Sunday longer run

Well I was feeling aerodynamic today as I headed out for a 60 minute run with Lori.  Everything went well and no toque required.  Still feeling good and getting ready for the start of the New Year and the beginning of cycle #2.

Houston we have Velcro...

Well today did not go exactly as planned.  The drain in the shower was not working very well this morning as I noticed water in the bottom of the tub only to discover the drain screen blocked by what appeared to be hair; my hair!  when brushing, it continued to fall out and my brush did indeed look like road-kill so I decided rather than living in denial it was time for a trim.  Long story short I now have Velcro in place of my hair.

Before...

 

After...

 

 

 

I have never had short hair let alone the Velcro look and feel so it is a bit different for me, and also a bit chilly.  I guess I will need to get a hat or toughen up a bit.

 

Well that is the news for the day, and a big hug of thanks to Penni for my new doo.

 

 

 



 





Saturday AM

Well, I continue to feel good.  Planning on doing a few little projects around the house today and will head out for a longer (60 minute) run tomorrow AM, let me know if you want to join me.  Chat to you all tomorrow after the run.

Later that same day

Well, it is now later in the day and I am feeling good with no ill effects from the quicker run this morning.  I will take a couple of days from running but I think I will be OK with two 30 minute and one longer run in a week, if weather is bad I will hit the trainer.

The day after boxing day

Well, we took the day off yesterday.  We make it a point not to go shopping on boxing day so we spent the day cleaning up from Christmas and enjoying ourselves by listening to music practising our bass and guitar and even watched a couple of movies, very relaxing day.

We are both back to work today and headed out for an early AM run, Lori having an medium long run and I just wanted to see how I was doing.  I am feeling great these past few days and wanted to see if I could manage any sort of speed.  I set out for a quick 5K warming up for the first K and cooling down for the last.  I tried to maintain an even sub 4:30/km pace for the middle three K, I was sub 4:30 but not an even pace, I am out of practice but know that it will all come back.  It was tough to keep the pace up for the last bit but I managed, I'll see how I feel throughout the day as it has been a while since I pushed my heart-rate this much even for this short a period.  The run felt good and I am exhilarated from being able to run anything close to a 4:30.

I have some preliminary test results back from both the MRI and my blood-work.  The MRI report came back mostly normal and I will need the doctors to translate the report details before I post anything about it here; but, mostly normal is very good.  Blood work I can share and it is exciting for me to share as I believe it is the best indication on how I am responding to the treatments, all blood count markers are in the normal (for a regular person) range except for my Lymphocytes which are still a bit low.  My platelets are back in the normal range where they have not been since I was diagnosed and prior to treatment I was cautioned that I may need a platelet transfusion because they were so low.  Some very positive results to carry me through to the New Year and my next appointments with the nurse and oncologist prior to the second cycle starting.

Enjoy the day and I'll post later on to let you know how I am feeling after the run but I don't imagine it will be anything but positive.

Merry Christmas

All is well, enjoy the day and remember to do a kind deed for a stranger this week.

 Have a very merry day.

Christmas Eve

Well, I am more than half way through the first cycle of treatment and feeling good.  Yesterday I noticed a slight tingling in the tips of my thumbs but other than that no real side-effects from the first cycle.  We are happy with how it has gone so far and feel that this first treatment has made our Christmas a very positive one.
Thanks for all your support, have a very merry Christmas.

Ooops, sorry about that.

I got busy yesterday, and neglected to post.  All is still very well, I was out and about yesterday helping Santa out a bit by delivering a few little presents to folks and then off to the land of grocery stores where everyone seemed to be buying enough food to get them through the end of the next Mayan calendar, I mean really two carts full of food?  Oh well I survived.

I am officially done with shopping for Christmas and even have all the wrapping done and it isn't even the 24th yet; I am way ahead of schedule. 

I continue to feel great these past few days and even went for another 30 minute run with Lori and Amanda this morning, just a nice easy pace as Lori warmed up for her workout.  I am absolutely amazed at how good I feel, I have not felt this good for more than a year.  I am still cautious of over doing it and won't push myself with the activity but it does feel good to run again.

Blood tests tomorrow then again next week prior to seeing the Onc and starting the second cycle of treatment.

Take care and write to you soon.

It's Friday

Well Friday is here.  I feel really good today, my sinuses may have actually started to be normal again and my mouth and teeth are normal again too.
The run yesterday seems to gone well except for the fact my legs are reminding me that I took some time off, a bit tight in the quads today.  It did feel good to be out there running again and mentally it did wonders for me, I will take a few days off before I run again but soon (energy permitting) I want to get back to 3 days a week of 30 minutes exercise whether running or on my bike trainer.
Lori and I are finally all set for Christmas with only minor wrapping left to do and then it is just eating...
Feeling great today, talk to you again soon.

Start of Cycle 1 Week 2

Today has gone similar to the past couple of days, I feel good.  My sinuses continue to drain a little bit and by the end of a full day of work (now from home) my voice gets tired, no complaints as I still feel better than I have in a while.
Today as I mentioned I worked from home and that being the case I decided this early AM that I would join Lori for the first 30 minutes of her morning run.  It has been well over a month since I have gone for a run so 30 minutes was lots and Lori set a nice steady pace.  I felt good after the run and I had no fatigue or strain as a result, it has not been since early September that I have been able to say that.
For my treatment future today I started the first of two weeks recovery.  That means no pills, no IV and my immune system will start to weaken between today and a week from now, then it will gradually build in the following week and ideally reach a full recovery prior to me beginning the second cycle of treatment (early January).
I have had a couple of questions come up on a somewhat regular basis so I will answer them here:

• Nausea? None for me thanks!  prior to the IV I take a few anti-nausea pills and then 12 hours later and again 24 hours later I take another.  I also have some bonus pills that I can take up to every 4 hours if needed.  I have been told that it is way easier to prevent nausea than it is to deal with it, I have only had two times where I felt like I needed to take an additional pill that was over the past weekend and not really worth mentioning previously as it was a just in case I feel bad.  Other than that no nausea at all.

• Hair today, but how about tomorrow?  Those that know me know that I have been rock'n the pony tail for more than 20 years now and have only very recently had a trim to get to what most consider "long hair", so this question comes up often.  There is a 60ish% chance that I will loose some or all of my hair...they promise it will grow back and I am good either way. So far the shower drain still runs clear and my brush still looks like a brush rather than road kill, no sign of hair loss. Whew!  I do promise to post photos if I become one of the Egg men

We continue to be cautiously optimistic around how things are going, I am told that the next week as my immune system is weakened will be a bit tougher but then I will feel better the following week.  I am also expecting that with each future cycle of treatment the side-effects will be greater; on the other hand I am told that fitness and attitude play a big part in this so we are good to go.

Thanks for the continued support and of course thanks for reading.

Stirred not Shaking

Today has brought a slight decline in my energy levels, which for those working closely is likely welcomed.  I am still feeling good just not on the edge of vibrating.  Had a good sleep last night nad am ready for the day.
The gang at work surprised me today with a card filled with lots of best wishes and kick butt messages which I very much appreciate!

This evening I am off for an MRI on my lower back so I will get the chance to say hello to the folks in medical imaging again.  The thought behind the MRI is to double check that there is not a mechanical problem with my back and that the pain is as suspected, related to my lymphoma.

Will of course keep you in the loop.

First day clean from cycle 1

Well, no pills today!  I am still a bit on edge but better than yesterday and although my cheeks are still tender they too are getting better.  I did not have a great sleep last night only about 4 hours or so but still have lots of energy for the day. 
I will keep you in the loop but so far so good...

Well I made it through the day.

The rest of the work day went well and aside from my mouth being a bit sore and towards the end of the day my throat was getting tired; I guess I really do talk a lot, I felt good the entire day.  This evening I still had energy and was feeling positive about the first active cycle of my treatment, now I am on the the recovery phase of this cycle.  We are hoping that the feeling good continues and that we continue to see the positive changes in the lymphoma as I can no longer see or feel any of the depressing little bumps in my neck.
I don't have anything more to say for today, again fingers crossed that this continues.

Half way through the workday

Well I have made it to lunchtime and doing well, I am doing well and actually getting things done in a productive manner.
My mouth still hurts when I start to eat or drink anything but it goes away quickly and I still have my appetite and am still enjoying the taste of food so no complaints.  The edge is slowly going away and I am beginning to feel like my normal self as the day goes on, I will make it through the day and will write back tonight.

Thanks

Cycle 1 Day 5

Well last day of the pills today!  I woke-up feeling great, a good night sleep and the best I have felt in the morning for a few months, drugs are wonderful.  I am sticking with my plan of working at the office today, tomorrow and Wednesday then from home on Thursday/Friday.

My mouth is still a bit sore but not as bad (so far) as yesterday.  I will post later today to let you know how the day went, fingers crossed.

Cycle 1 Day 4

Another pretty good night of sleep, woke up groggy and a bit out of sorts.  Did a few things around the house and am quite edgy; likely the prednisone but only one more day of it and then I get to clean up for a couple of weeks.  My mouth is a bit on the tender side today as well but keeping well hydrated seems to help with that.  My appetite is down a little but I am eating well and Lori makes sure that I am keeping up my end on the Christmas treats...

Cycle 1 Day 3

No IV today yippee!  Just a couple of little pills, that give me the mild shakes and feeling like I have had way too much coffee.  Feeling pretty good again today after a fairly good sleep with a spot of no sleep in the middle but after an hour or so I was able to get back to sleep.  Good news is that I can already see the changes happening!  Some of the bumps in my neck and jawline have shrunk or gone completely!!!  A very good morning.

I have been out getting some shopping done just in case this good feeling goes away, but still feeling good.  I hope it continues but I am not counting on it so I am making the best of the better moments!

Enjoy your day.

Cycle one Day two

Today was a longer day of treatment.  The Rituximab treatment is a mono-clonal antibody that can trigger an immune response similar to an allergic response, so they do it over a slow drip and gradually increase the flow, this was to take between 8 & 10 hours.  Fortunately they have a WiFi connection and I have on demand movies and such so the time passed quite quickly.  In between movies and around my lunch Tom & Catherine popped in for a few minutes to say hello to the nurses that they have come to know, oh they said hi to me as well, Tom has officially won our competition I concede.

Just after they left I started to feel an itch in the back of my throat and had a chill come on, I called the nurse over and she promplty called the doctor and took my vitals.  A couple of hystamine blockers later with a slow down in my IV drip and I was off to the races again and doing so under two very warmed blankets, how luxerious.  The rest of the treatment went quickly and I was done in just over 7 hours, feeling a little groggy but fine otherwise.

My chaufer  pulled the car up front and dropped my home, thanks again James, guess I should get you a cap.

As I said I am feeling fine and think I am handeling the treatment well.  Here's hopin gI am doing so well because those cancer cells are taking the big hits!

I will let you all know how it goes over the next few days as I wrap up my prednisone pills over the weekend and then recover for a couple of weeks.  Between here and then I have an MRI for my back and several blood tests to take.  I will stay in touch on these as well.

Thanks again for reading and do call, email or comment here if you have any questions.

Don

Nearing the end of Cycle 1 Day 1

Today was a stressful day for both Lori and I, and I suspect some of you as well.  After I dropped Lori off at work I headed back home to relax for a bit and double check that I had everything I was supposed to bring with me to the clinic, a short walk later and I was there right on time.

 A quick check in at reception, two minutes of waiting then escorted to a large room with a dozen recliner chairs and large windows covering two of the walls it is actually quite bright and cheery.  There was another guy there but other than that I had my pick of chair, # 7 seemed like a good choice as it was in the corner of the two windowed walls.  I settled in and the nurse came over and double checked that I was the correct patient and then went over how and what was going to occur.  Just boring details really and you have heard it from me before...

The staff and volunteers were all fantastic, there was WiFi to help pass the time and before I knew it Jim popped around the corner and kept me company for the last little while before giving me a ride home, the entire session was just over an hour.

The rest of the day was spent resting and waiting to see what was going to happen...nothing I feel pretty normal a few itchy spots and a bit of bloating but pretty good over all.


Tomorrow is a much longer day and will take between 8 and 10 hours so I will write when I get home or when I wake up on Saturday.

Thanks for checking in!

Home

I have safely returned home from my first treatment (thanks Jim), am feeling fine.  More later...

It's here, the big day

Cycle one starts today and I am not sure how I feel about it.  I slept well last night, am having my morning coffee and will have breakfast shortly.
We have received lots of email and phone calls of support and we both thank you for those as they mean so very much to us.  It is nice knowing that we have so many people we can turn to if we need anything.
I am getting CV&P today and it should take a little more than an hour; C&V are by IV and P is by pill.  I plan to walk over to the clinic and have are friend Jim getting me home, I asked him to bring a bucket just in case.  Here's hoping he's Scotch Guarded his upholstery, actually here's hoping we don't need to test it.:-)
Lori and I have discussed whether she should come with me for my treatments and saw no need for her to miss work to watch me get an IV, how depressing.  I know that she supports me and gives me everything she has and there will be staff and volunteers there to help me if I need it.  I will call her right after the appointment to let her know how it all went.

Treatment Plan

So what's the plan?  Well here it is, the treatment for me is called CVP + R  and is a combination of pills and IV drugs.

C= Cyclophosphamide, V=Vincristine, P=Prednisone and the R=Rituximab

C&V are typical chemo drugs that generally kill or weaken specific types of cells in the body, both cancerous and non-cancerous.  P is a steroid and helps the body provide energy  and encourages new cell production.  R is pretty cool, it is a monoclonal anti-body that target a specific protein molecule (CD-20) on the outside of my cancerous blood cells.  Once attached to the cell R flags the immune system that it is a foreign entity and needs to be dealt with, thus the cancerous cell is destroyed by the immune system.  This is a very targeted medication that is relatively new (a couple of decades) and has really changed the success of treating my type of cancer.

So I am on a three week cycle which means that every third week I have a treatment and then for the next two weeks my body will recover from the treatment, they will run some blood tests to ensure I am recovered enough for the next cycle and repeat.  After 4 cycles I will have a PET scan to see if the cancer is gone, if yes I will be done after 4 treatments; if not then I will go to 6 and have another scan, if it is gone I am done; if not I will have 8 treatments.  Here's hoping for 4.

For the first cycle I will take P by pill for 5 days and have C & V by IV on day one followed by R by IV on day two.  This is because R can cause allergic reactions and they need to give it to me very slowly for the first treatment (8 - 10 hours).  For the remainder of the cycles C,V & R will be given on day 1.

So that is the treatment and it starts for me next Thursday (13th) AM.  If you want more details on it you can go to the following link, http://www.bccancer.bc.ca/NR/rdonlyres/30FDD508-96AC-4555-B682-294EA3635B06/54985/LYCVPR_Protocol_1Jan2012.pdf

So I will have no surgery and no radiation!


 

Well time for an update

Well, after a long period of mostly silence the time has come, an update is due.
After doing so well with my ironman and my half marathon I started having a pain in my lower back and was feeling a bit run down.  I stopped cycling and cut way back on my running (only twice a week and less than an hour at a time); this did not help much.  My regular appointment with the oncologist told me that my platelet count was even lower than in the past and that my liver function scores were elevated, more tests were needed but it was looking like it might be time to start treatment. 
A bit to take in after having mostly getting back to "normal".  I had another CT scan and follow-up blood work then back in to see the oncologist.  The blood work had improved slightly but the overall trend was consistent and in the wrong direction.  CT scan showed a greater number of involved nodes and growth in previously involved nodes these plus conversation with the oncologist and our GP lead us to the decision to treat.