The tortoise route

Thanks for the encouraging words last week. As I've said, each new morning begins the best day until the treatment starts over. With that in mind, today is my best day.

I'm feeling much stronger and less sick.

On Wednesday next week, I have my third round of chest scans. It's a bit scary to say the least to count down the days until a scan and get the results, but when they come back clean, what an unbelievable relief. Additionally, each clean scan brings with it the reduced chance of reoccurance. After five years, that chance is less than 5%. Basically, what that means, is this whole Blog thing is just getting started.

As always, I appreciate your thoughts and prayers (especially next Wednesday).

Turning the corner.

Clark grabbed me Friday and I was ready to head home. By the time we hit the Durham Freeway, we looked like the closing scene in Thelma and Louise, minus the convertible and the cliff.

The day after you get back from the hospital is hell. I woke up at 6am and didn't get out of bed until 2:30. After bowering (laying in the tub with the shower on) for an hour or so, I made it to the couch and a bowl of Crispix, waiting to fall back asleep and put the day behind me.

For me, with the second morning home, I enjoy feeling dramatically better each day. Looking at the computer screen is a stretch, so I'll make this short. In the meantime, I'll enjoy my pancakes this morning.

Hey, I think I'm due a complaint....

I think I feel something.....

I’ve finished the first two sets of treatments and am currently polishing off my last batch for this visit. I've felt pretty rotten the past couple of days. This time especially, taking the chemo has been a bit more challenging. They have switched my nausea medication to include marinol, which has helped the situation.

For everyone getting excited, the marinol pretty much just eliminates my sick feeling and makes me have to use the spell check a bit more often. The resources they have to make the whole situation as easy as possible are incredible.

My results came back from the tests on my heart and kidneys. My heart hasn't lost a beat and the numbers on my kidneys were a little better than the base line test before chemo….who figured??

I’ll be out of here tomorrow by noon them I’m heading straight to acupuncture and then the couch for the next few days or so. Nip/Tuck, Lost, Flavor of Love 2 Reunion, Biggest Loser, Wife Swap…so much intellectual entertainment to catch up.

I’m doing fine. Ready to go home. Take care.

Here’s what doxorubicin looks like (and me while I’m getting it).

Let's Get Ready To Rumble!!!!

Had the kidney and heart tests today. Assuming everything looks normal, I'll start round three sometime tomorrow afternoon.

This will put the halfway point of the chemo adventure somewhere in the middle of next week. The last day of hospital food has long since passed. Long since passed....

At least the third round won't be as agonizing as '05 income taxes. Luckily, I have medication to ease the pain from both experiences.

Feeling good, ready to move ahead. Thank you for surrounding me with such loving support and comforting me with your friendship. You're all great for everything and a huge part of my getting through this as easily as possible.

Ding, Ding....

P.S. I had my last visit with the hand/plastic surgeon. Everything looks great (to them) and should function normally with time.

All good in the hood.

Well other than Wake blowing the game Saturday, I have nothing but good news to report. I'm still feeling better.



I think it's probably time for the arm to go mainstream, so I hope everyone can handle the picture. Trust me, it is 100 times better than the original, aka "Arm Stapled Bologna."



All of my counts have come back to comfortable levels. This is a relief. For a while I thought I was going to have to reenact the wet and wild dance scene from Flashdance but with Purell hand sanitizer in the bucket. Anybody follow that? Speaking of Purell, I use a ton of that stuff. Purell seems like it has become a part of my life. I love Purell. Any day now Purell should be calling with an offer to sponsor the remainder of my treatment. All I have to do is wear a Purell logo on my head and install Spiderman Purell applicators on my wrists to rid the world of evil germs. Purell, Purell, Purell......

Aside from using alot of Purell, life has gone back to normal, at least for one week. The bittersweet "golden week" will be followed with the third treatment. By the end of next week, it will be three to go.



Here we are at Nate and Kristin's daughter's Christening Afterparty. Note that my standing out in pictures has gone to an all new level. 6'4" and shiny bald head...man do I blend in with my buddies.


Watts tried to fake me out with a hunger strike, but I caught her last night after I woke up to a strange crunching sound and found her sneaking a bowl of Crispix, skimming through the Arts and Leisure section of the NY Times. I'm still going to take her to the farm tomorrow. She disagrees. Online gaming champs have nothing on real athletes, like Watts.

Thanks for the continued support and use of my blog as a motivator in corporate financial work groups.

After a weak...

It's been a week since I started the second treatment and I'm starting to feel like myself again...except for the being bald, occasionally seeing stars, and not being able to eat normally thing.

I have to say these chemo treatments are demanding physically and mentally. Part of the stress definitely comes from the worry of infection, sickness, etc that you have to be mindful of between treatments. So far my counts have lowered but haven't hit the bottom like they did last time. If the cycles match up, that bottom should be today or tomorrow though. I'll have some new results Friday which should be interesting.

All that said. Things are progressing. I hoping to make the Clemson game in Winston this weekend and Ashley is doing well.

Watts is a bit depressed from lack of running at the farm, but I think she'll get over it. Hopefully she won't start fasting in protest.

As far as events to look forward to...

10/13 Follow up appointment with hand doctor/plastic surgeon

10/14 Wake Forest at NC State (the dream continues hopefully)

10/16 Kidney and Heart tests (same as pre-chemo) to make sure everything still working

10/17 Third cycle of chemo (HALF WAY)

11/1 CT Scan of Chest & follow up appointments with radiologist and chief surgeon.

I haven't mentioned the hand or arm in a while...probably because they are doing great. The infection is gone (knock on wood) and my hand is strong enough to bother Ashley with the guitar again. There is a little stiffness in the wrist, but it's normal and with time shouldn't be a problem.

Thanks for checking in. I'll update anything new and exciting (like the unidentified rash I've picked up and hope doesn't turn out to be anything).