Just a Reminder

We all tend to forget how mundane things are done without questioning, until we have to rely upon others for assistance. Cancer is the the Greatest Force for evening any crowded playing field or Office Environment.
Cancer Survivors, tend to resume their "normal" lives again, remembering that we're not those Super Heroes, who don't have a care in the world. Cancer teaches us that no matter what People are just as vulnerable to diseases like everyone else in the World; no matter if you live in the Suburbs or in the Poorest Neighborhood. Cancer has no boundaries, whether they are social, economic, etc...
We still survive and go on with our lives, taking a little more time to remember that vulnerabilities exist and that we have survived one trial and we can overcome more as they arrive at our door steps.

Chemotherapy and CT Scans

Well, I took last week off, since I was busy dealing with the usual post-chemo stomach churn and other personal things.

This week I was called on Wednesday and had the Therapy appointment moved to 9:15a from 8a, which really didn't bother me too much, since it was only a 2 1/2 hour treatment today. Last week the treatment was pushed back to 11a from 8a and I didn't get into the treatment room until 11:50a last week, this week however I was a little more fortunate and was in at 9:17a. I stopped in the Radiology Dept at the Clinic, since they called to setup an appointment for the CT Scan, which I have on 12/31 at 4p, so that I can got to work and take off after wards. Yes, they gave me the milky white chalk flavoured Prep and the Radiologist mentined that it was Pina Colda flavoured and not that nasty Orange flavour, like the previous preps had been. So, I'll wait to see how bad it tastes and go from there with it. I am suppose to drink the whole bottle down at 1p on Wednesday and not drink anything after wards until after the Scan is completed.

This weekend, on a personal note, we get rid of one child and receive another later in the day. It's looking a lot like Christmas around here with the Snow and Winter Weather Advisory for tonight. I am reminded that this is the first year since the Surgery that I am having to deal with the Cold and Snowy Weather a little more then I've had to. The Neropathy in my hands and feet gets worse with the cold weather and I have to put up relying upon others to open the Plastic Zip Top Storage and Trash Bags for me. Carmen is good about excepting this as being a fact of my life now and so does Noah; to a certain extent, otherwise he'll make a sarcastic remarks about it and I let them slide.

Well, for now I'm starting to get excited about only 2 more Chemo Treatments and the CT Scan coming up, then I see Dr. Schaefer on 1/9 at 8a and I'm going to call the Radiology Dr, Dr. Rubin's Office and let them know that I'm having the CT Scan done and make sure they're on the look out for the Scan Results.

Happy Holidays, y'all!

1 Year Ago Today.....

1 year ago today I had the Surgery to remove a majority of my Rectum and have the Colonscopy Appliance installed. Well..tweleve months later I have come to understand and live with the Appliance being attached to my left side 24/7. Changing it at first was really frustrated until Carmen called her Dad, who has had his Appliance for a lot longer then me, and she asked him the question; How Do You Keep the Wafer attached? He proceeded to explain that he uses a hairdryer to heat up the wax ring on the back of the wafer and the Stomahesive Paste and this has worked for me too.

I went to see my Family Doctor, Dr. Steve, today for a 3 month check up and he said that I really looked good and he changed my Rx for my Arthiritis in my Left Hip, since in January the Health Care Insurance I have changes and part of this change is the Drugs are covered better if they are Generic, so I was able tot get the Rx, changed. Then he said he wants to see me in 4 months and also wants me to have a 8-12 hour Fasting Blood Test comlpeted before I come back to see him, he suggested that I get it done a week before I come back to see him. Also, I got my Flu Shot today while I was there and got that out of the way for the season. Yeah! I know I was procrastinating on getting it done as I always do and figured it would be best to get it done today.

My Mom and Eldest Sister came over today and dropped off some Precut Cookies, frosting and Sprinkles for Christmas, well I found out later that my Eldest Sister tried dropping them on my 3rd Eldest Sister earlier this week and my 3rd Eldest Sister told our Eldest that she had not enough rooom in her freezer to store them and she wasn't going to spend the entire day on Saturday Baking the Cookies. So now, the fun part comes, with me going to tell my Eldest Sister that if she wants the Cookies Baked, then she is comng over to assist in putting the Frosting and Sprinkles on them. I will not be the one doing this alone, nor will I ask Carmen to spend her time doing this, since my Sister wants it done. (Background Info: My Eldest Sister has dumped the Cookie making onto our 3rd Eldest Sister for a number of years now. Our 3rd Eldest Sister is now living in an Apartment, which has a small Kitchen to it, so this is the reason why my Sister dropped the Cookies here).

Mom and my Eldest Sister also dropped off 2 pair of Jeans, which was too short, for my B-Day coming up on Sunday, and after I tried on the one pair to prove to them that they would be too short, my Mom wasn't surprised and said "we can just return them" So, my Eldest Sister proceeded to say that we could take them back this afternoon, since I had nothing to do. Which was not too far from the facts, but I was waiting around for a Friend of Carmen's Husband to show up, he was suppose to pick up a couple of folding tables that we have, but he didn't show up today, may be Friday. :(

Ended up going to Walmart and returning the Jeans, looked for another couple of pairs, which they didn't have in the right length, on the way Home my Eldest Sister and had a conversation about going to Dinner it went something like this:

Eldest Sister: Would Ian, my son, would be interested in going out to Dinner on Friday?
Me: Why?
Eldest Sister: Becuase I was going to take you out for Dinner, for your Birthday!
Mom: Why are you worried about going out to Dinner for?
Eldest Sister: I figured that we could go out and celebrate Tim's Birthday.
Mom: I am suppose to be going out for my birthday with your 2nd Eldest Sister on Friday!
[Mom's Birthday was November 14th and my 2nd Eldest Sister had not had a chance to take Mom out.]
Eldest Sister: Then I what am I suppose to do for Dinner?
Me: Why don't we all go downtown to Speghitti Warehouse and Celebrate both Mom and I's Birthday's together?
Eldest Sister: I'm not sure, I'll have to call our Sister and find out what she's doing?

So as you can see the conversation pretty much ended with no resolution to my last question. It will be interesting to see what happens Firday afternoon and how this will play out for sure. I will be sure to update this little saga here to let everyone know what did or didn't happen.

Thanksgiving & Other Random Thoughts

Thanksgiving was a little stressful with the Family coming over and eating. Carmen had asked each of them to write down on piece of paper what they where Thankful for and of course, my eldest sister turned up heer nose at the idea and my 2nd and 3rd eldest sisters seemed not to hear Carmen ask them, so needless to say this idea bombed. Dinner was held off until about 2:30p, since my 3rd eldest sister was tracking down my nephew and was running late. Once we started it went pretty quick.
The Menu consisted of:
Turkey and Stuffing
Ham with Pineapple slices on Top
Dinner Rolls
Yams
Mashed Taters
Homemade Gravy from the Turkey Broth
Cranberry Sauce - Which I forgot in the refrigerator and Carmen found it when we was cleaning up. :(
Desert was:
Apple Pie
Pecan Pie
Pumpkin Pie
Ice Cream or Whipped Cream was also available.

Needless to say the turkey was ate up pretty quickly and we still have a good part of the Ham left, no worry there since we can heat it up again with a little brown sugar and have it for dinner again, plus we can find other recipes for the ham to be used with.

What I am Thankful For are:
1.) The Love and Support of Carmen over this past year.
2.) Being healthy and recovering from Cancer
3.) The Support of my Family and Friends during the past year.
4.) Being able to Work through the Chemotherapy and not have many side-effects from it
5.) The Best team of Doctors to support me and answer my questions.
6.) Moving into a little bigger House and have to pay more rent, LOL
7.) Renewing Old Friendships and meeting New Friends along the way.

Funny thing from yesterday was when I would start to alk about my Cancer and the Treatment, Noah and my Nephew Brian would leave the room, later Noah mentioned that he didn't want to hear about it and I told him that he should be concerned since he could develope Cancer in his lifetime and Carmen told him that cancer runs in the family. I thought it was interesting that Naoh doesn't want to hear about it, but doesn't surprise me, since he is more concerned with Skateboarding and High School.

Two Weeks Vacation from Chemotherapy, YAY!!

Yesterday was my last treatment for 2 weeks, then I go back for another 4 weeks, then a PET Scan. This week, I also got details updated on the new Insurance Plans that my Company is offering that take effect in January 2009, let's just say I was confused on which of the 3 I should go with, but ends up I'm going with option#3; since it is the closest to what I have now. The Company that I work for has paid for all of our Insurance and up until now was something that nobody really thought much about, then the announcement came in email of the change in plans coming. Of course the usual rumour mill started and the packet of information was passed out to everyone, with the stern warning not to show our information packet to the Part-Time Employees, who it turns out was offered just 1 plan and nothing else. The times are changing and this is another example of a Company with multiple divisions consolidating their Health Care Plans into one.
I am still concerned about the change and how it will effect my supplies that I have not to worry about paying for, and weather or not I will be paying for anything. My biggest concern is whether or not the PET Scans will continue to be covered 100% or if I will be stuck paying for a percentage of them. I will get that email on Sunday when I go back to work, since I was not called today from the Benefits Coordinator from Work, so I wait a little longer for the answers I seek on this.
Otherwise, Holiday preparations are under way here with the Dining Table moved to the opposite side of the room, closest to the Electrical Outlet, so that no cords are stretched across the room for someone to pull on. Tomorrow I'll be moving some stuff into the basement to get the Living Room cleared out and ready for the Tables to be setup on Thursday.

Week 3 Chemo and Doctor Visitation

Well last week was the 3rd week of treatment and I visited with Dr Schaefer. He was a little disappointed that the KRAS results where not available and would be delayed until this week, he told me that he was mainly interested in finding out if there was any mutations, so that he could adjsut the treatment if he needed to. Dr. Schaefer did tell me that he wanted to give me 10 weeks of treatment with 2 weeks off from them. So, I've decided to take Thanksgiving off and another undisclosed week, yet to be named, LOL.
Week 4 has been pretty normal with Halloween over and Day Light Savings Time, now active, I'm getting use to the lost hour and going about my scheduled day. Thursday is my next treatment and we'll see what happens, since I was not given my November schedule. As you seen in my earlier post, my day started off pretty "normal", but then again what is normal anymore? I've noticed after last weeks treatment that I'm experiencing Chemo Brain a little more. Chemo Brain is where you loose your train of thought and stop talking and just zone out for a few seconds. Carmen and I was out running some errands and was hit with Chemo Brain. I'll discuss this with the Nurses this week to see what they have to say about it.

Morning Songs and Waking up Early

OK, so this morning I woke up at 4a, yeah it's bloody early I know, but when your work schedule calls for you to be there at 6am, then you don't complain. Normally, I'm waking up at 4:15a and hitting the floor about 10 minutes later. I went to the loo and used it and all of sudden I got the Rolling Stones Song "Play With Fire" running through my head. Not the whole song, but the part that goes like this "So don't play with me, 'cause you're playing with fire", so I figured I would look up the entire lyrics and refresh my wetware on the song.

So, below are the lyrics in their glory.....

Well, you've got your diamonds and
you've got your pretty clothes
And the chauffeur drives your car
You let everybody know
But don't play with me, 'cause you're playing with fire

Your mother she's an heiress, owns a block in Saint John's Wood
And your father'd be there with her
If he only could
But don't play with me, 'cause you're playing with fire

Your old man took her diamond's and tiaras by the score
Now she gets her kicks in Stepney
Not in Knightsbridge anymore
So don't play with me, 'cause you're playing with fire

Now you've got some diamonds and you will have some others
But you'd better watch your step, girl
Or start living with your mother
So don't play with me, 'cause you're playing with fire
So don't play with me, 'cause you're playing with fire

Week 2 Round ?? of Chemo

Well week 2 went pretty well, with the Treatment only lasting 2.5 hours. I slept through most of it and woke up as the Nurse was removing the Needle from my Port. My Stomach was upset, but not as bad as it had been. This week I see Dr. Schaefer on Wednesday afternoon, then treatment on Thursday morning. This week's treatment will be 3 hours long, since I'll be getting the Avastin, which usually upsets my stomach to the point that it feels like I'm in a spin cycle.
While getting treated last week, another patient had just received her Port and the Nurse was instructing her on caring for it and making that the patient didn't pull the steri-strips off the incision and to let them fall off. The Nurse was going through the do's and don'ts when I chimed in that the first time the needle is inserted to the port that the patient will be a little more sensitive to it, but after that the skin will start to toughen up. The Nurse told me to stop imtimafating the patients and I responded back that I was making sure that there was truth in advertising and we all had a lauugh at that.

Chemotherapy Round 7, Not sure anymore Lost Track a While Ago!!!

OK, so I started Chemo again and this time I have totally forgotten how many treatments that I've had....Must be the Chemo Brain Syndrome I've heard about. Julie the Nurse, asked me "Tim, What are you doing back here again?" Me: "I've come back just to see your smiling face, LOL" Julie: Well lets get going then." and turns and starts walking me back to treatment room. On the way back I poke fun at one of the Nurses at the Nurses Station and continue into the Treatment Room. I grab my usual Lounger in the Corner and place my book bag and jacket on the floor, then sit down and wait for Julie to come back with her kit of Alcohol Pads, Port Needles, Blood Vials for the Lab and assorted other stuff. Julie and I get talking about the treatment and she says that it'll be another 8 weeks and will be there as usual between 2 1/2 and 3 1/2 hours depending on whether or not I'm getting the Avastin that week.
I fell asleep while getting my treatment woke up to the room being filled with more people then before. A couple of the Patients I recognised from being there before and few I didn't, but I didn't let this bother me, since I was the "Youngster on the Block" and was getting the usual side-ways glances from the Older Patients. At first, when I was going through the Pre-operative Chemo, it sorta bothered me, I felt like I was different from there rest; then I remembered Dr. Schaefer telling that I was the youngest patient that he had in Treatment at that time. Now, I'm feeling at home, which seems odd that I would ahve this feeling for a place that deals with pumping the Human Body full of Chemicals that are caustic to anyone else, to kill off cells and tumors to help me get better. An old friend of mine from LaSalle, Mi, once told me that this was what made Cancer so screwed up, the Chemotherapy and the Chemicals used. At the time I didn't quite understand what he was saying, but now that I'm going through the process, it sorta makes weird sense. I spoke with one of the other Patients wife the last treatment that I had, and found out that he was 50 and has Uretha Cancer, which is pretty scary in itself, but while talking to her I found out that he was going through some of the problems I was with deciding to cut my hair short or not. In the end I've been wearing it short and keeping that way with little to no evidence of hair lost. I encouraged her to speak to heer husband about cutting a little shorter to help him overcome the shock of loosing his hair in clumps, she advised that when they got married that his hair was down to his waist and he just recently had cut to collar length. I thought that was a brave move on his part. I had to leave aburptly, since Carmen had drove me there and wanted to go shopping aftewards and I felt sorta bad that I didn't give her my phone number for her husband to call me and chat if he wanted too, so the next time I see them I'll do that and see how it works out.
I also realised this past week that a year ago October 3rd, I was placed on Medical Disability, since my FMLA hours had run out and I was looking to getting off for few months, so once I had that thought come through my Brain, I thought how fortunate I am that I've not had to go back onto Disability, since I would be getting only 60% of my Gross Pay Weekly, LOL. I guess that I'm getting use to having a full pay check and not really liking the thought. I've not heard from Dr. Rubin, the Radialogy Specialist, so I'll call him this week and see what they say about the latest PET Scan results compared to the others, more on this when I hear something.

Chemotherapy and PET Scans

Ok, I had the 7th or so bloody PET Scan done yesterday and I was radioactive for 24 hours and carried the card like any good member of Society would. I saw Dr. Schaefer, the Chemotherapist Onocology Doc, this morning and we went over the results. Drum Roll Please.......OK, the Good News is 1 nodal in my lungs has reduced in size from 2.5Cm to 2Cm. So the game plan is to continue on while waiting for the K-RAS test results come in from the Tumor they removed back in December. I guess they store it in parafin and keep for a while in case any further tests need to be run. So, now I wait for the test results to see how the Chemo Treatments will be adjusted.
Moving News!!! We are done as of September 30th and have been moved into the new house since. Carmen has started making Curtains for the house and has completed the Dinning Room and is planning on doing Noah's room next. My area in the Basement for the Computers is starting to slowly take shape and I'm looking forward to getting the my stuff from My Mom's that I've had stored since my divorce in 1999.
Wellness and happiness still prevail here and I am looking forward to being able to finally settle in and get somethings done that I want to correct.

Chemotherapy Ends this Week, YAY!!!!

Well, chemo will be ending this week and I am apprehensive about leaving and having the PET Scan done then having Dr. Schaefer tell me that I have to continue with more Chemo. I am taking this ending with stride and trying not to worry about it and concentrate on getting the house in order and my computer systems set up in the basement.
So for now I plan on getting the last treatment, then seeing Dr. Schaefer on Oct 10th and seeing what he has to say about the course of action and game plan is.

Chemotherapy is alomst over.

Well, I looked on the Schedule and realised that I have only 2 weeks left of Treatments, then on Oct 10th, I see Dr Schaefer, my Chemotherapist, and see what he plans on doing next. I suppose the next logical thing would be to have another PET Scan done and guage the size of the Nodals from there.
But, the one thing that I've learned is that logic does not play on the Cancer Team, so I will have to wait and see what happens. In the mean time, Carm and I are packing up our belongings and heading to a new House. We lucked out and found a house that is right around the corner from where we are now and it was for Rent. We called and walked through it and a couple days later, the Landlord put up a For Sale Sign in the Yard along with the For Rent sign. Carm called about this and asked if he would be interested in doing a Rent to Own option, and the answer was "YES!!" the landlord explained the situation on the Rent to Own option being this:
!.) $100 of the monthly rent would be set aside in an escrow account.
2.) 2 years, October 2010, we would be given the Escrow.
3.) We buy the House
Simple as 1,2, 3.....So we borrowed some money and prepaid for September, which was pro-rated, and started packing up. The plan is to be moved out by Oct 1st and into the New House, so far we have been using a couple of boxes, but today while I was at work I mentioned this to a co-worker and she was able to get some boxes set aside for me. So, after work I picked up about 3 dozen boxes and broguht them home. Now, we've got more boxes to pack up and move our stuff over to the House with, YAY!!!!
I cannot wait to get moved and settled into the New House, since it will allow us to work towards owning our own house and keep Noah in the local school district that he has friends in also. Well, I must be going to get some more boxes taped up and ready to be filled. Thursday will be fun with the Chemotherapy and packing.

Chemotherapy and General Life

Well, on thursday I went for the weekly Chemo treatment only to have the nurse ask,
"Did the Doctor say anything about stopping for a week and giving you a break?"
Me: "No, he mentioned that he wanted this round treatments to be for a straight 8 weeks, why?"
Nurse: "Well, the order is written Same as before, for 8 weeks! I am concerned since the previous order was written that you had 4 treatments, then 2 weeks off, then came back for 2 more."
Me: "I understood it to be a straight 8 weeks and no breaks."
Nurse: "Let me confirm with the Doctor to make sure that is what he wants, since you had the break the last time."
She walks away and calls the other Office and comes back to take care of another patient who is there to get treatment. approx 20 minutes later the Nurse comes up to me and asks.
Nurse: "Are you experiencing any heavy fatigue or uncontrollable diarrhea?"
Me: "What do you mean by Heavy Fatigue? Sure, I am tired when I get home from working 10 hours a day for 4 days in a row, but I usually fall asleep early and go about my day."
Nurse: "Heavy Fatigue would be like you are tired all the time and feel like you're not getting enough sleep at night! We are concerned since this one of the side-effects of the Comptosar, along with the uncontrollable diarrhea. Seeing how your blood counts are borderline and you seem to be doing really good with the treatment, the Doctor wants to make sure that you're not suffering for the Toxicity build up."
Me:"Well that is good to hear that someone is looking out for this and did not know of the side-effects of the Comptosar."
Nurse:"Well, what we will do then is re-evaluate you each week and if you are suffering from them, then we will not give you treatment that week and let have it off."
Me: Shrugging my shoulders "That is fine with me"
The Nurse walks away and gets things going, since I was already sitting in the Chair with the needle in my Port and ready to go. I forgot to grab the Cell Phone and also forgot to ask the Nurse to call Carmen to let her know of the delay. So needless to say Carmen, came to pick me up and was shocked that the treatment was running longer then the initial 2 hours.

On the home front, Noah went to the Homecoming Football Game Friday night and then to the Dance last night. He was reluctant about going to the Dance, since he thought that it was required that he have a Tux or Suit to wear, but we found out as long as he had a nice pair of dress slacks, shirt and a tie he would be able to go. So, Friday Morning Carmen made sure that he had the money for the Ticket, an made sure that he had his School ID and sent him off to school. Backing up a little, on Wednesday afternoon, Carmen and I looked at another house to rent, it is a 2 bed with full basement, which is dry, and it has Thermal Insulated Windows through out the house and the Landlord said that he had all the walls insulated with the Spray Foam and in the Winter his average heating bill was around $90. No Central Air, but he also said that 2 window AC Units would chill the enire first floor to near sub-zero in a matter of hours. After discussing the things that we found wrong, Kitchen Cabinet Drawers seemed to be dirty looking to Carmen and the Refrig being a little smaller then the one that we have, we've decided to call the Landlord back and tell him that we are interested in renting it. This will give us a house that has the Shower, Full Basement, Garage and a Dining Area, which we don't have now.
More about the house when we've had a chance to talk with the Landlord. Otherwise, everything is going pretty good. Carmen is still looking for work and scrapbooking when she has a chance too. Noah is settling into school and skating after school and on the weekends while the weather is still nice enough.

Chemotherapy, Radiologists and Family Doctor Visits

OK, went for the weekly Chemo Treatment, I put my headphones on and started listening to the Audiobook Caves of Steel, by Issac Asimonv. I fell asleep during the 2nd chapter, but I wasn't too worried about it though. Visited Dr. Steve again for a followup and of course the Billing System is messed up and would print the HIPPA Verfication form with the Insurance Provider info on it and the nurse was fussing about this and how she couldn't let me back to see the Doc until it was corrected. After 3 tries and putting in my Insurance info success. BP was elevated more, since aI had to deal with the Billing Crap, Dr. Steve took it again and everything was good at 138/82. WWWOOOOOHHHHHHOOOOOO!!!!!
Went to see Dr. Rubin, the Radiology Onocologist and reviewed the PET Scan from July 31st and he agrees with the initial report that the Nodal in my right lung has grown since the June Scan and advised that if I was concerned about it the next thong to do would be to get a CT Scan of my Lungs done and he could look at it and let me know for sure how much it has grown. So, I it looks like I'm going to be getting the CT Scan done and get on a program that best helps me to fight this, since Dr. Rubin advised that the Chemotherapy Drugs can be adjusted again to help fight this, but he was straight about the CT Scan helping him with the prognosis of whether or not I would need Radiation Therapy also. Otherwise I can wait until the next PET Scan and see what comes of it. Dr. Rubin advised also that the 64-slice PET Scan Machine is better for scanning Trauma Patients or seeing the Heart between beats, otherwise it was not a very good machine to use for Cancer. He said that the 16-slice machine is better since it scans slower and is more accurate, so the next scan will be completed on a 16-slicce machine instead.
Emotionally, I am going through the roller-coaster again and trying to determine the best course of action to take and also start looking for another house to rent/lease-to-own and see what we can find so that we can get on with our lives. I've also been thinking about going back to college and getting another degree, but this time in Networking so that I can make myself more marketable, so I'm going to look into this at a local Community College.
On Friday, I see the Eye Doc for my much over do eye exam and see how bad my eyes have changed in the last 13+ months. I know the distance vision has gone to a blur again and my close reading focus is also starting to be affected. We'll see what happens there tomorrow.

Chemotherapy, Radiologists and Family Doctor Visits

Well, after my Chemo treatment yesterday I came home and ate a light lunch and sat at the computer going through emails and cleaning up some of them. Then I left for the 6-month check up with my Family Doctor Steve and it went quite well. Since my BP was 175/85 at the Chemo Treatment and it was still high at the Visit with Dr. Steve, he decided to put me another BP Med to help with the one I am currently on. So today when I went to the 4 month follow up with the Radiologist, it was only 155/82. Mind you I just taken the BP meds before leaving the house and I drove 20 minutes to Radiologists Office, so the chances of them being completely in my system are slim. Anyhow, I have another appointment with Dr.Steve next Thursday as a follow up and he also wrote an order to have more blood work down for a follow up there. He started asking me questions about how I was feeling and I was just so full of P & V, from the Steroids I was giving during the Chemo, and was joking around with him and I came out and said "I am felling fine and Global Warming should've been addressed 20 years ago!" He started laughing and shaking his head and replied "I think the Chemo is affecting you, or your Crazy!" So I was happy to hear the Family Doctor tell me that I was crazy, so I guess I can take this as my first official conformation on me being crazy, LOL...
I think it was more of Chemo Brain kicking in and making me a little more weirder then my Normal self. I know last night I could not fall asleep right away and Carmen sensed this and we talked a little about our relationship and how I thought it was going. I told her that for everything that we have faced so far we are doing well, even with her being unemployed for a while, we did agree that this has put a bit of strain on things and that if she could find a job it would help out a little more with the fiances.
Today at the Radiologists Office, the Nurse Practitioner checked me over and said how well I looked and was doing great. Carmen and I did express some concern over the last PET Scan results and how the Chemotherapy Doc Schaefer, devaited from the report and said the noidals in my lungs where not the size as reported, since he looked at them while I was there and meassured them to be smaller. The Nurse Practitioner did show us the written report and did comment on the report being a very goos one with no new formations in the lungs or anywhere else and did mention that the initial radiation treatment site was still a little radioactive and that it was shown on the report, but not of any concern. She also mentioned that the office was in the process of getting the PET Scans so that they can look them over and give me a clear picture of what has transpired since May. Carmen and I was able to see the PET Scan from May and went over that one in detail with the Nurse Practitioner and she was really upbeat about what was seen there being good. I have an appointment next Thursday afternoon to see the Radiology Doc Rubin and gets his "official" word on the PET Scan. I feel a little more comfortable knowing that with the clarification I am on my way to being Cancer Free.
Speaking of Cancer Free, what is it with Christina Applegate going on National TV and claiming that she is "Officially Cancer Free" after going through her Breast Cancer Treatments and Surgery? Don't get me wrong I admire a Celebrity who comes forward to admit that they have a disease like any other Normal Human, but to say that she is Cancer Free after just completing the Treatment phase is pretty naive'. She still has to go through the 3-6 month check ups like the rest of us and after 1 year the doctors will start relaxing a little more, but not until she has survived 10 years can she proclaim 100% assured that she is Cancer Free. I know this since my older sister had been diagnosised with Breast Cancer over 11 years ago and she went through all the Therapies and Surgery, then was happy to be able to be around to see her 60th birthday. Enough with this and lets get on with our lives now.
I am finally starting to get crossed eyed from typing this and see that it is after midnight and should have been in bed about an hour ago, but I was wired still from having a old friend stop over and ask my assistance in locating some music for a cousin of his. Needless to say I was able to find the music like he did, but it looks like it will have to be bought off of the Rhapsody website and downloaded and burned to a CD. He admitted that this was a short notice type of attempt, since his cousin was suppose to get with him sooner. Anyhow, we tried and came up wth the same results and he will be handling it frome here, knowing that I will help him out if needs it.

Road Trips and Chemotherapy

Well we started to head out last week after my Chemo Treatment and everything was going great. We made it through Ohio and just past Elkhart, Ind. I had just taken the CD out of the Deck and was putting it into the Overhead Visor Caddy when it flipped opened and I overcompensated on the curve and ended up in the ditch. Dirt, Grass and Dust flying all over the place.
High Drama over with, the car did not flip over, no major injuries. Minor injuries where: 2 flat tires, a bruised knee and elbow, 1 tow bill for $134 and a night's stay in the local Quality Inn. That is the tally of the situation. needless to day that we did not make it Wisconsin for the Olson Family Reunion and instead opted to return home and relax, until Sunday when Noah came home on the Megabus from Milwaukee.
With damage being minor and our lives safe again. We took stock in the stark realisation that we could have become another Highway Statistic and chages in our immediate lives. I have been thinking about how my Dump Irish Luck kept the situation from getting worse and now it is time to move on with our lives and get things back to as normal as possible with the Chemotherapy and Doctors appointments in between.
This week I see my Family Doctor and the Oncology Radiologist, which will be fun, since I have been diagnosised with lesions on my lungs and the Chemo Treatments are working to stop new occurrances from developing. I see my Family Doctor on Tursday afternoon, with my Chemo Treatment in the morning. Radiologist appointment is on Friday, then more fun next week.

Working through the Spin Cycle Called Chemotherapy

Well, since I had my treatment on Friday morning, I've been doing pretty lousy with my stomach churning away with excess acid and me chewing on Rolaids and Prilosec OTC, followed by Oyster Crackers before bed last night.
When I awake this morning at 4:15am, I was not much better, so I called off work, slept until around 9a, then got up and ate a small bowl of Cheerios with my usual spot of Tea. Sipping the Tea slowly and not gulping down the first draught helped to settle my stomach a little, then slowly eating breakfest and going through some the emails that I've received in the last 24 hours and emptying out my Junk Mail Folders, these are really great to have; since all you have to do is hightlight the first piece of junk then Ctrl-A, to select all, and then Ctrl-D, to delete, and viola the deleted items folders gets filled up with a few more pieces of trash.
I laid back down and glanced at the local Newspaper and watched the Movie called No Country for Old Men with Tommy Lee Jones, talk about a dark thriller, it was hard to follow the plot-line and how the characters came together in the end was sorta weird too...Perhaps if I find a blog online that explans it better will help me to understand it more.
With my stomach dancing around and me not getting enough sleep last night, really didn't make my day, since I was not looking forawrd to taking off the day like this, but I guess this is part of the right of passage for the Chemo Treatments that I'm going through. Carmen asked me this evening if we should go through with our plans of going to Wisconsin and to her Family Reunioin next weekend and I told her that I'm felling fine, just that my stomach is bouncing around and will do some good to get away for a few days, especially since we have plans to pick up Noah, Carmen's Youngest Son, who is visting with his father for the last couple of weeks. Well, I'm off to do some more work on getting rid of some more emails that I've been putting aside and getting them taken care of. Work is going to be interesting tomorrow, seeing how Monday's always brings the good calls with the Commerical and Residential Customers calling in with their tales of woe.
I end this with this little slice of my Technical Support tid-bit that I've statrted to collect:
Me "What version of Windows do you have installed?"
Customer "Well you the one I bought from your Company!"
Me "I am sorry, but we do not sell Windows!"
Customer says with nervous laugh "Oh, yeah!, I mean I'm not sure which version I have, I think it is Windows 2007"
Me with a slight chuckle "Ok, so you have Windows XP, then?"
Customer "Yes, that's it, Windows 2007 XP!"

Chemotherapy, Blood Tests,Waking Dream Songs and Older Sisters

So, I started the first of my 8 eight Chemotherapy treatments today. The nurse that I had was one that I really am not thrilled with getting, since she is an older nurse and seems to be scattered brained and tends to forgets things. I asked her about the 25-hydroxyvitamin D Blood Test and whether it had been ordered and she that she would look, upon looking in the orders, it wasn't there and I explained to her that I had discussed this with the doctor the last time I saw him and he was agreeable to having it done this time. She drew the 2 vials of blood as usual, then trotted off to the lab with them. She returns and informed me that I would not have the results of the 25-hydroxyvitamin D Test today since they have to send out for that test to be performed. I said that was fine since I figured that the lab would not be able to preform it at the Clinic.
The nurse asked me if I wanted the results of my blood work, since I like to compare it to the last time, I told her that I did. She said that she would get it to me, then proceeded to administer the treatment of drugs. When she was half through the treatment I asked her if she was going to give atropene, since the last time I was given the compastor, I ended up with abdominal cramps and cold sweats and was told thjat I would be getting the atropine from now on. The nurse said that she would have to check to see what the file said. It struck me as kinda odd that she had not looked prior to starting the second half of the treatment to see if there was any special notes to this. I will be seeing about not getting this nurse again, if she cannot check the notes and make sure that I'm getting the drugs administered that I am. What would've happened with me if I was sleeping when she started the 2nd half of the treatment and I ended up with bad abdominal cramps? A sweet apology and the compustor stopped while she rushed to administer the atropine? I think that I would've been really pissed off about this and had to discuss this with the person in charge and make it known that I wanted this nurse wrote up for this, but fortunately I was awake and asked her about it.
While taking a knap yesterday afternoon I woke up to the Monkees Song Day Dream Believer rolling around inside my head and Carmen coming into tell me that my 2nd oldest Sister called and the two of them getting into a discussion about me and chemotherapy.....Anywhoo, Carmen was upset about a few comments that was said by by Sister. Let's just say that my call back to my Sister didn't go much better, especially when I tried to play peace keeper and tell my Sister that I was staying on Chemotherapy as long as my Insurance paid for it. This is a typical thing with my Sister, whom I love, but there are time when she gets a little overbearing and pisses people off. So I let her go and didn't let her comments bother me, so I told her that I was 1 course away from getting my Concealed Weapons Certificattion and I'll be amazed at the results of how the story will be embellished.

Chemotherapy Continues this Week

OK, So I've not posted in about a week. Busy with work and hanging out at home. I have been informed that my Chemotherapy appoint for this week is Friday at 8:30a, then I will continue once a week and see what happens. The good news is that no new lesions have formed in my lungs and the 2 nodals in my lungs have not grown, YAY!!!!!
Anywhooo....Carmen has been busy with making Scrapbook Pages and looking up some of her old Recipes, plus getting things ready for the Family Union coming up in a couple of weeks. She has started cleaning Noah's room, since it looked like a trash bin. Typical teenager boys room, clothes on the floor along with other things that have been dropped or torn up. So far the carpet is now visible and I'll be helping her with getting the rest of the room cleaned up and the room painted again, since there is one wall that has the paint peeled off it.
More to follow on this happy trail. :)

Doing the Chemo Dance Again

It's a slow dance, that is rarely seen by the general public. For those of us who have entered into the secret underground world of Cancer, we know this Dance too well. It starts with a Port being inserted into the Upper Chest, then we go to a clinic and sit anywheres from 2 1/2 to 4 hours a day and have a recipe of Drugs pumped into our bodies, with the hope of the ending being a good result. No Cancer!!, but this is not the case all the time, especially when the cancer decides to metastasize and travel through the body to other areas. Breast Cancer is the most heard about and publicized of the Cancers, heck there is even Races and Walks for Breast Cancer. Don't start labeling me as a Breast Cancer hater, since I have an older sister who went through the Breast Cancer Ordeal 10 plus years ago and is still around to talk about it, when she talks about it, which is not that often.
I have been diagnosised with Rectal Cancer, even though the Surgeon told me that it is technically called Colo-rectal Cancer, but I like to be more specific and let people know that I have been diagnosised with Rectal Cancer, this way they have a better idea of the location and not some vague descriptor of it.
The Chemotherapist debated and even disagreed with the findings of the Report on the most recent Pet Scan that was done last week, the "Official" report notes that the nodals in my Lungs have increased in size to 2.5cm-4cm, up from 1cm-2cm, but when the Doc viewed the scans he comparatively measured the Nodals and he comes up with the size being 1cm, which he says is a good thing that the nodals have not grown. He also noted that there are no new lesions in my lungs, which is another good piece of news.
I'm awaiting the call from the Chemotherapy Nurse to see when they want me to start again and I will make sure that it is scheduled for Thursday or Fridays, since these are my days off and the treatment is only for 2 1/2 hours once a week, which is what I really enjoy. I also see the Oncology Radiologist in a few weeks, so I'll be happy to see what he says about the PET Scan results also.
I'm anxious about starting treatment again, but like I've read ion other blogs online, you have to be grateful for the little advances and not ungrateful for the lost battles. For every piece of good news,is a blessing in itself and being thankful for these small pieces of good news is something to be cherished. So it looks like the Chemo Dance is going. Then in 2 months I'll have another PET Scan done again, then we'll see what happens.
In the mean time life goes on, with working my 10-hour days for 4 days, then getting 3 days off. I will be looking forward to the 2 days off that I'm not getting Chemo and being able to relax and not worry about the treatment.

Post-PET Scan and Chemotherapist Vists

Well, I had the PET Scan on Thursday afternoon. The San went really well and I liked getting it done at the Toledo Clinic, since the machine is newer and can do a little better job of scanning. I didn't have to put my arms above my head and get my elbows hitting the bottom of the Tube when they moved me in and out. The only down side was that I had the appointment at 1:30p instead of the morning like I usually do these types appointments, so from now on I'll make sure that the PET , MRI Scans, etc... are scheduled for the morning and I don't have to wait for long to get back to my regular schedule.
I go to see the Oncology Chemotherapist this afternoon and I'm sorta apprehensive about this appointment. I know that I will be facing at least 1 or 2 more Chemotherapy Treatment, but I'm concerned with what will happen next; especially after completing Chemotherapy and Radiation Treatments in April of this year, then finding out that I had lesions on my Lungs, that was not there with my last PET Scan in October 2007. I was feeling really proud of myself that I had jumped through 28 Radiation sessions and continuous Chemotherapy. Then getting the news that the Cancer had seemingly metastasized and went into my lungs and formed lesions, this just blew the wind outta my sails and made me feel like I had lost the battle and was slipping backwards, ever so slowly, then my Chemotherapsit came up with the new course of action with me doing 6 weeks of Chemotherapy and taking 2 weeks off between the 4th and 5th treatment, so the PET Scan could be done.
My biggest concern is that I will become the life-timer who spends the rest of my natural life cycle on going between Chemotherapy and Radiation Treatments to combat the disease and end up with no complete solution to the problem. I plan on asking the Chemotherapist about this today, since the last time he mentioned that he would be able to help me and that I didn't have to worry about the end of life cycle. But, i still have this urge to get my things in order, like one friend told me this is the "Pregnant Woman Syndrome", where towards the end of the Pregnancy the woman just wants to get it over with and have the baby and get on with it. I haven't got any type of arrangements set for the final days of my Life Cycle, but I've been sorta pointing this off, since I really don't want to face that right now.
Yes, I have a will which stipulates my wishes for the State of Ohio's Probate System, but it is out dated and was done when I was married about 9 years ago and one lawyer told that I could just add a codicil to it which would update my wishes and let me stipulate who I wished to be the Executor of my Estate and how I wanted my assets distributed in a timely manner. I already have a codicil stipulating that I want to be cremated, since I cannot see the sense behind spending money on a box and a plot to put my body until it decays. If my Executor cannot find a little room on the bookshelf for me then I guess I really not liked that well and they can decide what to do with me.
Anyhow, enough with the depressing stuff and time to concentrate on getting through today and finding out what the Chemotherapist says. I have found some information on the web about the correlation between Vitamin D Deficiency and Cancer and I'm interested in seeing what the Chemotherapist says about this.
Well until the next blog update, I'm ending this here, before I get into the ongoing rant and whine mode, which doesn't do me any good.

PET SCan and Chemotherapy Seesions

Well, I got the call about the next diagmostoic PET Scan and it is scheduled for this Thursday, July 31st at 1:30pm. The Radiologist went over the list of do's and don'ts the night before and of course the biggest don't is NO CAFFEINE 24 hours before the test, but I can drink all the unflavored Water that I want, yum yum....LOL. I see the Chemo Oncologist on Aug 5th at 4:15 to see if he wants to continue with the Chemo or change course again and go a different direction.
The course change is what I'm hoping for, since I have grown tired of the Chemo, I know it's only been like a month of treatments, for once a week; but I'm tired of getting poked with the needle and having to sit for 2.5 hours while the Chemo Drugs drip through my port. :(
I will go through separation anxiety again, when I have to stop and I will enjoy hearing the words that I don't have to come back again for more treatments. I also see the Radiology Oncologist in August and I'm waiting to see what they have to say about the recent treatments and how I'm doing.
I am also starting to get excited about going to see Carmen's Family and meeting some of her Dad's Sisters and getting to know them a little better. Carmen's Brother Sam and his Fiance' will be there also and it will be great to see them again, after 2 years. I know Carmen is really getting pumped up to drive up and meet some friends in Milwaukee, then driving onto NW Wisconsin. I will enjoy the drive out from Milwaukee to the Humbird/Fairchild, Wi Area. I think initially that we will meet up with Carmen's parents in Farichild and drive from there to the Camp Ground, that her Cousin runs. The driving schedule is leave in the afternoon on August 20th, drive to Milwaukee, spend the night and leave from there on August 21st with Noah in tow and go to the Olson Family Reunion 2008 Edition. The official Reunion is on Saturday August 23rd. We will return to Toledo on August 24th and I will resume my regular work schedule on Monday August 25th.

Blog Direction and Lunch with Firends

Well, I'm still trying to figure out what direction to go with this whole blog thing. I've started blogs on other sites and I've gotten tired of the sites policies changing or just the way the site was setup and lack of control.
Carmen, my Fiance', has her blog here also and at another site which has made national headlines over the last year or so. She decided to get a way from the other site, because of the BS of the site and How it is nothing more then a High School Popularity Contest and the endless survey's about your love life, your sexual preferences, etc.... After a while, it gets boring and nerve wrenching to have the crap surveys coming through. HELLO!!! Don't people have a life that is more interesting then one endless survey? I guess not.
Trying to arrange lunch with a friend who is taking a half day off work is getting to be a pain in the asrse also, he cannot commit to where to meet him and I get an IM from him saying for me to meet him at his house at 12:45 and if he is late forgive him. It seems he has plans with his Wife to go to an afternoon movie and is trying to sandwich the lunch in between, so Carmen and I made the decision to go to Olive Garden and I just IM's him this and if he isn't there then too bad. Carmen and I will enjoy ourselves and the Soup and Salad Lunch will be fantastic as usual.

Being A Cancer Survivor or Waiting for the Last Shoe to Drop

The craziness started back in May 2007 when after suffering from what I thought was constipation and hemorrhoid's for a few months, turned out to be a Rectal Tumor, I was being treated by my family doctor who thought I was suffering from the side-effects of Blood Pressure meds, and I was following his advise and eating high fiber diet and even at one point was taking over the counter Fiber, you know the one that the tablets are about the size of Quarter and if they wasn't chewable would be a pain to shallow, ugh!!!!!
Any how, I went to Family Doctor told him that the Fiber Diet just wasn't working and told him that I wanted to see a Gastrointernalogist for the Colonoscopy, which was performed on May 24th, I was already taking Iron Capsules by this time, since the Gastrointestinal said that I looked a little anemic. On May 29th I get the frantic call from the Gastrointernalogist who reported that it looked like I had cancer of an "Abnormality" that he found in my Rectum. So, he scheduled the appoint with the Surgeon.
On Thursday 24 May, I had a CT Scan of my lower Pelvis and on Friday, 25 May, the Surgeon confirmed that I had Cancer of the Rectum and that the Tumor is approx 2 inches in diameter and was ulcerated in the center. The Bad news has not really set in yet, since I've been trying to keep myself busy. I have an appointment with the Radiologists on 1 June 2007, to start a 6 week course of radiation to shrink the Tumor. The Surgeon advised that as of Friday, if he was to remove the Tumor that he wouldn't have any tissue left to try and rebuild with, and he hopes the Radiation will shrink the tumor enough, since it's between a Class 2 and Class 3. The Surgeon said that hopefully the Tumor will shrink enough to a Class 2, and give him between 1 inch to 4 inches of tissue to rebuild with, otherwise I will be faced with a colostomy, but I'll have Life to live out.
Carmen has been a great support of me and I know that she'll be there for me in the future also. I have told my family and they seem to be supportive of me and have said that they'd help me out if I needed.
In June 1st 2007 I saw the Oncology-Radiologist, who was really great and sat down and made suer that I understood what was going to happen and the treatment schedule and that it was going to be 6 weeks and the possible side-effects. The next week I was scheduled to see the Oncology-Chemotherapist, which was good. When I saw him and he examined me, he informs me that he can shrink the tumor and he wanted to postpone the Radiation Treatments, so he quickly exits the exam room, calls the Radialogist and comes back in and informs me that he has setup an agreement between the two of them that Chemotherapy would be done first then I would have Surgery and Post-operative treatments accordingly.
All the while I was bouncing around with the doctor appointments and working, I felt like I had become a machine that was just performing the job. My life was starting to get really errrrrriiiieeeee, getting up in the morning, going to work for 10 hours, coming home, trying not to over think the happenings, keep up a normal life (whatever that was had been changed at this point) I would start my day off at 4:30a, be to work between 5:30a and 5:45a, logged into the phone by 6a and working until 4:30p for four days, then getting 3 days off was also filled with more doctor appointments or just trying to relax and not get stressed out over the diagnosis of Cancer.
Eventually the Port was installed underneath my right pectorial region and I had to get use to the lump there and having it there. Pre-operative Chemotherapy was being performed on Wednesday. I would go into the Chemotherapists office for 4 hours, then come home with a pump attached to me for 48 hours of 5Fu to pumped through my body and I had to get use to sleeping with the pump and carrying it around with me and not pulling the needle out of my chest when getting up quickly. Yes, I came close a couple of times and was sharply reminded one time when I got the IV Tubing caught on the end of the bed post and was quickly walking out of the bed room. After double checking that I had not yanked the needle out and the pump and tubing was still hooked up, I walked out of the bed room and reminded myself not to let that happen again, since my chest was now throbbing.
The Chemotherapy started in late September, yes I know sounds like the Rod Stewart Song lryics, and by the first week in October I was officially off on Disability. This meant 60% of my pay would be deposited into my bank account weekly and I did not have to worry about getting up for work any more. Arrangements had already been made for me to work from 8a until 6:30p, then I was taken off on disability and didn't have to worry about getting up in the morning.