Hello friends, I’m back.<\/p>\n
November 20<\/p>\n
Chemotherapy started today. It was fun! I know, I’m sick. But Andrea and I got to hang out for 5 hours and just chill while they pumped me full of toxins. I brought the laptop and we watched Lost, turning the ears of the headphone outward and sharing – it was so romantic! She’s the best.<\/p>\n
They really have tried hard to make it a nice place. I’m going to call it the chemotherapy lounge. There are two chairs at each station, with plenty of room for your gear. There are warm blankets, TV’s mounted above with headphones, and – the best part – lots of other friendly folks. We were next to a bubbly woman with leukemia, she and her daughter had smiles from ear to ear. The chair across from me was occupied by a nice old guy who has been battling colon cancer for 15 years – three separate battles – and he gave me the best advice, to watch out for the “lockjaw” affect from the oxaliplatin – a shooting pain in the jaw glands when first eating. The fact that he told me that it only lasts 5 or 6 seconds and then goes away saved me from a bout of panic, I’m sure. The other side effects, sensitivity to cold drinks and cold in general, and peripheral neuropathy, have not yet been bad.<\/p>\n
At one point, a couple hours in, the nurse popped in and said “Oh by the way, did anyone tell you? Your PET scan was totally clear”. Awesome! The news came so fast and unexpectedly that I think it took us until the next day to process it. Another win!<\/p>\n
At the end of the lounge session, I left with a pump full of 5FU. It slowly doses me through my port for 46 hours, then I come back to have it removed. The old guy showed me how to wear the pump around the waist – you can almost forget it’s there.<\/p>\n
November 21-24<\/p>\n
Starting at about the second or third day, up to Thanksgiving or a day or two after, I got a bit of nausea. So, I was glad to have the good food to help me through. I prepped my annual traditional fare, my Tom Tofu, but Andrea volunteered to cook it. Betty hosted and provided all the trimmings, for a nice feast.<\/p>\n
The only time I seemed to beat the nausea was, believe it or not, when I was running. I don’t know if the bloodflow was reduced to my stomach, but I really actually enjoyed it.<\/p>\n
November 25-28<\/p>\n
I’m feeling great! I have been running 2 or 3 miles at a pop. I have never been much of a runner because of a painful flare-up just under my left kneecap – it brings me to a standstill when it flares, after about a mile. My mum gave me an ace bandage on her last visit, and it turned out to be a good luck charm – a quick wrap and no pain! I really thanked God for that timely cure. Even better, yesterday, I forgot the wrap, and I ran 3 straight miles without a hitch. I guess the running is helping to cure the problem. Thanks again are in order, this is seriously a blessing. Today I biked to work on my beautiful new bike with my beautiful new toe-clipped shoes that Andrea ordered for me. <\/p>\n
If any of my ramblings here help anyone at all, it would make me very happy. So I have to say to anyone with cancer, if you feel nauseous, don’t let it bring you down, try getting up, on your feet, and exercising. It might just do the trick for you, too.<\/p>\n