Flying East

Haven't posted in a while, as things have been pretty quiet. I've been feeling pretty well, and worked a full week this week. Tomorrow morning, I fly to Philadelphia for work. On Sunday, I'm planning to drive up to Manhattan and have lunch with Erica, Wes, and Kathy. I'm looking forward to seeing them. I'll have two full days of work, then fly back on Wednesday in preparation of my treatment on Thursday. Should be a good time!

Sleeping Beauty

So, I've felt better the last couple of days, and was able to get out of the house today and see some people. I stopped by my parents' house for a bit, and then stopped by Dana's parents' house to visit them. It was good to get out, even though I didn't feel anywhere close to 100%.

I made a conscious effort to sleep more during this session, and I feel like I've slept non-stop for the last three days. I have a really hard time getting out of bed in the morning, and as a result have found myself sleeping until 11:00 AM or Noon each of the last few days. Guess there really isn't anything wrong with that, as the number one way to start feeling better is rest!

Another Day in Paradise

Surprisingly, I felt okay when I first woke up. Typically, I feel pretty crappy in the morning, then feel okay in the afternoon, then start feeling crappy again in the evening. But I was actually not too bad, all things considered. I had some ginger ale and a doughnut when I first woke up (just to see if I could keep my food down), and then my parents came over and my mom made breakfast. It was nice having them over. I was able to get a little bit of work done, though I left the more complex tasks and issues for my return on Monday.

I spent most of the day watching the World Series of Poker Main Event Final Table that I had PPVed and Tivoed on Tuesday. I enjoyed watching that, though I napped off and on through it. My parents came back in the evening with dinner. I was able to keep it down, though I think I may have overate a bit. Overall today wasn't nearly as bad as I thought it was going to be. I went to bed around 9:30.

Reversal of Fortune

I had my sixth treatment today, and as I have previously discussed, despite them telling me that I should react to every session the same way, this session was completely different. During each treatment I have gotten sick and nauseous, but for the first time I had a "reversal of fortune" and was not able to keep my breakfast down. It was a bit embarrassing, but I felt immediately better afterwards. After my treatment, I immediately went home and went to sleep.

I woke up after about three hours with a pounding headache. Overall, I actually felt okay, but this might have been the worst headache I've ever had (and I've had a couple of concussions in the past!). I unfortunately wasn't able to keep any food down, though. I wasn't able to keep dinner down, and even after that I couldn't keep my gatorade down that I was using to try and keep myself hydrated. I'm worried that not being able to eat or drink anything would make me feel awful tomorrow morning.

FAQ

I've been getting some of the same questions over and over again, most typically from people not up here in Washington, so those who don't see me on a regular basis. Let's see if I can answer a few of those:

Have you lost your hair?
No. You all know I wear my hair short anyway, but I haven't lost it. The rate of growth has slowed tremendously, though. Typically, I cut my hair once every 10-14 days. I've only had to cut my hair twice since starting my treatment in May. It's actually kinda nice.

Have you lost your appetite?
Definitely not. In fact, I think I am forced to eat more. In the week after each session, if I get even the slightest bit hungry, I get extremely nauseous. This forces me to eat a lot more than I probably want to (or should).

Have you lost weight?
Nope. In fact, due to the lack of losing my appetite, I've put on weight. They weigh me before each treatment, and before my first treatment, I was 204. Before my last treatment I was 212. I have plans once this is all over to eat right and exercise, but for now, I'm relying heavily on my comfort foods - Ice Cream Sandwiches, Jack in the Box, and Double-Stuf Oreos.

Do you have any pain?
No, not really. Headaches, but otherwise the pain is limited. The chest and back pain that led me into the hospital to get this all started is gone.

Are the Tigers going to win the World Series?
Yes, assuming we can pick up another guy for the bullpen (Eric Gagne? Brian Fuentes? Chad Cordero?). If not, we'll have a hard time beating Cleveland. Boston is overrated, and will lose their first playoff series. The Angels don't have enough offense to make a run, and Seattle doesn't have enough pitching. The entire NL is a joke. The real World Series will be Detroit vs. Cleveland in the ALCS.

Are you able to go out and do "stuff"?
Yes, I can. Typically, I feel pretty normal on my "off" weekends, and am able to live pretty normally - go out to dinner, go to the driving range, barbeque, etc. Every other Tuesday, a bunch of us in the office go to the movies. So far this summer, we've seen Spiderman 3, Shrek 3, Knocked Up, Ocean's Thirteen, and Live Free or Die Hard. It looks like we're going to see Ratatouille this coming Tuesday.

What does the chemotherapy feel like?
It's interesting. I'm feeling pretty good, even as the treatment is starting, but within 5 or 10 minutes it's like someone pulls the plug on my batteries. I get really tired and sick, and my head starts spinning a bit. It's a very strange feeling, and that's the best way I can describe it.

If there are other questions, don't hesitate to email me. I like hearing from everyone! :-)

Back to Work Too Soon

This session has been interesting. The "low" of the session has not been as low as previous sessions, meaning that while I have still had the nausea and fatigue, it hasn't been as bad as previous sessions, but has seemed to linger longer. Let's put it this way: In past sessions, on a scale of 1 (one step from death) to 10 (ready to run a marathon), I've been typically a 2 the first day or two after a treatment, and then slowly chip up to a 6 or an 7 by day four. However, this time, I feel like I've been a 3 or 4 non-stop since Thursday. It's been weird. I hope I'm feeling better tomorrow.

I did try to go into work today. I had my usual trouble getting out of bed, but I was able to get into the office by 9:30 or so. I probably shouldn't have. I felt like crap the entire time I was there, and though it was great to see everyone from the office, I couldn't focus and just wasn't able to get the job done. I finally waived the white flag around 1:30 and headed home. I napped for a couple of hours, but still didn't feel better and had to bail on the Fever game (The Tri-City Fever are a minor-league Arena Football League team) that a bunch of us were going to go to. I did get a little bit of work in in the evening, and played a little bit of poker for the first time since Tuesday. But I still felt pretty awful, and climbed back into bed around 8:30.

Woke Up This Mornin'

I've done much better this time around than the previous sessions. I still have quite a bit of the nausea, and I am still quite fatigued, but no lightheadedness, and no headaches, and no sores in my mouth (knock on wood!). I've still spent the last two days prone on the couch, but I really can't complain with how this session has gone. I've been catching up on The Sopranos - yes, I know I am like 8 years behind on The Sopranos, but I am hooked on it now... Overall, things are good, and even with the one-day delay on this treatment because of the holiday, I should be ready to roll for work on Monday morning.

Independence Day +1

Since my treatments are normally on Wednesdays, but the Fourth of July was on Wednesday and the cancer center was closed, they gave me the option to have my treatment on Tuesday or Thursday. Of course I took Thursday such that I could not be sick on the holiday. Had a good holiday barbecuing with the family for lunch, then playing Tiger Woods on the Wii with Nate, and checking out fireworks with Chris and Brandon. It was a good time.

My treatment went well today, and I actually felt okay for most of the evening (relatively speaking). I still had the fatigue and nausea and headaches, but it wasn't nearly as bad as the previous sessions. I lounged on the couch watching Seinfeld most of the day, and my parents brought dinner over and we watched Jeopardy. I pooped out pretty early, and was in bed by 8:30.