Another One Bites the Dust

Treatment #3 is History! 37.5% Done (not that I'm counting or anything).

9am this morning it was back to Chemo for round 3...everything went off without a hitch, as usual, and I was out of the Falmouth Hospital Cancer Center (located in Mashpee) by 12:45. I was craving some pizza upon departure so Kristina swung up and grabbed a pie and then we headed home, where I promptly hit the sack until 5:30 or so - slept really hard.

I found I was more tired than I have been in the past today, and it felt really good to sleep when I got home. I don't feel all that well right now; I had to pass on going out to dinner for Dave's (Kristina's Dad) last night in town - at home watching the Sox.

We'll see what the next few days bring - I'd imagine some good and some bad, but I'll suck it up through the weekend and will hopefully be back to some sense of normalcy by next Monday. Big series for the Sox/Yanks this weekend, which should be exciting to watch, even though we're up 14.5 games, those games are always fun to watch - who knows, if I'm feeling well we may squeeze up to Beantown and try to go on Saturday afternoon...that'll be a gametime decision for Cancer Boy.

After my next treatment they will send me in for another CT Scan to see how things are going and we expect good news from that; the Oncologist always does some feeling around for bumps, lumps, etc. in my neck and there has been a noticeable decrease in the size of several of the problem areas - which is great.

So, thanks for visiting and Go Sox!!

Ready to Roll

Met with Dr. Aviles this afternoon and the numbers are all within the acceptable ranges, so we're good to go tomorrow morning for Round 3. My liver numbers remain high, but they're well below the range where we would need to consider a stoppage or delay in the treatments.

I meet with the Oncologist every other Tuesday, prior to my scheduled treatments, just to review the blood work and go over anything out of the ordinary from the previous two weeks. He is very pleased with my condition and progress to this point and remains extremely positive about our ability to beat this cancer and remain highly functional in the process.

So, I am dreading tomorrow and the subsequent days of not feeling 100%, but as I've said before - it's not all that bad and each time I go through it gets me one step closer to being done and moving on. Hopefully history will hold and I will only have the 2-4 down days and then get that solid 10 days of feeling 100% - those days are great and I get to enjoy all the Cape has to offer at this time of the year.

Enjoy your days, thanks for coming by and all the best...Gary

Memorial Day Weekend and Round 3

With Kristina's dad in town from CO, we had plenty to do this weekend - tops on the list was to get the house painted. Seeing as Dave, Kristy's dad, was a home builder in a previous life we had some expert help in town to get the job done right.

Thursday night, after Dave got to town around noon, we headed out to Chapin's for dinner, and then down to Chapin beach for a nice post-dinner walk - it was still around 70 at 8pm, it felt like summer was here already. Friday night I picked up lobsters on my way home from work and we enjoyed a lobster dinner in the backyard...some nice two pounders to enjoy the beginning of the weekend. Saturday I woke up and played a round of golf at Hyannis Golf Club (if bogeys, doubles, and triples could be converted to currency it would have been a great day), and then headed home to assist the painters. Dave bought a great airless painter, which holds 2.5 gallons of paint and made the exterior work super fast. Saturday night we cooked out (burgers) and again enjoyed a wonderful evening of weather. Sunday we painted all day and headed over to meet my folks for dinner at 6...if you've never had a lobster roll at The Raw Bar in New Seabury, make it a point next time you're in the area - they are HUGE and very good - best on the Cape for sure, maybe in all of New England. Went back to my folks after dinner and hung out for the evening, it was a great time.

Today we painted some more and seemed to get most of the rest done...they'll have to finish without me from here, but it's pretty much done, save for some trim work and a few doors that need to be rolled. Tonight we had Skyline Chili that Dave brought out from Cincinnati...this stuff is incredible! I'd never even heard of it until a few years back when Kristina introduced me to it, but we have it with some regularity now...give it a shot if you ever get the chance, it's also called Cincinnati chili - the recipe may sound weird, but try it, you'll be happy you did. My stamina was great all weekend, I continue to feel pretty much normal - I did take naps in the afternoon, quick hour cat naps, and they really helped.

I did my blood work on Friday because of the holiday, tomorrow I follow up with Dr. Aviles to look at those results. What we're looking for there, essentially, is the liver function and the white blood cell counts...if the liver numbers get too high we may need to stop treatment - chemo does a number on your liver, but I survived a year living across the street from Mary Ann's while at BC, so I've tested it before. The white blood cell count issue should largely be addressed by NeuLasta, but we still monitor it very closely to ensure the count stays high enough to not force us to break from treatments. It's always an easy appointment, as Dr. Aviles is great to work with and we simply go over things, he takes time to answer any new questions I have and then I leave ready for the next treatment - it's that simple.

So the weekend was good, treatment #3 is right around the corner, though I can't say I am "looking forward" to it as I have said in weeks past...the novelty of having that quiet time has largely worn off and I pretty much dread it now, but it's helping me get better so I have to do it and it's really not THAT bad - especially in the grand scheme of things.

I will close by saying this; Memorial Day is always a great weekend, particularly here on Cape Cod, however I think we often forget the meaning of Memorial Day and the brave soldiers who have fought for this country and our ideals, and given so much to protect us. With so much going on in the world right now, this is a great time to stop and think about the thousands of men and women currently serving on our behalf, and the hundreds of thousands more who have given so much in the past to get us where we are today; remember them and thank them if you see them, they deserve that much and more.

Quick Update

All’s well on the Cape right now, been working and having a great time the last few days – feeling great.  Kristina’s dad got to town today so we’ll get a nice long weekend with him to putz around the Cape and eat a lot of good food; he comes out from CO a few times a year and we always have a blast.

Treatment #3 is next Wednesday and I’m looking forward to that (not really looking forward to it as much as looking forward to getting it over with).  Other than that things are ho hum – which is good.  Hair is still popping out at a pretty good clip, but you still wouldn’t notice if you saw me, it’s really just a mess issue; the pillow, the shower drain, etc.

Enjoy your long holiday weekends and I’ll check back in next week when I get my regimen started again.

 

Quick note to my BC friends; you guys are the best – thanks for everything!

 

 

How I Blew a Million Dollars

Had a great time at the golf tournament yesterday and the Y raised a lot of money to help support several of the valuable and necessary programs they provide to the children of our community.

After the tournament we were mingling around during the cocktail reception when I found out I won the long drive, which put me into the "Million Dollar Shoot-Out" with two other attendees. All I had to do was hit a shot from 165 yards down the 9th fairway, into the hole...with a representative from the insurance company watching, a video man documenting, and half the guys that played on the back deck rooting for/against me...no problem, right?

Well I had the pleasure of hitting first and managed to pull it left of the pin, and yes, I missed the green. It wasn't a bad shot, I just hung it up into the wind and it pulled off to the left...leaving me five yards (it was pin high...for what it's worth) and a lot of good luck short of a million. Nobody else made it either, but we had a great time and it was a rare treat to be able to even try to hit it for a cool mill.

So, I didn't really blow a million, so much as I blew a chance at a million...eh well, at least I won the long drive - must've been the NeuLasta, good thing they didn't blood test!

"Case of the Monday's?"

Sox had a big weekend, and head to NYC tonight to take care of business...gotta be looking forward to that.

The weekend was okay; Friday I split a little early to surf the couch and recuperate; treatment 2 definitely got me more than #1. We pretty much just hung out all weekend; putzed around town and got some errands done, hung out at the house and watched the AT&T Classic and the Sox, etc. it was a good lazy weekend and I needed it. I think I clocked a mighty 12+ hours of sleep both Friday and Saturday, and followed that up with roughly 2 last night...couldn't sleep for the life of me last night, no idea why.

The weather's finally nice here again, just in time for me to head out to the local YMCA Charity Golf Classic...always a fun event and I'm loving that the weather broke for it. Playing with some friends and it should be a wonderful day, and they're sure to raise a pretty penny for the YMCA (insert Village People joke of your choosing, here).

So, my revelation for the weekend was hair loss...started popping out yesterday or Saturday and the shower this morning was a cold reminder that I am a cancer patient. The weird thing about all of this remains that I feel pretty good, about 75% of the time - good enough to potentially forget what's going on. But when you're shampooing and you're coming out with gobs of hair on your hands, well that's a somber reminder of what you're up against. More than a vanity issue, it's just weird to lose your hair in that fashion (dad, now I feel the pain you must have felt in your mid-20's when it started going). I have a nice, thick head of hair, and you can't notice any hair loss at all right now, but it's just strange to see it all over the place.

I don't yet know how I will handle it; I may shave it off to get away from the mess and discomfort of it, I may just let it be and see how much comes off. I'm not concerned about losing it all, it's more the act of it coming out that's upsetting. Hair loss is one of the most remarked upon, and public side effects of chemotherapy; many people's first question when I told them I was undergoing this type of treatment was, "will you lose your hair?" I don't have a problem with that, at all, in-fact it was one of the first things I thought of as well when I learned about the treatment...it's just a weird thing, and a very obvious reminder of what you're going through.

I remain in high spirits and I am feeling physically well right now. I remain excited for several events and milestones this summer; my brother's wedding, our company's 30th Anniversary Party, and several other regular summer events that are always a source of fun and excitement.

I'll be sure to keep things current on here and thanks again for coming by...I'll post some pictures in the not too distant future.

All the best and....GO SOX!

Last Few Days

Since Chemo Wednesday it’s been a little rough…the day of was a bit of a daze, like last time, but I did manage to walk a few laps around the neighborhood and get a lot of sleeping in.  Yesterday, Thursday, was not a very good day either; I left work around 11a and went home to sleep and rest for the day.  I was in and out the majority of the day and went to bed for good around 8:30.  Slept in until around 9:30 this morning and am at work now, feeling a little out of it, but all in all pretty decent.

The days when you feel bad can be tough and a little discouraging, but I always try to remember that it’s just the drugs running their course and attacking the Cancer – and I think back to last round when I had a great 10 days between treatments where I was able to play golf, softball, work, etc.  Throughout the treatment cycles there will be good days and bad days, you just need to remember on the bad days that they’re not all bad – that really helps the psyche.

I hope to have a good, low-key weekend, and am looking forward to next week when Kristina’s dad is visiting us from Colorado.  He’ll be here for a week, and we always have a great time when he comes to town; it’s a great excuse for us to do some touristy things on the Cape, eat some lobster and have a great time.

So, enjoy your weekends and thanks for coming by…Gary

Two Down...Six to Go!

Today was essentially the same as last time; Kristina brought me this time and hung out for a while (I think actually seeing them deliver some of the drugs and seeing me in that room was hard for her - makes it more real). I read while I was there and was very comfortable the whole time. My mom stopped by and we hung out for a little while, took care of some Cape Medical business and had a relaxing 3 hours.
The nurses and staff at the center are extraordinarily kind, considerate, and empathetic; they never seem rushed (though they are much busier than we would like - lots of people come through just this one Chemo room on the Cape - too much Cancer around, way too much) and they're really all just sweet and helpful to everyone...you've heard this about other professions, but it certainly takes a special kind to do the work they do.
Felt great when Kristina came to get me, went steadily downhill from there - but feel pretty decent now after an anti-nausea pill. Sleeping and lounging in our hammock in the backyard - really nice day here.
Already got my NeuLasta shot so I don't have to go back until the Monday before my next treatment, in two weeks.
Mentally really good and excited to have another trip to the lab behind me...25% done!
Talk soon...Gary

Weekend and Beginning of Round 2

Today I have a quickie blood-test, which marks the beginning of Round 2...tomorrow is my follow-up with my Oncologist, and Wednesday is treatment. I am not dreading it all that much; remain focused on it as an opportunity to sit quietly and read, maybe watch a movie - plus those chairs really are comfortable, and they recline quite a ways.

Had a great weekend; Mother's Day was really nice - got together with the brothers and folks at their place and had a brunch, which was tremendous. Then we hung out and watched the Player's Championship and that ridiculous comeback by the Red Sox - great game.

After that I played softball with Kristina; we play on the RHCI team (she's the Dietitian there), with a number of other nurses, therapists, etc. We played last year as well, it's a great time and everyone has a lot of laughs...and yesterday was a perfect day for a game. We actually kept the game really close for a while...but then it actually started, and we were playing last years league champs. I think they put up a touchdown and a field goal on us in the top of the first...but we still had plenty of fun. I felt great and had no ill-effects from Cancer or treatment.

Still feeling really good and super positive and remembering that after Wednesday I am 25% done with Chemo!

Enjoy the weather...

A Good Week

Nice weather around here...almost feeling like an early start to that summer feeling we get on the Cape around this time of year. Supposed to be nice weekend too - always helps the spirit to have some nice weather.

Pretty good week for the newly treated patient; I felt really good all week, got a lot of work done and am really optimistic for the next few months. Also was able to get out to the Cape Cod Young Professionals event last night and catch up with a lot of friends from around here, never mind hearing Rich Brothers' entertaining speech on the Cape & Islands United Way (shameless plug as I am a board member...visit the site and give!) and his own path to success.

My next treatment is Wednesday, but the prep work starts Monday with blood-tests, Tuesday I meet with my oncologist, and Wednesday it's back to the lab for my slow-drip chemo.

Mom deserves a good Mother's Day this year, it's been a rough year since last Mother's Day - we're going to do it Pot-Luck style at my folks place on Sunday and I'm sure it'll be a great time.

Here's my next thing to worry about; peladophobia. Since I may start to lose my hair soon, I started looking around, and was dismayed to find out there's an actual phobia surrounding bald people?

Your fear of bald people can result in the following symptoms:breathlessness, dizziness, excessive sweating, nausea, feeling sick, shaking, heart palpitations, inability to speak or think clearly, a fear of dying, becoming mad or losing control, a sensation of detachment from reality or a full blown anxiety attack.

So, if I lose my hair I will have to keep on the lookout for peladophobics acting up in my presence, could make for a dicey scene in a public place.

Hey, I do what I can to keep laughing...enjoy your weekends.

Golf and Age Discrimination

The Sheehan Golf Classic went well yesterday, with Team Cancer (my dad and I) against Team Lack of Compassion (my brothers, who didn't give us any strokes). In the team event, my dad and I put up a valiant fight, but were foiled and lost 10-8...it was over early, but we rallied at the end to close the gap.

In the individual event, it came down to the 18th putting green, it's always a close match with Kevin and I. I putted for par, Kevin bogeyed...I totalled in at 85 and Kevin 86 - a narrow victory, but a victory nonetheless. We had a great time, it's always nice to get out with my Dad and brothers, and since everything has happened it's particularly special when we all get to play together.

On another note; it appears I have already offended people (C.A.) with my comments on Roger Clemens age, and the fact that he may well remember Woodstock. To clarify; I don't think 45 is old, as a general rule...but for a starting pitcher in the AL East, making $4.5 Mill a month? Well in that case 45 is ancient. I know my friend was throwing me a simple jibe, he's a quick witted professional, but I figured since I'm at the tender age of 28 I might have raised some eyebrows elsewhere too...thus I will take the following pledge on my analysis of future Yankee signings;

A New Challenge is an equal opportunity Blog. A New Challenge will not discriminate against any future Yankee players, signings, or trades because of race, color, religion, creed, age, sex, national origin (including, without limitation, those for whom English is a second language or those who are immigrants), ancestry, physical or mental disability (including learning disabilities), past history of mental disorder, medical condition including pregnancy, family care leave, cancer and AIDS, status as a disabled veteran or veteran of the wars including Vietnam, marital status, sexual orientation, or any other non-playing related factor.

I did also discover an additional factor in his signing that may well have tipped the scales in his favor.

All else is well...nothing to report about me, I feel good, have all my hair and remain positive and in good spirits.

Good Day!

My Aching Bones

My cancer comment for the day today is related to my aching bones; I am on Neulasta prophylacticly to prevent my white blood cell count from dipping to a point where I would be required to skip a Chemotherapy treatment. One of the common side effects from Neulasta is bone pain, and I would characterize mine as moderate. It's an odd sensation, to be 28 and have pain in your bones, but part of it lets you know the drug is working and will help you continue, unabated, with Chemo treatments.

I try to keep moving; I went for a walk at work yesterday, woke up early this morning and did a lap around our neighborhood, and generally try to move around a little more. It's not a severe or acute pain, it's sort of just there and I find when I sit still (at my desk, in bed, etc.) it tends to creep up on me.

It's a common side effect and I'm not worried about it, it's just another little reality of the treatment process...one I figured I would share.

Weather's been nice around here, planning on playing some golf tomorrow afternoon with my father and brothers and am happy to be feeling pretty well this week and getting some work done.

Talk soon....

Hodgkin and the Weekend

No real new news to report...fighting something of a cold or allergies over the weekend but did manage to get together with another couple for dinner Saturday night and had a pretty decent weekend overall. It's funny when you have something like this, it really becomes the 800 lb. gorilla in the room; nobody necessarily wants to talk about it, but inevitably you do. We spent a lot of time at dinner discussing it and it was nice to talk about; kind of allows Kristina and I to clear our heads about it and go over it with other people who care. We spent a lot of time talking about other, "normal", stuff too - it was a nice night.

I had a weird dream too this weekend; the Yankees got so desperate for pitching that they paid some guy, who's almost 45, $4.5 million a month, to come pitch for them - once he gets back in shape. Do you think Steinbrenner and Cashman just did the payday by using an age-factor algorithm? "He's gonna be 45 soon, lets give him an even $4.5 million a month, poetic justice." Maybe he and his son Koby will get to suit up together on Father's Day this year...pretty cool in the novelty department, but I can't say I'm too scared to have the Sox hitters face a guy who's actually older than both teams GM's, and may well be old enough to remember Woodstock - mind you this is a professional athlete, pitching for one of the most famous franchises in sports. Steinbrenner is desperate, and you can see why.

With nothing to really report I decided to look at Hodgkin's itself, find out more about it, etc. The lovely gentlemen in the upper left is Thomas Hodgkin, who did much of the early legwork to identify and treat the disease which was ultimately named for him.

For more on the time line of the disease you can go here.

For more on the man himself, you can go here.

Obviously I am learning a lot about this stuff as I post here, and I have found that maintaining this site has forced my hand - driven me to seek more education and knowledge on the subject, and truly helped me be a better informed patient. Hopefully I can point people in the right direction if they too choose to try and seek out information on the disease and treatment; as I have said from the beginning, there is some satisfaction in not only keeping people posted, but also in providing some education on this disease and how it is treated.

As always I am extremely thankful for your support and I will do my very best to update this site regularly.

12.5% Complete!

That's the way I am looking at it anyway; since I have approximately 8 Chemo treatments and I've put one down, I'm 12.5% done...and feeling great. Yesterday afternoon was pretty rough, very tired and nauseous, however I woke up today and felt great. I'm at work for the majority of the day, though I do have to leave to get a shot of NeuLasta this afternoon, which will help keep my white blood cell count elevated throughout treatment and allow me to continue with the Chemo without any breaks.

So, what was it like?

Well, I got there at 9am, walked through some registration procedures and was then started on some IV fluids (the picture at top is a generic Chemo room, looks pretty much like the one I was in). The drug regimen I am on is ABVD, and is a four drug mix; the first three all go in fairly quickly, through a large IV tube, while #4, the "D" is a long drip process which takes the majority of the time, about 3 of the 4 hours I was there.

While there I was very comfortable, read some magazines (brought my own, I've given up on updated materials in facilities), did some work, and watched a movie on my laptop - it was actually a pretty relaxing procedure and few hours.

Kristina picked me up (I may be able to drive myself in the future, but the first time they recommend having a ride available) and we stopped by the local CVS to get some nausea meds. Went home from there and I relaxed for the afternoon; I felt pretty lousy yesterday, but as I said earlier I feel great today and am anxious to get to the next treatment. Was also boosted by the good news we received on my dad, who is improving some and will not have to join me at chemo...he will be going to the same place to get his Erbitux, but they are very positive about where he is right now. It would have been a bit much for all of us if he had to undergo Chemo again, right when I was.

I continue to be thankful for the wonderful support system I have around me; employees, family, friends, and most importantly my live-in-dietitian-fiance, Kristina...she does a great job taking care of me and we're trying our best to have a lot of laughs and live fairly normal lives throughout this entire process.

Keep you posted on other things as they happen and thanks again for stopping by; feel free to leave questions in the comments section if you have any and I'll do my best to answer them - a big reason I wanted to publish all of this stuff in such an open forum is to help with the education around this disease. Maybe someday someone like me will come along who is newly diagnosed and find this page of some value to them and their own struggle with the unknowns that accompany this diagnosis?

Enjoy your weekends!

Chemo - First Timer

I'm actually in my first chemo treatment right now; on the fourth drug of the ABVD mix they'll be giving me. Each treatment is approximately 4 hours and I get a nice comfortable chair, plenty of space for the laptop, food, and reading materials.
This is the beginning of the curative process and I'm excited to be here to beat this disease.

Dana Farber and Chemotherapy

My follow-up was yesterday at Dana Farber, where I had the privilege of sitting with Dr. David Fisher, a Lymphoma specialist who has a very deep background in the treatment and diagnosis of Hodgkins Lymphoma. He agreed with the diagnosis to this point, with one new wrinkle from the pathologist in Boston; under the sub-types for Hodgkins-Lymphoma I am showing as positive for more than one. This does not change my proposed treatment plan, but rather changes my years for follow up to 10, from 3-5. This was somewhat disconcerting, but I remain confident that I will react well to treatment and put the entire thing behind me in very short order.

This morning I found out that I will begin Chemotherapy treatment tomorrow morning, Wednesday, May 2nd. I am nervous and excited as I kick off this next phase of my battle, but the overreaching feeling is that the sooner I start the sooner I will be done and can resume life as a normal, cancer-free, patient.

Right now the plan is the following;

1. 4 months of chemotherapy - once every other week for 4-6 hours.

2. One month off, during which I will go back to Dana Farber for some additional tests and work.

3. One month of radiation, 5 days a week (M-F)

4. Regular follow-ups for 10 years to ensure the slower growing sub-type does not reappear.

There will be more tests and procedures around this main part of the treatment plan, but this is the skeleton, the big stuff that will help me beat this cancer and move ahead with my life.

Again, I remain extremely confident in the team I will be working with, both here on the Cape and at Dana Farber, and I continue to feel extremely fortunate to have such a strong support system around me during this difficult period. I know I have the best friends, family, and staff there is, and couldn't feel more comfortable that with their help I will not only beat this cancer, but do so comfortably and retain my ability to laugh and live while doing so.

So, tomorrow morning is another beginning; nobody knows how my body will react to the treatments, how run down I will get, if I will lose my hair, lose weight, etc. Time will tell, but the physicians remain confident that I will be able to function at a high level during my treatments and that much of my life will proceed as normal.

I'll do my best to keep up the posting and let people know how I'm feeling and how the treatments are, I'm pretty curious myself at this point...Happy May-Day!