After getting home, was still battling the on going fever. It seems that it was a viral thing, as the antibiotics were in control of any bacterial issues. Spent most of Saturday just chilling, relaxing and napping; saving my strength for that evening. On Saturday evening, dressed up and escorted Shannon and Ashley to their annual Girl Scout Daddy/Daughter dance. It was good to get out of the house and the girls really were excited that Daddy was able to take them to the dance. We had a good time, had some nice dances with both of them, got some photos and those will up on Facebook shortly.
Sunday was again relaxing and then got out for a bit and then ran a couple softball errands during the day, again nice to be out the house. Feeling better and getting a bit tired of left overs we decided to head out for dinner. Headed over to Buffalo Wing Factory for some wings and watch a little NCAA and golf. Another nice respite and was starting to feel back to normal, but tired.
Sleeping has been a challenge, I sleep in about a 4 hour block and then it is on and off each hour, so that has been tiring me out. Not to mention fighting what ever has been bothering me and sweating like a stuck pig each night, would really enjoy a regular nights sleep.
Today Marnie woke feeling like crap, she had a fever and head cold that had her feeling pretty miserable. She ended up going back to sleep and I got the girls ready for school and then headed over to the infusion center to start Round 2 of Chemo. Had some good news when they did my blood work, my WBC's have gone from 1,400 cells/microliter on Friday up to 26,400 cells/microliter this morning and more specifically the neutrophils are up over 18,000 cells/microliter. Both of those numbers are way over normal, so right now my Immune system is in overdrive. This is the result of the Neuprogen doing it's job! So that was really encouraging. Talked with the Doctor for a bit and he was encourged as well and wanted me to keep working the Neuprogen in to things as possible (can't take Neuprogen 24 hours before or after chemo), so as able will be taking the Neuprogen in the coming weeks to prevent a repeat visit to the hospital!
Wasn't looking forward to another week like week 1, and had a head ache myself this morning. After they got things flowing this morning, some Tylenol helped with the head ache and then by this afternoon was feeling much better. Was actually feeling decent and ran a couple errands with my mother. As one of the oncology nurses put it, seems like my body is getting 'used' to the Chemo and it's not affecting me as adversely as it did the first time. Hoping this trend continues and I continue to do better than before.
Thank to everyone for the continued thoughts and prayers, they certainly seem to be working and are very appreciated from one and all!
Monday, March 30, 2009
Friday, March 27, 2009
Back home.. finally!
Well back home, now..so let me close out this week and bring you up to speed.
Pretty much spent the last 3 days in the hospital bed with an on again, off again fever. At times I would feel pretty much normal, and then there were times when it would spike back up to 102.6 and I was fighting the chills, only to be dripping wet with sweat an hour later.
My Immune system was still crashed out on Wed with only 800 cell/microliter. And I got my first Neupogen injection on Wednesday. For those not aware, Neupogen is the commercial name for Filgrastim, which is a human granulocyte colony-stimulating factor (G-CSF), produced by recombinant DNA technology. G-CSF is is a colony-stimulating factor hormone, naturally produced in the body. It is a glycoprotein, growth factor or cytokine produced by a number of different tissues to stimulate the bone marrow to produce granulocytes and stem cells. G-CSF then stimulates the bone marrow to release them into the blood. It also stimulates the survival, proliferation, differentiation, and function of neutrophil precursors and mature neutrophils.
So why is this important.. because neutrophils are a key component of your bodies first line of defense against any infection. They are very quick responders and non specific (ie they don't care what it is, they will fight and attack any foreign cell, bacteria, virus, etc.) Later your T & B cells (Lymphocytes) get involved and produced specific antibodies against specific infections, but the neutrophils are almost always the first responders and a key ingredient in how your Immune System functions and protects you. Ok.. schools out for this post now *wink*
Suffice to say that my neutrophils were non existent when I was admitted. By Thursday morning my WBC count was up to 1400 cells/microliter, but the neutrophils were woefully absent, and the fever was still present, so I won the trifecta and had a third night in the hospital! Thursday also brought my lung function test and trip by wheel chair downstairs to the respiratory unit. Got to breath into the machine for about 30 minutes while they assessed how my lungs are doing. This is because the Bleomycin can cause a decrease in lung function, so they are keeping a close eye on things. Was good to get out the room for a bit, although have to say, after laying around for a few days, all that heavy breathing for the test sure made my diaphragm and other chest muscles sore, guess I need more practice with the heavy breathing! LOL Actually had some visitors on Thursday and it was great to have people come by and break the monotony of the hospital. Marn & my Mom have been great about being there, bring the girls, so that could Daddy was all right and giving me some time alone. It was just the right mix and very much appreciate everyone who came by, brought food, helped out, etc.
Last night, was a miserable night, as I got hit by a common side effect of Neuprogen (muscle spasms up my back from butt to my head.) This was a very rhythmic and painful thing to endure. Luckily the nurses/Doctors were on top of this and gave me some pain killers and muscle relaxers, and I got about 5-6 hours of good sleep, Marnie came to the hospital and spent the night with me. Someone mentioned taking ibuprofen, I can't take any NSAID's (non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs) like Ibuprofen or Aleve (naproxen) because in my body they depress my platelets which are already low. So for me it's Tylenol (acetaminophen) or stronger drugs for pain management.
This morning my fever was gone, my WBC's were still climbing and some granulocytes (neutrophils) present again in my cell counts. So the Doctor released me and I came home were I watched a couple movies, had a most relaxing/refreshing bath to get rid of 4 days of hospital sweat, grime and funk! LOL Further proof that the chemo is working on killing things, has been my facial hair growth has slowed to almost nil, and today in the bath, left lots of hair from below in the tub, so my hair is starting to fall out! That was strange to see, and Marnie and I had a good laugh about things! Then I had a great 3 hour nap and dinner that Dave brought by this evening.
So someone asked how I'm doing emotionally/mentally with all this.. as they said my blog was more what was happening and seemed to be lacking the emotions at times. Well being admitted to the hospital scared me for sure and last night was miserable with the pain and muscle cramps. But over all I'm doing ok, I am just going day by day and trying to find the positive in all the stuff that is going on. I have had my moments of despair, tears and I'm lucky that Marnie has been there to hold me. Some else asked why I was not angry about all this.. and my simple answer is, while I have at moments expressed my frustration/even anger, my overall reaction to most things in life, is that energy is better spent in a more positive manner, especially when my energy is low. This is one of those that, that I could just waste energy being angry about.. or accept that it is what it is and move along using that energy to fight and over come this disease.
And thus it's back into the breach we go! Have a couple days to rest up and then start Round 2 of Chemo Therapy on Monday. Am glad to be home and thank everyone for what they have/continue to do for me during this time.
Pretty much spent the last 3 days in the hospital bed with an on again, off again fever. At times I would feel pretty much normal, and then there were times when it would spike back up to 102.6 and I was fighting the chills, only to be dripping wet with sweat an hour later.
My Immune system was still crashed out on Wed with only 800 cell/microliter. And I got my first Neupogen injection on Wednesday. For those not aware, Neupogen is the commercial name for Filgrastim, which is a human granulocyte colony-stimulating factor (G-CSF), produced by recombinant DNA technology. G-CSF is is a colony-stimulating factor hormone, naturally produced in the body. It is a glycoprotein, growth factor or cytokine produced by a number of different tissues to stimulate the bone marrow to produce granulocytes and stem cells. G-CSF then stimulates the bone marrow to release them into the blood. It also stimulates the survival, proliferation, differentiation, and function of neutrophil precursors and mature neutrophils.
So why is this important.. because neutrophils are a key component of your bodies first line of defense against any infection. They are very quick responders and non specific (ie they don't care what it is, they will fight and attack any foreign cell, bacteria, virus, etc.) Later your T & B cells (Lymphocytes) get involved and produced specific antibodies against specific infections, but the neutrophils are almost always the first responders and a key ingredient in how your Immune System functions and protects you. Ok.. schools out for this post now *wink*
Suffice to say that my neutrophils were non existent when I was admitted. By Thursday morning my WBC count was up to 1400 cells/microliter, but the neutrophils were woefully absent, and the fever was still present, so I won the trifecta and had a third night in the hospital! Thursday also brought my lung function test and trip by wheel chair downstairs to the respiratory unit. Got to breath into the machine for about 30 minutes while they assessed how my lungs are doing. This is because the Bleomycin can cause a decrease in lung function, so they are keeping a close eye on things. Was good to get out the room for a bit, although have to say, after laying around for a few days, all that heavy breathing for the test sure made my diaphragm and other chest muscles sore, guess I need more practice with the heavy breathing! LOL Actually had some visitors on Thursday and it was great to have people come by and break the monotony of the hospital. Marn & my Mom have been great about being there, bring the girls, so that could Daddy was all right and giving me some time alone. It was just the right mix and very much appreciate everyone who came by, brought food, helped out, etc.
Last night, was a miserable night, as I got hit by a common side effect of Neuprogen (muscle spasms up my back from butt to my head.) This was a very rhythmic and painful thing to endure. Luckily the nurses/Doctors were on top of this and gave me some pain killers and muscle relaxers, and I got about 5-6 hours of good sleep, Marnie came to the hospital and spent the night with me. Someone mentioned taking ibuprofen, I can't take any NSAID's (non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs) like Ibuprofen or Aleve (naproxen) because in my body they depress my platelets which are already low. So for me it's Tylenol (acetaminophen) or stronger drugs for pain management.
This morning my fever was gone, my WBC's were still climbing and some granulocytes (neutrophils) present again in my cell counts. So the Doctor released me and I came home were I watched a couple movies, had a most relaxing/refreshing bath to get rid of 4 days of hospital sweat, grime and funk! LOL Further proof that the chemo is working on killing things, has been my facial hair growth has slowed to almost nil, and today in the bath, left lots of hair from below in the tub, so my hair is starting to fall out! That was strange to see, and Marnie and I had a good laugh about things! Then I had a great 3 hour nap and dinner that Dave brought by this evening.
So someone asked how I'm doing emotionally/mentally with all this.. as they said my blog was more what was happening and seemed to be lacking the emotions at times. Well being admitted to the hospital scared me for sure and last night was miserable with the pain and muscle cramps. But over all I'm doing ok, I am just going day by day and trying to find the positive in all the stuff that is going on. I have had my moments of despair, tears and I'm lucky that Marnie has been there to hold me. Some else asked why I was not angry about all this.. and my simple answer is, while I have at moments expressed my frustration/even anger, my overall reaction to most things in life, is that energy is better spent in a more positive manner, especially when my energy is low. This is one of those that, that I could just waste energy being angry about.. or accept that it is what it is and move along using that energy to fight and over come this disease.
And thus it's back into the breach we go! Have a couple days to rest up and then start Round 2 of Chemo Therapy on Monday. Am glad to be home and thank everyone for what they have/continue to do for me during this time.
Tuesday, March 24, 2009
Crash and burn
Howdy intrepid readers, it is late on Tuesday evening and I write from a not so pleasant place, but more on that in a moment.
Monday started off with a stay at home morning and then took my sister to the airport for her flight home. It was really good to see her and have here for a bit. My younger sister was already planning on visiting us during Spring Break, so will see her in a couple weeks. Got into the office and work a good half day from there, was good to start getting back to normal. That afternoon was softball practice, and seems like I have a really good team this year and looking forward to working with them over the coming months and seeing them improve.
So I know this is hitting me because, even with two shirts and jacket I was cold by the time practice was over. Got home, at dinner and then went to bed early with a bit of the chills. Now looking back this was a precursor of what was to come. Slept like crap in couple hour bursts and not a very restful sleep.
Tuesday started off ok, my eyes were 'burning' a bit today and I thought this was due to just a bad nights sleep. Got off to the office and worked there until I headed over for my chemo treatment this afternoon. Actually ate well during the day and other things aside, felt much better this go around than last Tuesday when I got the Bleomycin. But I get ahead of myself here, when I arrived they took my blood to check my cell levels and tumor markers as they do every week. Well my White Blood Cell count went from 4,000 cells/microliter from last Tuesday (the bottom of the reference range) to 1,000 cells/microliter today. Also my temperature was a bit elevated (99.6) To be sure they did the cell counts twice from two different sites. Knew this might happen, but didn't expect it to crash out so fast and low. By the time I left my temp was down to 98.8 so they weren't as concerned about me.
So what does this mean... well it means that I get to start injecting myself with Neuprogen (this is a drug that boosts the immune system and causes your body to start making more WBC's. We were hoping to not need this, but always knew it was possibility if the counts got low. The problem is that I can't take Neuprogen 24 hours before or after a Chemo treatment. So have to try and squeeze in during the weekly treatments of weeks 2 & 3 of each cycle. Ok so that wasn't too bad, knew this was a possibility, and it just means a boost to the immune system and that I don't have to worry about getting an opportunistic infection while my immune systems is depressed. Also this tell me that the Chemo is WORKING!! It's killing those fast growing cells and means that it should also be doing a number on the tumor in me. So there's the silver lining in this cloud... a very tangible sign that the drugs are doing their job (besides making me feel ill!!) LOL!
Got home and actually wanted some food, my mom made me some rice and it was good, had some water and was feeling ok. As I said much better than last week when I got the Bleomyicn. Around 4:30 started getting cool again like I did last night, and went and laid by the fire. Took my temperature and it was 100.3, well this crossed the magic threshold and I was under instructions to call the Doctor if I ever hit triple digits. So a call into the Dr and the person on call was Dr. Felice (he was our friend Carol's primary doctor) and while talking with him after he consulted my chart and talked to Dr. Heyer and called me back, my temp got to 101.6. This concerned them because with the low WBC counts and a fever, I could be going neutropenic and the fever would shut down what remains of my immune system leaving me vulnerable to opportunistic infections or worse. Dr. Felice wanted me in the hospital so that they could hit me with IV antibiotics to combat the fever and be pro-active and aggressive, so that I didn't end up really crashing. So off Marnie and I went to Reston Hospital, and they quickly had me upstairs in a bed (gotta love it when the Doc calls ahead and gets you pre-admitted)
Within 1 hour and 45 minutes after talking to Dr. Felice on the phone, I was in a private room, had an IV flowing, all blood work taken and just waiting for the antibiotics to come up from the pharmacy. Talk about fast! Well the fever spike to about 102.6 during this time and I still had the chills and couldn't get warm for a while. Also my labs came back and WBC's had dropped to 800 cells/microliter. Finally got the IV antibiotics and within a couple hours the fever was back down to 100.6, so they were doing their job! Dr. Felice actually came by the hospital and talked with us for a good 30 minutes. He is another great Doctor and I would be just as comfortable with him caring for me, as Dr. Heyer, now I know what Bill (Carol's husband) was talking about when he said the entire practice is really good!
At this point, am sweating again, have had no problems with fluids and peeing just fine. So if the fever abates tomorrow Dr. Felice indicated they would release me, otherwise they want me to stay so that they can monitor me. Also they want to see my WBC count start climbing and tomorrow if I'm still here or at home, I start with the Neupogen shots to kick my Immune System into high gear.
Well I'm sure some of you are yelling at me for not being asleep by now (yes Mother!) but I did doze on and off a bit earlier, not really tired, but starting to get droopy eyed now. So will sign off, turn off the lights and try and get some sleep. Please keep Marnie, Shannon, Ashley and the rest of my family in your thoughts and prayers as they deal with this little road bump. As well I could use a few thoughts and prayers myself... thanks one and all!!
Monday started off with a stay at home morning and then took my sister to the airport for her flight home. It was really good to see her and have here for a bit. My younger sister was already planning on visiting us during Spring Break, so will see her in a couple weeks. Got into the office and work a good half day from there, was good to start getting back to normal. That afternoon was softball practice, and seems like I have a really good team this year and looking forward to working with them over the coming months and seeing them improve.
So I know this is hitting me because, even with two shirts and jacket I was cold by the time practice was over. Got home, at dinner and then went to bed early with a bit of the chills. Now looking back this was a precursor of what was to come. Slept like crap in couple hour bursts and not a very restful sleep.
Tuesday started off ok, my eyes were 'burning' a bit today and I thought this was due to just a bad nights sleep. Got off to the office and worked there until I headed over for my chemo treatment this afternoon. Actually ate well during the day and other things aside, felt much better this go around than last Tuesday when I got the Bleomycin. But I get ahead of myself here, when I arrived they took my blood to check my cell levels and tumor markers as they do every week. Well my White Blood Cell count went from 4,000 cells/microliter from last Tuesday (the bottom of the reference range) to 1,000 cells/microliter today. Also my temperature was a bit elevated (99.6) To be sure they did the cell counts twice from two different sites. Knew this might happen, but didn't expect it to crash out so fast and low. By the time I left my temp was down to 98.8 so they weren't as concerned about me.
So what does this mean... well it means that I get to start injecting myself with Neuprogen (this is a drug that boosts the immune system and causes your body to start making more WBC's. We were hoping to not need this, but always knew it was possibility if the counts got low. The problem is that I can't take Neuprogen 24 hours before or after a Chemo treatment. So have to try and squeeze in during the weekly treatments of weeks 2 & 3 of each cycle. Ok so that wasn't too bad, knew this was a possibility, and it just means a boost to the immune system and that I don't have to worry about getting an opportunistic infection while my immune systems is depressed. Also this tell me that the Chemo is WORKING!! It's killing those fast growing cells and means that it should also be doing a number on the tumor in me. So there's the silver lining in this cloud... a very tangible sign that the drugs are doing their job (besides making me feel ill!!) LOL!
Got home and actually wanted some food, my mom made me some rice and it was good, had some water and was feeling ok. As I said much better than last week when I got the Bleomyicn. Around 4:30 started getting cool again like I did last night, and went and laid by the fire. Took my temperature and it was 100.3, well this crossed the magic threshold and I was under instructions to call the Doctor if I ever hit triple digits. So a call into the Dr and the person on call was Dr. Felice (he was our friend Carol's primary doctor) and while talking with him after he consulted my chart and talked to Dr. Heyer and called me back, my temp got to 101.6. This concerned them because with the low WBC counts and a fever, I could be going neutropenic and the fever would shut down what remains of my immune system leaving me vulnerable to opportunistic infections or worse. Dr. Felice wanted me in the hospital so that they could hit me with IV antibiotics to combat the fever and be pro-active and aggressive, so that I didn't end up really crashing. So off Marnie and I went to Reston Hospital, and they quickly had me upstairs in a bed (gotta love it when the Doc calls ahead and gets you pre-admitted)
Within 1 hour and 45 minutes after talking to Dr. Felice on the phone, I was in a private room, had an IV flowing, all blood work taken and just waiting for the antibiotics to come up from the pharmacy. Talk about fast! Well the fever spike to about 102.6 during this time and I still had the chills and couldn't get warm for a while. Also my labs came back and WBC's had dropped to 800 cells/microliter. Finally got the IV antibiotics and within a couple hours the fever was back down to 100.6, so they were doing their job! Dr. Felice actually came by the hospital and talked with us for a good 30 minutes. He is another great Doctor and I would be just as comfortable with him caring for me, as Dr. Heyer, now I know what Bill (Carol's husband) was talking about when he said the entire practice is really good!
At this point, am sweating again, have had no problems with fluids and peeing just fine. So if the fever abates tomorrow Dr. Felice indicated they would release me, otherwise they want me to stay so that they can monitor me. Also they want to see my WBC count start climbing and tomorrow if I'm still here or at home, I start with the Neupogen shots to kick my Immune System into high gear.
Well I'm sure some of you are yelling at me for not being asleep by now (yes Mother!) but I did doze on and off a bit earlier, not really tired, but starting to get droopy eyed now. So will sign off, turn off the lights and try and get some sleep. Please keep Marnie, Shannon, Ashley and the rest of my family in your thoughts and prayers as they deal with this little road bump. As well I could use a few thoughts and prayers myself... thanks one and all!!
Sunday, March 22, 2009
Lows and Highs
Well the last few days have been a real roller coaster ride, with some real lows and highs.
Friday was a good day, got into the office and was good to spend time at work, getting caught up on a few things, seeing people and just getting back into the flow. A pretty regular day, still find I lack the energy and that can be frustrating at times. But dealing with it and just listening to my body and taking time out for rest as needed, so that I can keep healing. Had a fitful nights sleep in blocks, most odd, but my mind was already thinking about Saturday.
Saturday was a very low day.. perhaps the lowest I have been in a long time. Our good friend and neighbor across the street lost her battle with Cancer earlier this week and Saturday morning was the service and funeral. Carol had lung cancer, was being seen at the same practice I go too, and had been battling this disease for over a year and half now. Carol was such an influence on how one can have dignity and be positive even in the face of this devastating disease. She leaves behind her loving husband of more than 40 years Bill, 4 children and 3 grandchildren. I really struggled to hold it together during the events that morning, I am still at a loss to explain how it has made me feel, how I still grieve for her and I try to deal with own battle.
The day took a much brighter note when my older sister flew in from Kansas. The last time I saw her was Christmas '07, so it has been great to sit, chat and spend time with her these last couple days. Our neighbors came over and we had a BBQ last night, and it just so down home, family and relaxing. Some much needed recovery/distraction after the emotionally charged events of this week, earlier in the day.
Still seem to be sleeping in about 4 hour blocks, and that held true last night. This morning we just had a late brunch, went out to the mall and did some shopping, but mainly just time out from the house! Had a nice lunch at Macaroni Grill, and came home. Marnie, Ashley and I then took the motorcycles out for a couple hours and enjoyed some much needed time in the saddle with the wind in my face! It was around 60 degrees, just right with the layers on, and was really comfortable and refreshing. My Mom made some great chili for dinner and it was again just a down home family meal. Having them around this weekend, has been so good for my spirits and I'm just thankful they were able to be here with us. My sister leaves tomorrow, but my Mom is staying through the start of my 3 round of Chemo to help around the house with the girls, things and me ;-) LOL!!
I'm pretty tired after being on the go most of the day with no nap even, so getting back to normal ( if you can ever call me normal! LOL) and hope that a good solid nights sleep is in the cards! Back to work this week as I finish Round 1 with my treatment this coming Tuesday, and then start Round 2 next week.
My thanks for all the continuing thoughts, prayers, offers and help that everyone has put forth and contributed. You continue to awe and inspire me, I am blessed by all that you do, I am in your debt.
Friday was a good day, got into the office and was good to spend time at work, getting caught up on a few things, seeing people and just getting back into the flow. A pretty regular day, still find I lack the energy and that can be frustrating at times. But dealing with it and just listening to my body and taking time out for rest as needed, so that I can keep healing. Had a fitful nights sleep in blocks, most odd, but my mind was already thinking about Saturday.
Saturday was a very low day.. perhaps the lowest I have been in a long time. Our good friend and neighbor across the street lost her battle with Cancer earlier this week and Saturday morning was the service and funeral. Carol had lung cancer, was being seen at the same practice I go too, and had been battling this disease for over a year and half now. Carol was such an influence on how one can have dignity and be positive even in the face of this devastating disease. She leaves behind her loving husband of more than 40 years Bill, 4 children and 3 grandchildren. I really struggled to hold it together during the events that morning, I am still at a loss to explain how it has made me feel, how I still grieve for her and I try to deal with own battle.
The day took a much brighter note when my older sister flew in from Kansas. The last time I saw her was Christmas '07, so it has been great to sit, chat and spend time with her these last couple days. Our neighbors came over and we had a BBQ last night, and it just so down home, family and relaxing. Some much needed recovery/distraction after the emotionally charged events of this week, earlier in the day.
Still seem to be sleeping in about 4 hour blocks, and that held true last night. This morning we just had a late brunch, went out to the mall and did some shopping, but mainly just time out from the house! Had a nice lunch at Macaroni Grill, and came home. Marnie, Ashley and I then took the motorcycles out for a couple hours and enjoyed some much needed time in the saddle with the wind in my face! It was around 60 degrees, just right with the layers on, and was really comfortable and refreshing. My Mom made some great chili for dinner and it was again just a down home family meal. Having them around this weekend, has been so good for my spirits and I'm just thankful they were able to be here with us. My sister leaves tomorrow, but my Mom is staying through the start of my 3 round of Chemo to help around the house with the girls, things and me ;-) LOL!!
I'm pretty tired after being on the go most of the day with no nap even, so getting back to normal ( if you can ever call me normal! LOL) and hope that a good solid nights sleep is in the cards! Back to work this week as I finish Round 1 with my treatment this coming Tuesday, and then start Round 2 next week.
My thanks for all the continuing thoughts, prayers, offers and help that everyone has put forth and contributed. You continue to awe and inspire me, I am blessed by all that you do, I am in your debt.
Thursday, March 19, 2009
Getting the strength back.... slowly!
Was reminded by a couple of comments by people today, that I have been a bit remiss in keeping up here, so here we go!
Monday finished out well for the most part, and Tuesday morning was good, started feeling pretty normal and was really looking forward to later that evening. Yes as an Irish man this was going to be a hard St. Patrick's Day, cause I couldn't have a wee drop! But still was looking to getting out to the club social and enjoying time spent with friends. However, it didn't turn out as expected; because the Chemo treatment that afternoon (weekly Bleomycin dosage) really whacked me hard. I was pretty much reduced to sitting in a chair feeling lethargic and ended the evening with the chills and crashed out.
Woke up on Wednesday very tired as I didn't sleep well at all, but feeling better as my body had processed out most of the Bleo. Was pretty much reduced to laying around most of the day and recovering from Tuesday's chemo. Lots of fluids during the day helped, ate well and by that evening was feeling more up to speed. Worked out well, I was able to make it to our first Softball Practice (this is the 12U team that I coach) This was just a short informational practice, and one of my assistants worked the girls, while I chatted with the parents. Have several returning players who aged up, some new players from other teams and even a girl new to playing softball. Seems like a good mix and I look forward to evaluating the girls and find them positions and getting some skills developed. Turns out one of my new parents is 2 years out from Hodgkin's Lymphoma, it's a small world, had a nice chat with her.
Was tired when I got home, but in a good way for getting out of the house and being active. Had a fantastic dinner delivered by the Cooksey's (one of my softball parents), which really hit the spot! Slept pretty good last night too. This morning felt good after a decent nights sleep and then it was off to school to watch Ashley in her 3rd Grade Musical, it was a good performance and Ashley even had a speaking role! She was excited and was good to be able to be there for her. Afterwards, Marnie and headed over to longtime friend who just opened his own CPA firm after a couple decades of working for others. So he is going to be our new accountant and we are really happy to be helping him out as he starts his own business!
Each day now seems to be building on the previous, feeling a bit better and more normal, but still tire out more easily and faster than I anticipate. Was going to try and get to the office this afternoon, but this mornings activities pretty much wiped me out, had a bit of nap, and afternoon of rest with a roaring fire while working from home. So off to work tomorrow and then hopefully will be able to put in a good week there next week too!
Monday finished out well for the most part, and Tuesday morning was good, started feeling pretty normal and was really looking forward to later that evening. Yes as an Irish man this was going to be a hard St. Patrick's Day, cause I couldn't have a wee drop! But still was looking to getting out to the club social and enjoying time spent with friends. However, it didn't turn out as expected; because the Chemo treatment that afternoon (weekly Bleomycin dosage) really whacked me hard. I was pretty much reduced to sitting in a chair feeling lethargic and ended the evening with the chills and crashed out.
Woke up on Wednesday very tired as I didn't sleep well at all, but feeling better as my body had processed out most of the Bleo. Was pretty much reduced to laying around most of the day and recovering from Tuesday's chemo. Lots of fluids during the day helped, ate well and by that evening was feeling more up to speed. Worked out well, I was able to make it to our first Softball Practice (this is the 12U team that I coach) This was just a short informational practice, and one of my assistants worked the girls, while I chatted with the parents. Have several returning players who aged up, some new players from other teams and even a girl new to playing softball. Seems like a good mix and I look forward to evaluating the girls and find them positions and getting some skills developed. Turns out one of my new parents is 2 years out from Hodgkin's Lymphoma, it's a small world, had a nice chat with her.
Was tired when I got home, but in a good way for getting out of the house and being active. Had a fantastic dinner delivered by the Cooksey's (one of my softball parents), which really hit the spot! Slept pretty good last night too. This morning felt good after a decent nights sleep and then it was off to school to watch Ashley in her 3rd Grade Musical, it was a good performance and Ashley even had a speaking role! She was excited and was good to be able to be there for her. Afterwards, Marnie and headed over to longtime friend who just opened his own CPA firm after a couple decades of working for others. So he is going to be our new accountant and we are really happy to be helping him out as he starts his own business!
Each day now seems to be building on the previous, feeling a bit better and more normal, but still tire out more easily and faster than I anticipate. Was going to try and get to the office this afternoon, but this mornings activities pretty much wiped me out, had a bit of nap, and afternoon of rest with a roaring fire while working from home. So off to work tomorrow and then hopefully will be able to put in a good week there next week too!
Monday, March 16, 2009
What a weekend!
Well it has been a long weekend, and still feeling the effects of everything.
The combo of 5 days of drugs finally starting doing their job on Friday evening and the first area that they attacked was the GI tract (digestive) due to the fact that these fast growing cells are thinner/smaller, they are more quickly affected by the drugs. No real nausea, just felt like someone was constantly punching, kicking and trying to rip my whole abdominal area out from the inside! The upside to all this misery is that the drugs are also attacking the cancer, so while the gut hurts and aches, it will pass, leaving me cleansed.
Was pretty miserable most of Friday afternoon, all day Saturday and into Sunday morning. Started feeling better on Sunday. Course I imagine being able to eat substantially (hard to do when your stomach and gut are in turmoil!) would help things, been doing ok with small snacks every couple hours. And a few hours of real REM sleep would be nice too! Still feel the chemicals in my brain/head and that bothers me. I can feel my concentration go in and out at times. Or if I sit with my head unsupported for a bit.. can feel myself get dizzy and have to lean back.
Overall though, doing ok, pumping the fluids through me, my spirits are up, my mind is strong and willing, just need to get the strength back physically. Softball is starting up now and will be the Head Coach again for Shannon's team, I'm so lucky to have some great Assistants who are really picking up the slack while I solider through this ordeal. Can't wait to get back on the field, the bike, running, working out again!
People continue to amaze us, one of the families from Shannon's Girl Scout troop, heard about things and pop over on Friday with full blown meal out of the blue! Rice, nan, and a great Somalian dish that smelled lovely! Another friend was out yesterday and just stopped by, sat and chatted about various things for a hour or two, was a very welcomed break! We can't thank everyone enough who has supported us through thoughts, prayers, food, rides, offers, etc... You are all integral in making what could be a very trying time, more bearable and easier to navigate through, my thoughts and THANKS go out to everyone!
Finally got the REM sleep last night, slept almost 5 hours straight for the first time in over a week. WOO HOO! Had a nice couple pancakes this morning, and now sitting here trying to catch back up from this weekends haze.
The combo of 5 days of drugs finally starting doing their job on Friday evening and the first area that they attacked was the GI tract (digestive) due to the fact that these fast growing cells are thinner/smaller, they are more quickly affected by the drugs. No real nausea, just felt like someone was constantly punching, kicking and trying to rip my whole abdominal area out from the inside! The upside to all this misery is that the drugs are also attacking the cancer, so while the gut hurts and aches, it will pass, leaving me cleansed.
Was pretty miserable most of Friday afternoon, all day Saturday and into Sunday morning. Started feeling better on Sunday. Course I imagine being able to eat substantially (hard to do when your stomach and gut are in turmoil!) would help things, been doing ok with small snacks every couple hours. And a few hours of real REM sleep would be nice too! Still feel the chemicals in my brain/head and that bothers me. I can feel my concentration go in and out at times. Or if I sit with my head unsupported for a bit.. can feel myself get dizzy and have to lean back.
Overall though, doing ok, pumping the fluids through me, my spirits are up, my mind is strong and willing, just need to get the strength back physically. Softball is starting up now and will be the Head Coach again for Shannon's team, I'm so lucky to have some great Assistants who are really picking up the slack while I solider through this ordeal. Can't wait to get back on the field, the bike, running, working out again!
People continue to amaze us, one of the families from Shannon's Girl Scout troop, heard about things and pop over on Friday with full blown meal out of the blue! Rice, nan, and a great Somalian dish that smelled lovely! Another friend was out yesterday and just stopped by, sat and chatted about various things for a hour or two, was a very welcomed break! We can't thank everyone enough who has supported us through thoughts, prayers, food, rides, offers, etc... You are all integral in making what could be a very trying time, more bearable and easier to navigate through, my thoughts and THANKS go out to everyone!
Finally got the REM sleep last night, slept almost 5 hours straight for the first time in over a week. WOO HOO! Had a nice couple pancakes this morning, and now sitting here trying to catch back up from this weekends haze.
Friday, March 13, 2009
Well the best intentions succumbed to the drugs...
I was trying to write daily, but man the Chemotherapy is sure sapping my energy. The other thing that I have really noticed is that my mental agility is diminished. I find it hard to focus on things for a period of time and that is frustrating. Feels like I have layers of fog to navigate through and it just hurts at time when I try to run things through my mind.
Ok so it's now Friday morning, last day of this first miserable week. Can we just say I have a greater sympathy for the pregnant ladies out there, I'm so tired of peeing every hour to two! So looking forward to next week, when I'm not on the diuretic and able to sleep through the night!
Have had some ups and downs, just finding what works for me during the days, with food to eat, how much, beverages, etc. It has been such a unique thing, as what works for others, some if it transfers, and other parts just are just vastly different.
Overall doing ok, though, my body is tired from this stuff that has been pumped into it all week long, and my mind is still numb. The biggest impact thus far besides the tiredness, has been my digestive tract and just controling the nauesa.
It has been a long week, looking forward to some good down time and recovery this weekend.
All the meals, thoughts and prayers have been so welcomed! It has truly been a god send and we really appreciate what everyone near and far has/is doing for us. You are in our thoughts
Ok so it's now Friday morning, last day of this first miserable week. Can we just say I have a greater sympathy for the pregnant ladies out there, I'm so tired of peeing every hour to two! So looking forward to next week, when I'm not on the diuretic and able to sleep through the night!
Have had some ups and downs, just finding what works for me during the days, with food to eat, how much, beverages, etc. It has been such a unique thing, as what works for others, some if it transfers, and other parts just are just vastly different.
Overall doing ok, though, my body is tired from this stuff that has been pumped into it all week long, and my mind is still numb. The biggest impact thus far besides the tiredness, has been my digestive tract and just controling the nauesa.
It has been a long week, looking forward to some good down time and recovery this weekend.
All the meals, thoughts and prayers have been so welcomed! It has truly been a god send and we really appreciate what everyone near and far has/is doing for us. You are in our thoughts
Wednesday, March 11, 2009
Day Two of Chemo
Well it has been an interesting time these last 24 hours.
This morning started off good, have noticed that I feel better in the mornings after my body has had a chance to process the drugs. I had a decent sleep last night, up and down with having to pee so much from the diuretic, but getting 2-3 hours of decent sleep in between bathroom trips. Marnie was off to work today, with Mom playing chauffeur today. We got there a bit early and by 9am I was hooked up and taking on fluids.
Today I got all 3 drugs for the first time during the treatment (this only happens twice more) and let's just say that adding that 3rd drug really kicked my ass! Don't know if it was the combo of the Bleomycin with the Cisplatin & Etoposide or what but I was feeling pretty miserable by this afternoon when we got home. Chills and some nausea (more than Monday, but not severe enough to take the additional meds.. YET!) This got better as the evening went along, and we had another great dinner delivered by Lydia. Top that off with a good friend who moved to Baltimore stopping by for a bit this evening and it was really a good evening.
Realized that while I ate smaller meals today, I didn't get a lot of protein in my diet, mainly carbs and wasn't as good on the water intake early in the day and later in the evening. Need to work on those things in the coming days/weeks, and try to get a bit more fruit in there too, been doing good with salads, so that's working. Also with feeling so miserable I didn't get any exercise in yesterday, it's going to be hard this week, but something to focus on during the two 'down' weeks of the cycle.
Early to bed tonight and would love to get a good nights sleep, but I know as long they are giving me the diuretic, I'll be up every 2-3 hours making head calls!
Thanks everyone for the continuing thoughts..you are in my thoughts as well!
p.s. well I apparently hit 'save now' instead of 'publish post' last night. So here it is at 5:30 am and I was right up a couple times to make head calls! Top that off with the battery in one of the kids toys on my dresser started dying and both Marnie and I were up at 3:00 am pulling the battery. She feel back to sleep around 4:30 I dozed a bit, but never got back to sleep. So here's yesterday's blog!
This morning started off good, have noticed that I feel better in the mornings after my body has had a chance to process the drugs. I had a decent sleep last night, up and down with having to pee so much from the diuretic, but getting 2-3 hours of decent sleep in between bathroom trips. Marnie was off to work today, with Mom playing chauffeur today. We got there a bit early and by 9am I was hooked up and taking on fluids.
Today I got all 3 drugs for the first time during the treatment (this only happens twice more) and let's just say that adding that 3rd drug really kicked my ass! Don't know if it was the combo of the Bleomycin with the Cisplatin & Etoposide or what but I was feeling pretty miserable by this afternoon when we got home. Chills and some nausea (more than Monday, but not severe enough to take the additional meds.. YET!) This got better as the evening went along, and we had another great dinner delivered by Lydia. Top that off with a good friend who moved to Baltimore stopping by for a bit this evening and it was really a good evening.
Realized that while I ate smaller meals today, I didn't get a lot of protein in my diet, mainly carbs and wasn't as good on the water intake early in the day and later in the evening. Need to work on those things in the coming days/weeks, and try to get a bit more fruit in there too, been doing good with salads, so that's working. Also with feeling so miserable I didn't get any exercise in yesterday, it's going to be hard this week, but something to focus on during the two 'down' weeks of the cycle.
Early to bed tonight and would love to get a good nights sleep, but I know as long they are giving me the diuretic, I'll be up every 2-3 hours making head calls!
Thanks everyone for the continuing thoughts..you are in my thoughts as well!
p.s. well I apparently hit 'save now' instead of 'publish post' last night. So here it is at 5:30 am and I was right up a couple times to make head calls! Top that off with the battery in one of the kids toys on my dresser started dying and both Marnie and I were up at 3:00 am pulling the battery. She feel back to sleep around 4:30 I dozed a bit, but never got back to sleep. So here's yesterday's blog!
Monday, March 9, 2009
First day of Chemotherapy
Well Day One of Chemotherapy is coming to a crashing close.. but wanted to get some thoughts down before I sacked out. First is thanks for all the thoughts, prayers, emails, food, offers, etc that have poured out, especially the last couple days! Have tried to respond to them and I'm sure I missed some.... sorry! All of this concern, support and prayers continue to be highly appreciated, welcomed and desired.
Had a great full regular day on Sunday, a friend from out of town was visiting, so picked her up from the airport and she spent most of the day with us, before heading down to her hotel for training this coming week. We all went and met some people for an early Motorcycle planning breakfast at Amphora's, yummy food. Then the girls went bike riding with our good friends from softball that afternoon, my Mom flew in later in the afternoon and whew! It was a good day, just on the go and tired last night, slept in fits upstairs, but decent sleep.
This morning was a usual Monday rush to get the girls to school and me to Chemo. It was a long day of sitting around doing a whole lot of nothing! The staff was all very friendly, helpful and making the best of a challenging situation. They started me around 9am with the anti-nausea medication and we left around 4pm, this is due to them pushing a lot of fluids IV along with the chemo drugs, to avoid an kidney issues. Combine that with a diuretic, they gave me and I have been making frequent trips to the restroom all day long! LOL
Had a great dinner delivered tonight by the Rider's but dang if I didn't experience one of the general dealing with Cancer issues. They say to eat more smaller meals rather than the traditional 2-3 large ones. Well now know why.. felt like I had a brick in my gut from the large delicious meal. Forced me to get out and walk in the fresh air, to keep dinner down! So a good thing, everyone went walking, but I feel like I ran a 10K now! LOL In the future will have to make sure I eat smaller portions spread out to avoid a repeat, especially as the level of drugs increases over the course of treatment.
So all in all not a bad day.. very different, boring, tiring (even though I was just sitting around!) but the first major chemo day in the coming 9 weeks down and only 14 more to go! Tomorrow will be interesting with getting all 3 drugs.. so will try and write tomorrow night.
Had a great full regular day on Sunday, a friend from out of town was visiting, so picked her up from the airport and she spent most of the day with us, before heading down to her hotel for training this coming week. We all went and met some people for an early Motorcycle planning breakfast at Amphora's, yummy food. Then the girls went bike riding with our good friends from softball that afternoon, my Mom flew in later in the afternoon and whew! It was a good day, just on the go and tired last night, slept in fits upstairs, but decent sleep.
This morning was a usual Monday rush to get the girls to school and me to Chemo. It was a long day of sitting around doing a whole lot of nothing! The staff was all very friendly, helpful and making the best of a challenging situation. They started me around 9am with the anti-nausea medication and we left around 4pm, this is due to them pushing a lot of fluids IV along with the chemo drugs, to avoid an kidney issues. Combine that with a diuretic, they gave me and I have been making frequent trips to the restroom all day long! LOL
Had a great dinner delivered tonight by the Rider's but dang if I didn't experience one of the general dealing with Cancer issues. They say to eat more smaller meals rather than the traditional 2-3 large ones. Well now know why.. felt like I had a brick in my gut from the large delicious meal. Forced me to get out and walk in the fresh air, to keep dinner down! So a good thing, everyone went walking, but I feel like I ran a 10K now! LOL In the future will have to make sure I eat smaller portions spread out to avoid a repeat, especially as the level of drugs increases over the course of treatment.
So all in all not a bad day.. very different, boring, tiring (even though I was just sitting around!) but the first major chemo day in the coming 9 weeks down and only 14 more to go! Tomorrow will be interesting with getting all 3 drugs.. so will try and write tomorrow night.
Saturday, March 7, 2009
Impending start
Well we are down the point were I can start counting hours, not days until the start of Chemo on Monday morning. It has been a whirlwind of the last few days, so let me try and get you caught up.
Still sporting the Mr. Clean look, and getting lots of compliments! Thursday was good, only took Ibuprofen (have to switch to Tylenol this weekend, as Ibuprofen can lower your platlet count) for the pain from the Medi-port insertion and managed to have a pretty functional day at work. This was the one day this week that I didn't have any appointments, procedures or anything, so was an oddball day. Top that off with no evening activities and it was different, yet a much needed calm before the storm. Thursday evening, we had a great steak and potato dinner courtesy of the Bednarek's, have to make sure we the recipe for that peppercorn sauce it was fabulous! Thursday night was another night of fitful sleep, that's two nights in a row that I have slept like crap, think it's due to the medi-port.
Friday was up and getting things done for work before heading down to Fairfax Hospital for the Pulmonary Function test. Because one of the drugs that I will receive (Bleomycin) has a very known side effect of diminishing lung fuction, they wanted a baseline of pulmonary capabilities. It was a funky test, and reminded me of trying to teach students diving, as there is always a percentage who want to breath through their nose! LOL So this was all through mouth breathing, and the test went well. I will repeat this at the end of treatment to determine how the Bleomycin has affect my lungs (possibly another data point during treatment as well, will see how things go). Meet some friends at Sweetwater for a couple beers that afternoon and then came home. Marnie had been out with her girl friend for a drink too and we arrived home to a friend who just stopped by to say HI.. how cool was that?! Marnie was off to a Girl Scout PJ party with the girls and our neighbor came over to see my new look and ended up staying for a while. Diana and I just sat around talking and drinking for a while that evening and had a fabulous time.
For some reason Ashley was having bad dreams and ended up in bed with us Friday night, woke a couple hours later around midnight and got her into her own bed, but was awake. So not wanting to wake Marnie up, I went down to the trusty ole recliner and watched TV for a little bit, turned it off and got the best night sleep I've had in a couple days. Should have probably been sleeping in the recliner the last couple nights since they put the medi-port in!! Not only does it keep me from rolling over on my shoulder, but keeps my chest slightly elevated and that seems just right. Will be sacking out in the recliner again in just a bit! LOL
So after a great nights sleep was feeling my oats and with the weather cooperating, we decided to take advantage of the warm spring day and rode the motorcycles out to have breakfast this morning. Felt the vibrations in my shoulder, and am sore now from it, but dang it was great to be back on the bike! We split up after breakfast, as Marn & Ashley went to do cookie booth sales for Ashley's Girl Scout troop, Shannon and I went to try and get a new visor for her helmet (no luck!) but then enjoyed a longer ride home. Then it was over to Herndon High for softball skills for Shannon (thanks Courtney for taking her!) and I came along a bit later for a brief coaches meeting, ended up staying and working with some of the pitchers.
We headed home collected Marnie & Ashley and then headed down to Alli's Birthday Party in Manassas. Ok so was a bit sore from riding and working with the girls pitching, but got into the SUV, was moving the seat belt and it slipped from my hand coming smack across my shoulder full force! Let's just say that I won't repeat the words that poured from my lips! Quickly hit the bottle of ibuprofen and by the time we got to Alli's they were starting to kick in. Poor Greg forgot about my shoulder and gave me a good thump as a welcome that had me grabbing the counter for support! The ever ingenous ladies made up a name tag for me that said, "Don't hug me here!" or something like that, if you look closely in the pictures on FB, you can see it! LOL We had a good time hanging out, some great food, friends, drinks and then back home to get every one to bed. Got most of the clocks reset just a few moments ago (did you adjust your clocks? spring forward one hour!) and now I think it's time to succumb to the bliss of sleep!
Thank you all for the continuing thoughts and prayers, not looking forward to Monday, but will be good to finally get started. The meals, the visits, the thoughts, the calls, the notes, everything that you are all doing, it is just so great to have so much support from so many different people, across all aspects of our lives. We are truly blessed and thank you for everything!
Still sporting the Mr. Clean look, and getting lots of compliments! Thursday was good, only took Ibuprofen (have to switch to Tylenol this weekend, as Ibuprofen can lower your platlet count) for the pain from the Medi-port insertion and managed to have a pretty functional day at work. This was the one day this week that I didn't have any appointments, procedures or anything, so was an oddball day. Top that off with no evening activities and it was different, yet a much needed calm before the storm. Thursday evening, we had a great steak and potato dinner courtesy of the Bednarek's, have to make sure we the recipe for that peppercorn sauce it was fabulous! Thursday night was another night of fitful sleep, that's two nights in a row that I have slept like crap, think it's due to the medi-port.
Friday was up and getting things done for work before heading down to Fairfax Hospital for the Pulmonary Function test. Because one of the drugs that I will receive (Bleomycin) has a very known side effect of diminishing lung fuction, they wanted a baseline of pulmonary capabilities. It was a funky test, and reminded me of trying to teach students diving, as there is always a percentage who want to breath through their nose! LOL So this was all through mouth breathing, and the test went well. I will repeat this at the end of treatment to determine how the Bleomycin has affect my lungs (possibly another data point during treatment as well, will see how things go). Meet some friends at Sweetwater for a couple beers that afternoon and then came home. Marnie had been out with her girl friend for a drink too and we arrived home to a friend who just stopped by to say HI.. how cool was that?! Marnie was off to a Girl Scout PJ party with the girls and our neighbor came over to see my new look and ended up staying for a while. Diana and I just sat around talking and drinking for a while that evening and had a fabulous time.
For some reason Ashley was having bad dreams and ended up in bed with us Friday night, woke a couple hours later around midnight and got her into her own bed, but was awake. So not wanting to wake Marnie up, I went down to the trusty ole recliner and watched TV for a little bit, turned it off and got the best night sleep I've had in a couple days. Should have probably been sleeping in the recliner the last couple nights since they put the medi-port in!! Not only does it keep me from rolling over on my shoulder, but keeps my chest slightly elevated and that seems just right. Will be sacking out in the recliner again in just a bit! LOL
So after a great nights sleep was feeling my oats and with the weather cooperating, we decided to take advantage of the warm spring day and rode the motorcycles out to have breakfast this morning. Felt the vibrations in my shoulder, and am sore now from it, but dang it was great to be back on the bike! We split up after breakfast, as Marn & Ashley went to do cookie booth sales for Ashley's Girl Scout troop, Shannon and I went to try and get a new visor for her helmet (no luck!) but then enjoyed a longer ride home. Then it was over to Herndon High for softball skills for Shannon (thanks Courtney for taking her!) and I came along a bit later for a brief coaches meeting, ended up staying and working with some of the pitchers.
We headed home collected Marnie & Ashley and then headed down to Alli's Birthday Party in Manassas. Ok so was a bit sore from riding and working with the girls pitching, but got into the SUV, was moving the seat belt and it slipped from my hand coming smack across my shoulder full force! Let's just say that I won't repeat the words that poured from my lips! Quickly hit the bottle of ibuprofen and by the time we got to Alli's they were starting to kick in. Poor Greg forgot about my shoulder and gave me a good thump as a welcome that had me grabbing the counter for support! The ever ingenous ladies made up a name tag for me that said, "Don't hug me here!" or something like that, if you look closely in the pictures on FB, you can see it! LOL We had a good time hanging out, some great food, friends, drinks and then back home to get every one to bed. Got most of the clocks reset just a few moments ago (did you adjust your clocks? spring forward one hour!) and now I think it's time to succumb to the bliss of sleep!
Thank you all for the continuing thoughts and prayers, not looking forward to Monday, but will be good to finally get started. The meals, the visits, the thoughts, the calls, the notes, everything that you are all doing, it is just so great to have so much support from so many different people, across all aspects of our lives. We are truly blessed and thank you for everything!
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