Little victories and little losses.

Overall, it's been a pretty great week. Lots of good things happening, a few yucky things:

Good: We got a hammock! I've always wanted one and it's freakin great!

Bad: One of the cats ran off.

Bad: Finding out that you aren't 15 anymore is not a good thing to find out when you literally fall on your ass jumping off the back fence while looking for your cat that ran off.

Good: The cat came back after a "night out".

Good: My girlfriend said, "It wasn't your fault" when the cat split, and she meant it.

Bad: My computer took a shit.

Good: I can still muster enough mental horse power to actually rebuild it.

Bad: I have WAY too many usernames and passwords.

Good: I got to spend a few hours working with my dad on a little sidewalk project.

Good: Got to talk with my friend Dr. Macsalka. I haven't spoken with her for a long time.

Bad: I felt like I was struggling to get the words from my brain to my mouth. It just wasn't coming out right.

Good: I like Windows.

Bad: Could they make just one freaking update? These updates are bloated BIG time.

Good: I like World of Warcraft.

Bad: Could they make just one freaking update? These updates are bloated BIG time.

That's 6 good things, 6 bad things. Hey! I'm pretty balanced! Now if I could just balance out my mood swings :-)

Skip a day.

Today would have been my 3rd week in my 2nd cycle.

However, my platelette count was down to 94. 100 is my cut-off point.

SO

No chemo for me, I get to skip a week.

Yeah!

Yesterday's chemo and onconolgist visit.

Cool stuff first! The image on the left is from my CT scan in July. See the sparklies on the edge of my liver? little white X's? Those are my sutures inside!!! Freakin cool huh? This image was cut from a screen capture of my CT scan that was provided to me on a cd. Very awesome stuff. God! I'm such a nerd.

Yesterday went pretty ok. I still feel yucky from the chemo, but that just means it's doing it's job.

I met with my oncologist yesterday. My CA199 marker that started at over 300 when this whole trip began, had dropped to something like 27 on my last visit with him. Now it's at 13!!!! Freaking great news. He also discussed other options I can look at if this chemo is making me cry uncle. Options that will draw out the time of treatment, though I'll still only have 18 treatments total. It's my hope that I can tough it out and stay on schedule. I will be done in mid December... I'd rather not be sick during the holidays.

So, 5 down, 13 to go.

For me, chemo is like...

Ok... think back to the last time that you drank WAY too much of your favorite alcohol. For the sake of argument, we'll use rum as an example. Remember how the smell of rum made you feel like you had to hurl for years after you over did it?

That is what chemo is like for me for about three days. Sure, they give me meds to take that ease this mild crap, but it's just a pain in the rear. That icky feeling right below your jaw line... that same spot the mustard hits sometimes when you make a sandwich and your salivary glans go nuts.

4 down, 14 to go.

Chemo Day!

Whoo hoo!

Today is chemo day. The first in month two. Just four more months to go after this month.

I'm really tired of being poked with sharp objects.

They call me... Patches!

I've been really lucky with side effects on this chemo trip. But a funny one, I guess, has been hair loss.

I haven't started losing any on my dome yet, at least as far as I can tell. It was already starting to get a bit shiny top side any way. But my shoulders now have smooth spots. I haven't had smooth spots since I was a kid. It's really pretty funny looking, patches here and there. If my head starts going out in patches, I'm going to shave it.

I am feeling better. I'm still tender in the tummy from my spill. Now I just take it real easy when I get up. I feel like Thomas Covenant in the Chronicles of Thomas Covenant the Unbeliever. He was always taking inventory of his health and welfare. Though I'm not a leper like he was in one reality, I do take inventory BEFORE I stand up from bed. Have to make sure those legs are wide awake and ready to face the task at hand.

I get tomorrow off from chemo, and for that I'm really grateful.

Wow... week three

Week three on this cycle has been a tough one. I spent yesterday sleeping and shivering. Never had a fever, but couldn't seem to stay warm most of the day. Standing up stinks, my hemoglobin levels must be bottomed out. I have to take everything very gingerly.

Night before last's fall wasn't too good for me. I think in either the fall itself or the effort to get my butt back up I pulled a stomach muscle. With the zipper down my belly, that's a little unnerving. I feel a lot better today, so I think I just strained my muscle group there, but it sure is tender.

I hope today shows some improvement in the way I feel. I'm always pretty good in the morning, but I seem to get worse as the day progresses.