April 26 Chemo Day +5

 The last two weeks were miserable, the immuno therapy drug killed my appetite. I didn't lose as much weight but still lost some.  Still having issues eating, if I am tired can't keep anything down. Still have to force myself to eat most days.  They adjusted my drugs again, so I am eating a little better but not much.  So it is improving, hopefully it will get even better as time progresses til my next treatment, maybe I won't lose as much weight.  Other than that, having the usual side effects, cold sensitivity, tired, and that is about it for now. Still getting rest so that is good.  Dr. is please with my progress, so still winning.

April 12/13 Chemo Day and Chemo date +1

 The last two weeks were miserable, the immuno therapy drug killed my appetite drastically to the point I lost 9 lbs.  Had to force myself to actually eat.  So they adjusted my drugs (added a steroid to my Chemo) so now instead of finishing about 1:30, I finished about 3.  But now I am able to eat at least 2 meals a day.  So it is improving, hopefully it will get even better as time progresses til my next treatment.  Other than that, having the usual side effects, cold sensitivity, tired, and that is about it for now. But at least I am eating 2 small meals a day, hopefully that will increase as time goes on.  Tomorrow, I get "my little friend" (my chemo pump) removed.  Usually after that I am able to get more rest and eat more,  hopefully the trend will continue.  

Until next time, WINNING.

March 29 - Chemo Day

 Well went in today for Chemo, after the bloodwork my platelets were at 100,000, although last week when I told him I had a donor, he started laughing because I wasn't that bad yet (and he might not have started laughing if I hadn't led in with "I got a guy...").  Yes according to norm it was still low, but not enough to cancel the session, so after my Appointment they lit me up.  And like always I tolerate it at a level that amazes the staff, but the results are making them happy, Tumor shrinking, all organs clear, and I gained weight which means my body is absorbing nutrients.  Added an new drug, an immunotherapy drug, which is designed to target cancers with a certain protein signature, which my cancer happens to have, it will also boost my immune system, but we definitely have to watch for side effects as some can be severe.  But if my body handles like is has handled everything else then I am not the least bit worried.  Have said this before but will say it again,  going to win this battle.  Plain and simple.  Don't need or want sympathy, because we all know where it lies in the dictionary, between shit and syphilis, an appropriate place for it.

So one of my Infusion Angels (my name for the nurses there), gave me my drugs and explained every step to Kevin so now he knows what is happening and is not as upset by this all.  Not going to name the nurse because when I go there it doesn't matter which nurse I get, the all make you feel comfortable and able to beat this.  The care and comfort they provide makes it easier to deal with, you are overwhelmed at first but they get you through it, and eventually it becomes routine, although Carolyn thinks we are one of the favorites because 1)  I am upbeat and very straight forward that I plan on winning and 2) Because they are so caring Carolyn sometimes makes them gifts for the nursing staff (so far, personalized masks and shirts) because I don't think a lot of the patients there no how hard their job is, they are dealing with cancer patients, some of which will lose the battle, so I have nothing but High Praise for these ladies.

Finally they hooked me up to a pump, which is something that always happens, Kevin now understands it all and is more comfortable with everything that's going on.  So I get that removed Wednesday, and then get the car repaired.  So busy week ahead.

So all in all, making progress and all is looking good.

Mar 22 Chemo Day

 Well, this week went differently than in the past.  After the blood work was done, my platelet count is down to 64000, and the Drs cutoff is 75000.  So he postponed my chemo for a week.  Later he called with what he terms is good news (it's just more news to me).  He is going to add an immunotherapy drug to my treatment, because 1)  It will boost my immune system and 2)  It attacks cancer with a specific protein signature, which my cancer has.  And for those of you who worry, this is not instead of chemo, it is in addition to the chemo.  So we are going even heavier on the attack.  I think the Doc is doing this because he has seen how well I am handling the Chemo, and that I am improving faster than he thought. On an even better note, I have gained some weight, so my body is absorbing the nutrients needed from my food. Good sign, now I just need to start exercising so I can keep it under control.  But back to Chemo next week.  We took Kevin with us so he could see what was going on to relieve some of the anxiety from this.  So we are going to try again next week.

On other fronts, against my will but in accordance with Dr's advice (3, my GP, my endocrinologist, and my Oncologist because the cancer and treatment compromised my immune system) Carolyn and I got the first shot of the Covid 19 vaccine.  Our second shot is April 20.  If you are in Illinois and are a patient of the HSHS group (St. Elizabeth's and assorted local Doctors.) then you can logon to their MyChart site and if you haven't done it yet, create an account, this will allow you to access your medical info from current and past visits.  There is also an spot where you can sign up for the Covid vaccine.  We signed up on Sat, and were able to schedule an appointment for today.  Could have had an appointment yesterday, but had to many appointments already.  Carolyn's arm is bothering her (an expected side affect) me on the other had, am fine now, but will probably feel like crap tomorrow and Thursday (just like when I got the flu shot).

Speaking of which, Carolyn's vertigo is getting better, she had her second physical therapy appointment (for vertigo?  But yes there is physical therapy for it) yesterday.  So she is much better.

So I am still winning, and look for further updates.

March 8 Chemo Day

 Mar 8, Chemo Day.  Went over CT Scan with a nurse practitioner who verified what we got out of the results from the portal, organs and lymph nodes are clear, and the tumor is shrinking.  So I am winning, as I said in the beginning, I was going to beat this, and I am going to win.  Appetite is not slacking off so I am eating good (6 months of a soup diet makes you kind of hungry).  Chemo went well, watched a couple of movies and took a nap (one of the first drugs is Benedryl).  Got my chemo, and then my pump for the next three days (Wednesday it comes off).  Went to Drakes for late lunch and ate about half (if you see the portion sizes you will understand why, Kevin only ate half his burger).  We had to talk the Manager to compliment the food and the service, they had no problem accommodating special needs due to the Chemo (like I have to avoid anything really cold for about a week and a half after chemo due to cold sensitivity). When I mentioned the cold thing the server was like, no problem and was happy to make sure I got what I needed and wanted.  When I told all this (and she really appreciated that we wanted to talk to her for good things), I mentioned how her server helped with my cold sensitivity issue with drinks and such (and you don't know how much I appreciate this because some places say your out of luck), and explained why I had it due to chemo, she did something I was neither looking for or expected.  She comped our entire meal, and even when I told her that, that was not necessary she insisted (and yes even though she comped the meal we gave the server a tip - probably a little bigger than normal but with the way we were treated it was worth it.).  

  So this has been a good day, Carolyn's vertigo is improving, my scans showed progress, side effects are bother me to much even though I am on max dosage in chemo (they are getting stronger and stronger side effects, but that is to be expected).  And to top it off, had a great lunch (with leftovers for dinner) and a very good restaurant who understands what good customer service is.  Oh and the Dr. loved my "Let the Shenanigans begin" T-Shirt and my "Kiss My Shamrock" face mask.....LOL.

  So all in all, I am winning and will continue to do so.

K

CT Scan

 At my last Chemo session, my Dr. scheduled me for a CT Scan, to, as he put it, see how much we have killed.  Had the scan today and got the results already (I love these medical portals), we had to spend some time deciphering the medical jargon, but the outcome was this, it hasn't metastasized, is not in the chest or any of the organs or colon/intestines, not in the lymph nodes, basically looks like it is mainly in the stomach.  And that tumor is shrinking, so the phrase is Winning.  Of course we are looking at more max chemo to kill it all.  The phrase I use when talking to the Doc, "Saturation Bombing"  or let's kill it all and let God sort it out. Carolyn has already come up with a new phrase for a chemo shirt for me (I actually came up with the phrase...LOL).  Cancer brought a fucking knife to a Gun Fight.😃

Latest Update on My Cancer Journey

 Let's see, since my last chemo treatment what has happened?  I am eating solid foods, and by solid foods I mean, Hearty Gumbo, Chicken soup, Cheese burger (without the bun for now), Spaghetti with noodles, chili with noodles, chili with hot dogs, beans and hotdogs, All types of eggs, with toast, and some with ham, Popeys chicken with mac and cheese and potatoes and gravy, Bandana's BBQ (brisket, chicken, Ribs), with mac and cheese, BBQ Baked Beans, coleslaw, and Homemade Lasagna.  People ask Carolyn if I have my appetite back, I never lost my appetite, I lost the ability to eat solid food.  And now I can Doc was happy too,  when I discussed my chemo I referred to "Saturation Bombing" (for those without military background that means total destruction of the enemy and their resources) the doctor agreed with with my attitude as far as treatment, because we already are seeing progress I have a new CT Scan Mar 4 to see what's going on.  I seems that things are progressing well, but how well remains to be seen.  But at least it seems like things are going the right direction.  And the warm weather helps with the cold sensitivity so hopefully we can keep it for a while.  And with being able to eat, my weight loss is slowing down, my strength is coming back and my energy levels are increasing, I still get tired but it is at the end of the day.  So it is looking better.