another 3 hours! Woke to find a couple friends over helping Marnie with stuff around the yard.. that still is so cool that everyone does come and do what ever! Puttered around the garage for a while, cleaned up a bit and did a little work on the bike. We decided a night out while I was feeling decent was in order, so we all went out to dinner at Applebee's.
After about 5 hours of good sleep and a couple hours of tossing and turning here I am writing and very much NOT looking forward to the next 5 days! But this is the last big push, I can do this and then just have a couple more Bleo days left.
Don't know how we could have made it this far with out help from my Mother who has been here since I started Chemotherapy. She has been invaluable helping out around the house, with the girls and keeping Marnie company when I have been in la la land from the Chemo! She is staying through Sunday to help with this last push and then heading back to California to get back to her life, horses and Dad! Thanks so much to the both of you for all that you have done for us during this challenging time!
Thanks also to everyone else out there who continues to support us in all ways, manners and fashions! Your efforts aren't unnoticed.. and they are very appreciated!
So the Bleomycin continues to be just nasty, when ever I get that drug, I pretty much have a fever of 100.3 and feel like doing nothing that evening. Then Wednesday morning is the tiredness from the fever. Finally about Wednesday afternoon start feeling normal again. This time around though it came with a splitting headache that kept me in bed were the room was nice and dark, until it finally passed.
Thursday was off for the PFT, huffing and puffing into the machine. Had the same tech as before and it was a shorter test than the initial one, so that was cool. Got into the office and spent some time catching up on stuff there. Very much needed and was good to be out and about.
Friday was another day in the office.. but can I just say I'm tired of being tired!! I mean all I did was carrying a couple dozen donuts from the car into work and I was exhausted! Collapsed into my chair and took me a bit to recover. That is the most frustrating thing and can never tell what is going to tire me out!
Well Saturday morning was feeling my oats.. so heck it was off to Opening Day Ceremonies for the girls softball league, jogging in from the field with the girls sure got my legs sore and elevated my heart rate though! LOL Came home, had a rest then rode the motorcycles out to the 2nd Annual Club Days at Loudoun Motorsports. Again our chapter had the most people show up, we won first prize and promptly donated the proceeds to charity, way cool! From here we zipped home, collect Mom and went to Ashley's first game of the season. Both Marnie and I forgot to apply the suntan lotion to ourselves (remembered the girls though!) and got some nice red arms from sitting at the game. But what a beautiful day out, with the girls playing ball.
Came home and between the activities and the sun was wiped out.. had some friends come by for dinner and for a while I wasn't much company as I was just feeling blah from everything all day long. Ate some dinner and was in bed by 8pm, dozed and then crashed around 11... slept a good 9 hours.
Sunday morning Marnie and Ashely were off to church and I got Shannon to go outside with Grandma and do some gardening/yard work with every intention of joining them.. really!! But instead laid down on the couch and slept for another 3 hours! Woke to find a couple friends over helping Marnie with stuff around the yard.. that still is so cool that everyone does come and do what ever! Puttered around the garage for a while, cleaned up a bit and did a little work on the bike. We decided a night out while I was feeling decent was in order, so we all went out to dinner at Applebee's.
After about 5 hours of good sleep and a couple hours of tossing and turning here I am writing and very much NOT looking forward to the next 5 days! But this is the last big push, I can do this and then just have a couple more Bleo days left.
Don't know how we could have made it this far with out help from my Mother who has been here since I started Chemotherapy. She has been invaluable helping out around the house, with the girls and keeping Marnie company when I have been in la la land from the Chemo! She is staying through Sunday to help with this last push and then heading back to California to get back to her life, horses and Dad! Thanks so much to the both of you for all that you have done for us during this challenging time!
Thanks also to everyone else out there who continues to support us in all ways, manners and fashions! Your efforts aren't unnoticed.. and they are very appreciated!
Tuesday, April 14, 2009
2/3 of the way...
Well I realize that I have been absent from here for a while. The reaction to the compazine really threw me for a loop.
I have found that with the decreased amount of hemoglobin (the stuff in your blood that takes the oxygen from your lungs to your cells) I tire out all to easy. The mind is willing but the body is certainly letting me down these days. The neuprogen is working and keeping my white blood cells stimulated and elevated. The downside of that is that after about 3 days on neuprogen, I get a night of back spasms that is just not fun. It is a worth while trade off though.
Sure must have been a bummer of a vacation for my younger sister to come visit and me so lethargic. This had been planned before I was diagnosed, and was glad to she came even though I wasn't the life of the party. She got out with Marnie and the girls to do some things and was certainly great to have her here during this challenging time.
Have managed to get out for a few things, went to a Birthday party this past weekend and am hoping to make the girls opening softball games later this week. Will try to be better about writing here in these last few weeks.
The last big push starts next week, and while not looking forward to that, will be nice to have that done and behind me. They are already looking at dates for the scans at the end of treatments. I have another pulmonary function test on Thursday and thus far things are looking good with the lungs. Will have one more after I finish the third round as well as another CT of the abdomen and pelvis to determine how much the chemo has attacked the tumor. On the upside of all this is that I found out today that the levels of LDH (tumor marker) are back to normal. This bodes well for things!!
It has been tough going but I am doing the best I can, some days are just days by day, and others better. Been just blah at times and all I can do to log on and work. I am doing good, spirits are up and am going forward, fighting and not letting this crap get me down. Continue to appreciate all that everyone out there is doing from the food, to errands, to thoughts, prayers and helping out.
I have found that with the decreased amount of hemoglobin (the stuff in your blood that takes the oxygen from your lungs to your cells) I tire out all to easy. The mind is willing but the body is certainly letting me down these days. The neuprogen is working and keeping my white blood cells stimulated and elevated. The downside of that is that after about 3 days on neuprogen, I get a night of back spasms that is just not fun. It is a worth while trade off though.
Sure must have been a bummer of a vacation for my younger sister to come visit and me so lethargic. This had been planned before I was diagnosed, and was glad to she came even though I wasn't the life of the party. She got out with Marnie and the girls to do some things and was certainly great to have her here during this challenging time.
Have managed to get out for a few things, went to a Birthday party this past weekend and am hoping to make the girls opening softball games later this week. Will try to be better about writing here in these last few weeks.
The last big push starts next week, and while not looking forward to that, will be nice to have that done and behind me. They are already looking at dates for the scans at the end of treatments. I have another pulmonary function test on Thursday and thus far things are looking good with the lungs. Will have one more after I finish the third round as well as another CT of the abdomen and pelvis to determine how much the chemo has attacked the tumor. On the upside of all this is that I found out today that the levels of LDH (tumor marker) are back to normal. This bodes well for things!!
It has been tough going but I am doing the best I can, some days are just days by day, and others better. Been just blah at times and all I can do to log on and work. I am doing good, spirits are up and am going forward, fighting and not letting this crap get me down. Continue to appreciate all that everyone out there is doing from the food, to errands, to thoughts, prayers and helping out.
Monday, April 6, 2009
Sore and tired
Well hello there...
Been a while I know, but things continue to progress and I'm still fighting the fight!
So the first part of last week wasn't too bad, things moved along and by body was doing ok with the chemo. Then Thursday and Friday my GI tract really was giving me fits from the chemo. It was a miserable couple days as the nausea really hit me for the first time and that was just yucky. Never puked, but my mid section was in total rebellion.
Top that off with a drug reaction on Friday (apparently IV Compazine and I don't along!) and the last few days have been a few of the hardest so far. I really had a hard time Friday/Saturday after that and I think it took a lot out of me.
I am really tired, lethargic, and sore still today from the last few days. Yesterday was a bright spot in that folks from our motorcycle club came by and spread, mulch, did spring pruning, etc for us. It was good to see everyone and what they did was so appreciated.
I'm fading out already from focusing to write this, it's like after a bad bout with the flu when you just can't comfortable, are sore all over, and simply walking downstairs makes you tired. I'm so done with this!! Wish it were through already.
Only a few more weeks to go.. and only one more really challenging week, so now I'm resting and getting ready for that last push in a couple weeks.
Been a while I know, but things continue to progress and I'm still fighting the fight!
So the first part of last week wasn't too bad, things moved along and by body was doing ok with the chemo. Then Thursday and Friday my GI tract really was giving me fits from the chemo. It was a miserable couple days as the nausea really hit me for the first time and that was just yucky. Never puked, but my mid section was in total rebellion.
Top that off with a drug reaction on Friday (apparently IV Compazine and I don't along!) and the last few days have been a few of the hardest so far. I really had a hard time Friday/Saturday after that and I think it took a lot out of me.
I am really tired, lethargic, and sore still today from the last few days. Yesterday was a bright spot in that folks from our motorcycle club came by and spread, mulch, did spring pruning, etc for us. It was good to see everyone and what they did was so appreciated.
I'm fading out already from focusing to write this, it's like after a bad bout with the flu when you just can't comfortable, are sore all over, and simply walking downstairs makes you tired. I'm so done with this!! Wish it were through already.
Only a few more weeks to go.. and only one more really challenging week, so now I'm resting and getting ready for that last push in a couple weeks.
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