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