Sunday run

Well I managed to do a few hours worth of baseboards yesterday after having coffee with Tom & Catherine in the morning.  I felt pretty good but still had a little residual anxiousness which dissipated as the day went on.  It seem the Prednisone takes just over 24 hours to stop messing me up... I slept well last night.

This morning I was out for a 1 hour easy run and it felt pretty good although it was a tough mental run as I kept telling myself I should turn back and rest, my heart rate suggested I had rested long enough so I kept going and managed to complete 11KM in the hour, I am OK with that.

I'll do some more work on baseboards today and head over to a buddies to catch a game later on in the afternoon.

The next day

Well after a less than stellar sleep, I have the lingering Prednisone hangover this morning which puts me a bit on edge and jittery.  I am hoping that this is only because the appointment was moved to a later time than usual and that it will go away later in the day.  I am feeling fine aside from that and will be keeping to my usual Saturday activities; all is well and I am now topped up until near the end of March.

Home again...

Merry Christmas all, and of course Happy New Year.

I have been back from a very uneventful chemo appointment for an hour or so but was too tired to write until now.
It went as expected and our friend picked me up then we went to get Lori from work, back home and into bed for me as Lori made dinner, I am awake and doing just fine.  About to eat so will write more in the morning.

A change in plans

Went to see the Onc yesterday and all is well!  I was surprised on how much they knew about what I had been through since my last visit.  Typically for whatever reason what happens at a hospital or other physicians office takes time to get to the Onc if it gets there at all and most of the time when I tell them about it, it is the first they are hearing of it.  Yesterday they actually told me stuff and had actually seen the reports and scans!  They checked my gallbladder thoroughly and no sign of cancer there so very good news, they also checked on the CT that the respirologist ordered to confirm my lung infection had cleared and there was no sign of any cancer related growth in my nodes; more good news.

I am well enough to have my chemo, which was the point of yesterday's appointment; however, due to scheduling challenges I will not be in today I will go in next Friday instead.  So don't worry about it when I don't write how it went today because it is not happening today, instead I will tell you all about it next week.


Thanks again for reading and chat at you then.

Ooops, one more thing

I forgot to mention my recent visit to the respirologist, after the contrast free CT scan I met with her and am happy to report that there is no sign of the lung infection at all so I have been given a clean bill of health respiratory wise and no longer in need of her services!  Good news in time for the holidays.

man is it cold out there

Well it is for Victoria any way, it has dipped to below freezing here and we actually had a bit of snow!  not enough to shovel but a bit, the wind was a little bitter making it feel colder than it was.  This nonsense should end today as we head back into our regular single digit temperatures with our customary rain and drizzle.

Other than the cooler temps the week has been good, I have been at the gym a few times and running more than a few.  I am still running slow and steady but am gearing up for the marathon in May so I'll be gradually picking up the pace and carefully increasing the distances, it feels great to be back out there.  I sure did miss it!

I have also been doing more stuff around the house so everything is now back to our normal and we are both very happy abut that.  We are not wishing the time away but we would both like to be looking at 2013 through the rear-view mirror; what a year...

6 Weeks post surgery

6 weeks yesterday was the surgery and this morning I did an easy 10KM run.  No problems other than lack of conditioning, it was slow and steady.  It looks like my excuses for not doing stuff around here are all gone...

All is well in our corner of the world.

4 weeks after surgery

I decided that 4 weeks recovery was a good point to try and start getting back to normal.  My abdomen is only very slightly tender when I stretch but other than that I am feeling great.  I did a little bit of light work around the house yesterday and had no issues at all, I decided to try a very short and very easy run this morning.  I ran 3KM at an easy pace and am feeling good with no problems so I think I will start to gradually add a bit of distance to the run and also start helping out around the house...

Lori will be so happy.

All is well and it feels great to start being active again.

What only 3 weeks since the surgery?

Well, it feels like much longer has gone by, I have convalescing (being bored) for what seems to be an eternity only to have figured out that I have another 3 weeks of this.  I have been back at the office for a couple of weeks an work is going very well, with no ill effects of full-time work on my energy levels.  This is where I am very happy to have the job I do and am especially happy to have changed careers from that of a chef as I am sure the physical demands plus the tough working conditions of the kitchen would be preventing me from working, hooray for desk jobs!

For the most part I feel 100%. I am still not doing any lifting or stretching of any kind which makes my out of work hours a bit slow.  I do find my abdomen tender when a twist the wrong way or toss around in my sleep but the discomfort is gone and I think in another week or so I'll be able to start easing into a bit more than a walk for exercise.  Lori has been VERY supportive doing the brunt of everything around the house and the yard, I am sure she is counting down the days on the calendar until I am medically cleared to do stuff around here again.

So in closing I am feeling pretty good, taking it easy and recovering well from surgery.  Next will be a CT scan as follow-up from the lung infection followed by a visit to the respirologist early in December and my next batch of maintenance "Chemo-Light" just before Christmas, actually it will be on the 20th one year and 7 days since my first chemo treatment.  Wow what a difference a year and some good medications can make.

My next fitness goal is the Vancouver marathon in May so the training will start up again after Christmas and Lori will have some company on those dark and dreary mornings as she gets ready for another kick at the Boston marathon...

Gallbladder update

I have been at home resting from the surgery now for 5 days and things are coming along nicely.  Obviously any pain or discomfort related to the gallbladder is gone :-) and the incisions from the surgery are healing up very well and quickly, I will be on the mend for another 5 weeks or so but am feeling pretty good about the past week.  Lori and I both would like to thank you all for the support over the two years or so and feel we could not have made it through with out you all.

I look forward to this being one of the last frequent posts as I move once again into a healthy lifestyle and writing only every three months as there should be no more excitement (on the health front) for some time now...

Until the next maintenance cycle, take care.

Another Gallbladder episode but this one has a happy ending...

It started Thursday early early AM when I was once again awakened by that familiar pain in my upper right abdomen.  I took something to deal with the pain and went back to sleep; this did not last long and I spent the next few hours waiting for the pain to be enough  to go to emergency, around 5AM I called the cab and was off.

I was seen immediately and given some of the good pain killers blood work done ho apparent infection or other issues so I was home by 7:30 AM feeling pretty good but in no shape to drive or work; in fact, the emerg doc gave me a direct order and a note not to work until Monday and to get my rest.

a couple of hours later I had the pain back again but not as bad, I managed an afternoon appointment with my GP and once again called on our friend Tom to be driver.  Tom brought me to my GP and I hinted that there was likely another stop I'd need him for.  I saw the doctor for a couple of minutes he looked me over wrote me a note and told me to give it to the emergency admissions person.  I did and was checked in right away.  Long story short I was admitted to the hospital with a badly infected gallbladder that had to be removed.  This was Thursday early evening and late last night (Saturday) I was under the gas and the knife, what a relief>?  I am home now and aside from the obvious discomfort of surgery I am feeling better, I'll take the time off work that they recommended and recover!

I am home and I am well!

More waiting ahead

Saw the surgeon this morning and confirmed what we already know, my gallbladder needs to come out.

I explained the recent episodes and that I have stopped exercising as it seems to help cause the episodes and that I am ready at his soonest opening with a flexible work schedule.  The outcome was I ma on the list and he has no idea how long it will take to get me in although if I have additional trips to emergency this may speed things up.  I guess I will go to emergency for every episode rather than medicating at home, this seems wasteful of our medical system but it hurts and I want to get back to my life.

Meantime I will keep my GP current with anything new and hope for the best...

Everything else is going well with no complaints so all-in-all I am good.

On a very happy note Lori ran the half marathon on Sunday and hit her target time and is now getting ready to run Boston this coming April, another winter of long running!  Life is good.

OCTOBER

I know it has been a week but I am back, all has gone well with the latest treatment and after an afternoon of rest I was fully recovered from it.  During the last week I have had a couple of gallbladder episodes that I managed t get through and I am scheduled to see the surgeon for a consultation next week.

All is well!

Later

Thanks for the ride Jim!

Well thank once again to our buddy Jim; I home safe and sound and hitting the pillow...

more later but I am just fine!

Maintenance Cycle 2

Maintenance Cycle 2 is here; blood-work checked out just fine, everything normal aside from slightly lower than normal lymphocytes and platelets all other markers were perfect!  Onc gave me a quick check-up yesterday and I am fit for Chemo today.

This is the second time in for my top-up and I am not sure how I will feel afterward, last time you'll recall I was pretty wiped afterward and slept for the better part of a day.  I have my pillow on stand-by just in case.  My appointment is in the afternoon so I will type you when I am back home.

Wish me luck and type at you soon...

non-update for you

I don't really have anything to add to the post this week; I am still not running due to the gallbladder but have been out on  my bike and at the gym a few times this week.
Last Sunday was the Challenge Penticton and the Whistler Ironman and it was a tough day for me as that was my goal for the year; but, on the plus side I had some friends at each of the events and they all did well!  I even got to watch my one friend cross the finish line with his family in Penticton, the internet is great sometimes.
Congratulations to all those friends who did the events and to their families for sacrificing another summer to the training!
Well until next time, we are both well and happy; wish the same for you.

The surgeon called

Well actually it was his office, I have an appointment for consultation in mid-October which means I will get to be Lori's water boy for the half marathon as I will not be running.  I have been finding that after a little while of running the area around my gallbladder gets uncomfortable and aches a bit so I have decided not to do that.  I have been riding my bike a few times a week instead and this has not caused any issues at all.

I continue to feel good with no need to medicate or modify my diet so all is well.

More news as I get it but assume all is well if you don't see anything!

Thanks

Another week has gone by,

I am happy to report that I have had an uneventful week!  no pain and only occasional minor discomfort, I saw the GP again this week and other than some high inflammation indicators my blood work came back normal.
I am not running as it is a bit uncomfortable and likely causing inflammation so I will set the trainer up again.

All is well as we wait for a date with the surgeon...

What a week that was.

What a week, the discomfort and apparent swelling from last Tuesday's episode took a full week to dissipate but I am now at last and finally feeling like myself again.  I have taken the time since completely off of training and have done very little around the house either, my abdomen no longer hurts when I walk or descend stairs and I am sleeping through the night without any anti-inflammatory or pain relief pill.

I have still been grumpy and continue to blame my discomfort for that so please don't let anyone else know I am OK.

Lori has been a trooper through this and I really appreciate the type of person she is!  This was not exactly how she wanted to spend our anniversary but at least I did remember and got her a card and cooked a very special bland flavourless dinner to celebrate; she ate it all and said "thank-you, that was perfect." she is very special indeed.

I went for a follow-up GP appointment and was sent for some blood tests; results indicate that I had a pretty good infection and a whole bunch of inflammation.  It is scaring me just a bit that I am learning how to interpret the results of blood tests...

I have decided to put the marathon on the back burner for the next while and see what happens with surgery date and my ability to run...

take good care of yourselves and type to you soon.

Don

Gallstone update

Yesterday I had aches, pains and a moderate fever.  I was told to watch for this as it could indicate an infected gall bladder.  I called the BC heathline and got some advice, they told me anything higher than 40'C to go to emerg.

I did not go to emerg as it never got that high, I tucked myself in bed early last night and sweated the thing out.  Felt pretty good this AM only the discomfort of a swollen gallbladder but aches or pains and the fever is gone.  The discomfort is triggered when I move about or walk so I am guessing the long run this Sunday is out.

That is it for me I am taking it easy and waiting to hear from the surgeon on when he can schedule me in to have this removed.

Later and enjoy the weekend.

I have seen the GP

Went to see the GP this AM and we discussed the events of last night/this morning, he agrees that it is time to deal with the gallstone and re-referred me to the surgeon who looked at it a year ago.  I am not in any discomfort today other than being tired.  We also talked about diet and although doc agreed that we have been eating well and food was not a trigger last night he wants us to be extra cautious with my food so we can prevent another night like last night.
I guess no birthday cake for me tomorrow...

What next...wait don't answer that.

Ok I know it has been just about a month since I last typed to you but that is a good thing!  No news is good news, I was planning on a short post tomorrow as it is my birthday and that is news (for me anyway), then it hit!

Last night around 10:30 I had the answer to my question and was awakened by a severe pain in my right lower chest/upper abdomen, it took a bit for me to realise what the heck it was but I had this pain before and it signified the return of "Mr. stupid-head" gallstone and my  gallbladder was very upset.  I excused myself from bed letting Lori know what was going on and went to another room to ride it out.

We had a sensible dinner as per usual no heavy sauces, lean meats and little fat; all was well.  After 2 1/2 hours of pretty good pain and no sign of relief we decided it was time to head to the emergency room, we hopped into a taxi (actually it was a hobble for me) and took the 5 minute ride to emerge.  Thankfully it was a slow night and we were seen right away for blood samples followed by a short wait, then another brief wait for the doctor.  They all asked the same questions and all got the same answers, severe pain in the right side fluctuating from a 7/10 to a 10/10 on the "O'Geese scale", the lymphoma story and the confirmed diagnosis of whatever the medical term is for a golf ball sized gallstone, intermittent nausea but no vomiting; OK now with vomiting!  The doctor did some additional poking and prodding, they did an ecg   and blood pressure checks through out. 

The doctor put me ordered and IV drip of fluids and then gave some feel no pain stuff in the IV as well, I remember telling Lori that this stuff (Hydromorphene) really goes to your head and then I woke up a few hours later feeling no pain and being discharged with direction to connect with my GP doctor and/or surgeon to have this addressed.

I see the GP this morning and will update when I have news; meanwhile, Lori thought you would all enjoy this...

Hey at least I have hair again.

Happy Canada Day

July is here and summer is as well, we are getting some warmer temperatures and I am enjoying them; I was able to do a two hour run yesterday (2 days after the little drip) and it felt good.  Post run I headed down to The Hub & Spoke, this is a friends' coffee shop/ restaurant that he has opened up this weekend; it is a great concept of community, cycling, coffee and beer.  He has focused on getting top notch ingredients from local folks for his menu has a bike fix area and is displaying many pieces of bike art and cycling gadgets.
I have been helping him pull his menu together for the last few weeks and this weekend I have been in the kitchen helping him sort out the plating of them as well as organise the space a bit, I think he has a great idea and it should go well.

After my long sleep on Friday I have felt very good with energy and no noticeable side-effects from the chemo!  Today is our annual Canada Day parade on the street and the theme this years is your favourite Canadian athlete, I am choosing Simon Whitfield as he is in one of the sports I do and I have had the opportunity to meet him a few times and think that he is a good person and mentor.  It is time to get our pot-luck item ready and then get ready for the parade and to be entertained by the kids on the street as they play games and explore the fire truck that usually comes by.
Enjoy the day and talk to you soon.

PS. Yesterday was our friend Frank's Birthday so wish him well when you see him!

Maintenance cycle 1 done

Yesterday went pretty well, even though I did have to take a prednisone to help me tolerate the rituximab.  There was a bit of trouble getting the IV in place and for the first time the nurses had to take multiple stabs at it, due to running into valves.  On the fourth attempt we were good to go.
I was given Benadryl and some Tylenol prior to starting the drip and a couple of hours later our pal Jim was by to give me a lift home.  I fell asleep in the chair this time which is also a first and for some reason I also crashed hard once I was at home as well.  In all I got something like 14 hours sleep and feel well rested but a little groggy this morning.

Next maintenance is in September.

Maintence cycle 1

This week is the first of my "maintenance" treatments or chemo-lite as I call it; simply put I go in tomorrow and receive a few hours of Rituximab via IV along with a couple of meds to help me tolerate it.  Rituximab is the newer anti-cancer drug that specifically targets the cancerous cells, this means that unlike the other drugs it does not have as many side-effects so I should be keeping all of my freshly grown hair and should be back up on my feet Saturday AM.  The nicest part of maintenance for me is that there are no steroids involved!  This makes me very happy as you may recall I did not much enjoy the Prednisone or the effects it had on me...

I had my blood-work done last week and it came back pretty much as expected, mostly normal but with two markers a bit lower than the norm, but climbing gradually back.  Good news!

I also had a GP appointment yesterday to follow-up on the respirologist work done over the past few weeks; this was a tough appointment for me.  The results of the bronchoscopy showed that I have an inter-cellular bacteria infection in my left lung; this is fairly common and not that big of a deal.   I also have tested positive for an anti-body (in my blood) that indicates I have recently had "walking pneumonia) also not that big a deal as it is no longer there.  The problem is that I still after three or four month have a persistent low grade cough that comes up when I am tired or when I exert myself, such as any hard training.  The respirologist was on the fence for treating me with meds for this, but after my appointment yesterday we decided it would be best to treat this now; the treatment is simply a three week course of antibiotics.  This would also mean toning down my training during this three weeks to allow my body to maintain itself; and this means I will not be competing in the Challenge Penticton this summer as I simply will not be in the condition I need to be in.  This is a bit dis-appointing for me but the smart thing to do or in this case not to do, I now need to figure out a new goal and a new vacation plan for Lori and I this summer.

The new goal is to target the Victoria Marathon in October.  There is lots of time for my training and a marathon is much easier on my system than an iron-distance tri is.  I will still ride my bike and hit the gym but I won't need to do the heavy 7 hour rides or the intense speed work on the bike and I 'll be able to re-build my fitness base to a level that will make it possible to revisit the Challenge Penticton idea for next year.

Lori and I are still discussing vacation ideas...

This morning I am off to the oncologist for our discussion prior to tomorrow's chemo-lite; I'll let you know if anything changes but likely will not post until after tomorrow's drip.

Thanks again for reading.

Bronchoscopy results

Hey there, sorry for the lapse in my writing.  I was waiting until I heard the results from the bronchoscopy and I just received them on Friday; after trying to cultivate/incubate some critters from the swabs they had no luck, good luck for me as this means that I am not growing anything new either.  I can't recall if I mentioned that after the test they took some blood samples, well the blood work showed the presence of an anti-body (insert big Latin word) that is specific to something called walking pneumonia.  This means that the time I had the big fever and few days of feeling really bad during my treatments was actually me fighting of this strain of pneumonia.  The respirologist was impressed that my immune system was able to do this while being supressed by the chemo, I am just happy that it did not get too out of hand!

The last couple of weeks has had me training on the bike and the run in an effort to get ready in time for the event in late August, I am beginning to feel the stress but it is a good stress so don't worry.  I am planning on getting to the start line and then crossing the finish in whatever time I cross the finish in I HAVE NO GOAL TIME for this one just to finish and remain healthy afterwards. training goes slowly as my coach cautiously adding time and effort into my schedule and I think my body is reacting well to this.  So far I have been in the gym, on the bike and in my runners but I know the lake is just ahead of me and that will mean swimming!  I do enjoy the swim and am really looking forward to the smaller numbers at Challenge this year and the staged start should mean that I can actually swim in a little bit of open water rather than the washing machine of the last couple years.

We have been having some fun as well; in fact, we just got back from a wonderful time in Vancouver visiting some friends and attending a gala dinner, we had a great time!  Thanks guy's!!  A very nice break and fantastic to catch-up with you.

Well off for a bike ride

thanks for reading.

Post Bronchoscopy

Friday night was a rough one, I recall them telling me that I may feel slightly flu-ish on Saturday, but Friday night just around supper-time I started to ache and within an hour I was shivering from being sooo cold. I bundled up in layers and under blankets and that helped for thirty minutes or so then I was cooking and sweating, then cold and shivering... repeat as required; I went to bed!

Saturday I awoke feeling pretty good, throat was a bit tender and I had a few aches but pretty good.  I went for coffee with some friends, did some yard work and made then replaced a door on our shed before getting Lori and taking her over to said friend's for dinner.  Back to normal?

Sunday was a long steady run, I ran around 15KM at a steady pace and felt pretty good no problem with my throat or any aches at all; things looked to be good to go.  To celebrate I made pancakes and spent the day installing more baseboards in the house.  Managed to get the hallway downstairs done as well as the small hall by the kitchen; progress and now I am out of material so 500 linear feet down a million to go or so it seems.

Monday, I am sore and achy; perhaps I over did it a bit on the baseboards?  Oh well, no training today and I am at the office so no working around the house either. A rest day, physically anyway.

After a solid night's sleep I am up and getting ready for my run this morning and then work followed by Lori's guitar lesson then a bike ride tonight then pass out after some dinner...

It is so good to be training again!!!

Well that was fun.

The bronchoscopy is done!  my throat is a tad rough and I am light headed but home having a bit of water.  They tell me all went well and I should have the results soon.  I found it slightly humorous that after fasting since dinner last night and going nearly 20 hours with out fluids that they asked me for a urine sample, I told them that they would have to take a rain check as I was not able to accommodate their  request at this time. 
No training today obvious reason, and nothing tomorrow as I am told to expect to feel flu like and some discomfort when I take deep breaths; these should both be gone by Sunday so I'll hit the road for my run then.

Cheers and thanks for reading

PS our friend is participating in the worlds long course tri which take place early AM in France on Saturday his blog is

http://timatituworlds2013.blogspot.ca/ 

Well if there is no biopsy then what??

I saw the respirologist yesterday and they agreed that the biopsy was no longer required; so instead I am heading to the hospital to have a bronchoscopy done so that we can figure out what the infection is prior to my next chemo treatment (albeit a chemo-light treatment) later in June.
I will let you know how it goes once I get back from the "procedure" tomorrow.

Biopsy we don't need no stinkin' Biopsy!!

WOW!!!  After a mostly sleepless night I went in to the imaging department for my needle biopsy of the tumor/nodule in my lower left lung this morning.  After a couple of preliminary images to locate and map the path of the needle the surgeon came into the CT room and told me that the tumor had shrunk significantly to the point that it was about half its previous size and now considered a non-cancerous nodule that my immune system should likely continue to take care of on its own!  He did not want to risk any damage to my lung and said the nodule was too small to easily get a biopsy sample from and suggested the best course of action was to monitor it by returning for a follow-up scan in 6weeks time.  I immediately called my wife and shred the great news with her and then rested for the day as I was exhausted, I guess it was more stressful than I let myself believe.

A VERY HAPPY DAY!!!

Back to training tomorrow.

Happy Victoria Day

It is a long weekend here, and I am relaxing after a pretty good week of training.  Through the past week I have felt really good health wise with the exception of Friday when I felt "off" I can't explain what it was exactly, I just felt off; Saturday I was good to go and did my work-outs without any issue. 
I can feel my body getting stronger as my training continues and for brief moments I even feel like I will be able to do better in this year's event compared to previous years; but, I am still just aiming on getting to the start line and taking whatever the day brings me.  I am just happy to be back to my typical routine and am in a bit of dis-belief that I am still healthy enough to consider an iron-distance triathlon only 5 months after completing chemo-therapy, I never would have imagined!

My wife got some great news this week, she found out that the Boston Marathon folks will allow her and the other runners who passed the half-way point but did not cross the finish line to register for next years event, looks like we are heading back to Boston for an other visit and we are both very much looking forward to the trip and the event!

Tomorrow is the day of my biopsy to find out what the nodule/tumor in my lung is.  They (the doctors) assume that it is a lung infection and will be taking a sample to determine exactly what type so that we can target it specifically, if need be.  The procedure will take a few hours as they use a CT image to guide a needle into my lung and the site of the tumor and extract a couple of samples for the testing; this will be done under local anesthesia and I will be home afterwards and back to work the next day.  I am not sure what to expect as far as how I'll be feeling so am planning on very little training this week.  It should take about a week to get the results of the tests back and I'll let you know what they are once I get them.

Until next week take care. 

Happy Mother's Day

It is Mother's Day and I have just come back from my long run; which today was just over an hour.  The past week has been a good one for me as I am back to regular training and beginning to feel fit again.  My cardio has come back really well but I have found my strength tougher to regain, the gym workouts are tough and really point to me the affect the chemo had on me.  I am not pushing nearly the weight I could last year and the aches afterward are a bit deeper, I'm sure this will get better as the training goes on it is just something I noticed.
My energy levels are good and I have been able to pull out some pretty solid efforts on the bike and the run.  It is amazing to me how quickly my body and spirit have bounced back from the treatments, hard to imagine that only 6 weeks ago I was having my last chemo treatment and now I am working-out 9-10 times a week with 5 of those being focused/intense efforts. 

I do still have a few medical things coming up, first is a needle biopsy in the nodule/tumour in my left lung.  This is most likely just some type of infection but as it has grown slightly between CT scans they want to make sure it gets dealt with properly.  The test is on the 21st and I should have the results back by the end of the month so I will keep you posted on what that brings.  My first maintenance cycle of chemo is in late June, this will only be the rituximab and the pre-meds for it so only a few hours of IV and not the harsh traditional anti-cancer meds that made up my previous treatments.  I am hoping to be back to normal within a day or so after the treatment, I'll take what I get as going in every three months for a few medications is much better than every three weeks for eleven medications!

Well that is all for now, take care and talk to you again soon.

Week 1 done

This past week was my first week back to training and it felt great to get back to my active lifestyle.  With the support of Lori and the approval from all of my doctors I will be doing the Challenge Penticton event this year.  It is an iron-distance triathlon consisting of a 3.8KM swim, a 180KM bike and a 42.2KM run, the event takes place in late August so I don't have a lot of time to get ready.
This week found me running biking and hitting the gym, I was exercising 6 days this week with a couple of days having two workouts.  the week has been pretty good although my body is reminding me that it has been less than a month since I had my last chemo appointment.  I have found that I have lost some endurance for sure but really notice the difference in my strength, the gym days were not as fun as they used to be and the day or two after was even less enjoyable.  These little aches and pains will gradually fall off as my body recalls what it is like to be fit and strong again.
Over the next few months  I will of course keep you posted on my health but also I will include some stories about my training. 

later...

Not Quite Resting

We have been home for a while now and I have not posted an update so here goes; on the medical front I had some more blood work done as well as another CT scan to see how I was doing post chemo.  Blood work was pretty much as expected, with a few markers out of the normal range but improving.  The CT shows the majority of my nodes are back to normal size with only a few slightly enlarged, very good news.  It also showed that the nodule in my lung is there even though it did not show on X-ray, it has increased slightly in size and has developed into a more structured shape.

I went to a respirologist last week who said they wanted to do a needle biopsy to figure out what it is exactly so we can sort out whether we need to treat it and if so how.  They told me to go ahead and start my triathlon training so I have officially started my training as of yesterday!!!  Happy days are here again.  It is gradually back to running biking and gym for me...

I'll keep you posted but it is looking good.

Home and resting

We made it home after a very uneventful day of travel, things are starting to soak in a bit as we are in our familiar environment.  We both absolutely love the city of Boston and especially the experience that is the Boston Marathon but are very happy to be home again.

It has been a very interesting year for us filled with very challenging moments as well as very joyful ones, we take all of these moments take none of them for granted and set your next goals.  I am now more than ever inspired to complete the Penticton Challenge this August and with any lick run the Victoria marathon in October and get my qualifying time so that I can return to Boston and run the marathon again; Lori is recovering from her experience before setting her next goals...

Take care and thank-you for your thoughts and your support over the past few days. 

Boston update

Lori is feeling pretty good, quads are a bit tender but otherwise she is physically well.  She has had some time to reflect on her Monday and it was the biggest contradiction of emotions as she was running towards the finish and the elation she felt as she could see the finish line just ahead and then utter devastation that she felt only seconds later as the second blast went off just ahead of her.  She was confused then concerned about me and our friends here in Boston and our safety.  It took almost an hour for us to meet with one-another and that was a very happy moment!  We would like to celebrate this achievement but do not feel now is the appropriate time or place.

Yesterday we spent the day on a bit of a walking tour of the cities north end where we finally met Fern (the lady who arranges for our rooms here in Boston).  We had a very good chat with her, and she recommended a great bakery for some treats, very yummy.

We came to our room and found an email from Bert letting us know that Lori could get her medal from the bag pick-up area; this was a very emotional moment for both  of us as I placed the medal on her.

We spent last night relaxing in our condo, we had a good sleep to prepare for today.  Lori went out for a 40' run early this morning and we are getting ready for some sight-seeing with our friend Kathy.

Boston Marathon bombs

A quick note to let you all know that we are both OK.  it was close for Lori but we are fine!

Lori's big day

Lori was up early this morning, I was up a little later but still awake and in full Sherpa mode by 5 this morning.  We had some coffee breakfast was our normal pre-race oatmeal, she had doubled checked her race gear and was good to go when our friends Bert and Charlene arrived so they could make the walk to the buses that would take them out to the start line; I wished them all the very best for the day.
The weather s about perfect for the run today with only a little wind temperatures around 10'C no rain and a few clouds.

Go Lori Go

We arrived, we got rained on and now we rest

A much different Boston than last year, this year is quite cool and yesterday was windy and very wet.  We have managed to do all of the pre-race items on Lori's list and are in for the night getting ready for a rest day tomorrow and then Lori's big day on Monday.  I'll keep you posted on her day and post a few photos once she has provided her approval... Lori's race number is 20723 in case you wanted to stalk track her.

Oh, I am feeling well, this is about her not me.

Almost on our way to Boston

Good news!  The packing is almost done and our friends Marilyn & Graham have arrived to house sit while we are away in Boston.  The cats will have some company and they will have a yard to play in while we feel better that someone is using our house for the week we are gone.

I have been feeling good since my last post and actually beginning to feel back to my normal self as each day goes by.  Lori and I are looking forward to this trip as it is closure for my treatments and is a VERY positive one as she will be running the Boston Marathon for the first time.  When we return she will be able to relax and enjoy the summer with only normal distance runs to do while she watches me ramp up to do my Iron distance triathlon this August.

I will post while in Boston to let you all know how we are doing.

Take care

Cycle 6 Day 10

I made it through the week with very few issues!  I was working from the office most of the week and found it a nice change, I missed the regular interaction with co-workers.  I did my best to stay away from the few people who were coughing and sniffling as well as large meetings.  I only had a few bad moments where the side-effects of the medications made it look as if English were my third language.  I struggled to find words to fit into a sentence.  People are so understanding, most would wait a couple of seconds before saying I know what you mean and then I would carry-on.  This seems to occur when I get tired or hungry and got better as the week went on and by Friday I was doing very well with the vocabulary of a fifth grader; an improvement to be sure.

This morning I am feeling back to my normal self and am looking forward to three months of IV and side-effect free days!   I am also expecting the feeling to gradually come back in my fingertips over the next few months.  My energy levels are very good; actually I believe they are back to the level they were prior to any of this lymphoma stuff being in the picture.

For the weekend I am planning on hopping on the trainer for a bit today, making some post caps for our fence I built last year and then tomorrow heading out for another run with my Sunday running friends before relaxing in the afternoon and getting ready for our trip.

A well rounded couple of days.


Type to you later...

Cycle 6 Day 7

The past couple of days have been going well, I had a little nausea the other night but a little orange pill took care of that; otherwise, I have been feeling very good.  Cycle 6 was the toughest on me but the post drip seems to be one of the better ones, I am not edgy or anxious and actually feel good.

I went to a few in person meetings yesterday and they all went well, actually productive!  I am looking so forward to life getting back to normal.  The next few days will be focused on work and getting ready for Lori's run at Boston, our third time there but her first time running in the event.

This will be a fantastic trip as we celebrate all of her hard work over the past two years as she got in shape to qualify and then improved on her conditioning to prepare for the race 18 months later.

With my last cycle over now and only an immune recovery left I wanted to say a big thank-you to all of you for your support and thoughts that you have passed our way over the past couple of years, this experience would have been much different without it and would have been much more challenging on us as well.  Thank-you!

Later on in Cycle 6 Day 4

The run went great, just under 12K at just over 6min/K with a relaxed heart rate and some good conversation with friends along the way.  After having some coffee and hot-crossed buns with the running group I came home then met Lori at the track with her recovery drinks and a nutrition bar for her post recovery snack.  I have just finished taking off the winter tires and putting on the summer tires and am about to make some lunch then enjoy a sunny afternoon of relaxing...

Have a good Easter and type at you tomorrow (the last day of Prednisone).

Happy Easter Cycle 6 Day 4

Sorry for leaving you hanging for a few days.  Thursday (Day 1) was a rough one, it hit me hard and I could not do much of anything other than lay there saying I was OK.  No nausea just drained with no energy.

Friday (Day 2) I was feeling really good and back to my normal self, I went out to the yard and prepped the patio for the upcoming spring/summer season.  Spent most of the day outside in the sun and it felt great.  We went to a friends' place for dinner and had a very nice meal, came home and could not sleep!  I mean nothing... no sleep, I worked on the computer for a bit watched a few movies and got to bed a little after 6:15 in the morning and woke up about 7:30 to start my Day 3.

Day 3 was spent finishing up the patio work and shopping, I felt good for the day and managed to stay awake throughout; although, it was an early to bed night.  We have a couple of house guests for the day as they are in the process of packing up their place and getting ready to travel across North America for 6 months in their 5th wheel, fortunately they were tired from moving and did not mind the early night.

Day 4 (today) I slept well  last night and am feeling very good this morning.  I am planning on heading out for a run with a few friends who will keep the pace slow enough for me to stay with them.  I hope to run around 10K with them before heading back to put the coffee on for their return.
Lori is out for her last long run prior to Boston and will be out there for just under 4 hours today so I'll need to be home to support her on her return.  You know the usual things like having some food and drinks ready for when she gets back, drawing the bath so she can soak and putting out her favourite magazine on the patio table under the umbrella so that she can read/nap for a bit with the birds chirping around her.

Almost done this last cycle of CVP+R and then I am on a maintenance program...

Post drip...

I have been home for a few hours now but have been wiped out so laid down for a while after lunch; I have survived the day but have also felt better after a treatment so am keeping this short.

Just tired and a bit sore, nothing to worry about.  I'll catch you up tomorrow.

Cycle 6 Day 1

I have to report form yesterday's test results and onc appointment; first my blood work came out as expected, white cell and platelets a tad low but acceptable.  then the results of the x-ray were a bit surprising, the result came back that the nodule seen on the CT was gone, the radiologist had to refer to the CT to even know where to look.  This means that my immune system took care of the lung infection, good news!

I am getting ready for my final go at the big drip and will let you all know when I am safely at home tucked in on the couch for the final time; a very happy day for Lori and I.  It seems like only a short while ago when we were talking about what to expect from the treatments and this has gone far better than we ever imagined.

More later on...

only two days before the last...

Up early today, decided I was feeling like going for a run this morning.  I strapped on my runners and headed out for a 30 minute run with Lori.  She took it easy on me and we did a familiar 5KM out and back along the water.  It was good to be out there and although it has been a while for me my legs seemed like they knew what to do, even though they did complain a bit.

I am heading in to the office to work for the day as it is fiscal year end and I have reports to complete and present, plus some goal setting for the upcoming year and this will be my last opportunity for a few weeks so I will take full advantage of it.

Tomorrow is a day of appointments and testing, I'll let you know what they say but I am expecting to hear that everything is fine and we are good to go for Thursday's final drip.

Later

Getting ready for the final big drip

I am anxiously awaiting this week, the final big drip!  I saw the GP late last week and they are happy with how I am progressing and how healthy I look after five cycles.  The 6th and final cycle starts this Thursday and I have a long Easter weekend to recover from it, prior to turning my attention to our trip to Boston.

This weekend was spent "up island" in the Comox valley where Lori ran a half-marathon and came in 6/23 for her age group in tough chilly/windy conditions; her time was better than last year and just off of a PB (personal best) for the distance.  She has one more long run before the trip and then she has the long awaited taper and recovery period prior to the trip.

This coming week I have the usual blood tests, a chest X-ray to check the progress of my lung infection followed by an appointment with the Onc and then the final big drip on Thursday.  I'll keep you posted as I learn the results of the tests and such.

Thanks

Cycle 5 Day 8

The meds have been done for a few days now and I am feeling my normal self, helped a friend move their mother (in-law) and did a few things around the house, then an afternoon nap.  A normal Saturday...

It is very nice to think that only one more treatment and they will all be normal Saturday's.  We are both looking forward to having this well behind us!

Thanks to all for their support it has made the difference.

Cycle 5 Day 7

Feeling much better today, I had a good sleep last night and no sign of the edginess or jitters... very happy.  My hands and feet are a little bit more numb than they have been but still tolerable and not impacting my dexterity so I can live with it. 

Lori received her Boston marathon starting information yesterday and she is now officially excited about running the event, wave 3 corral 3.  Look out Cheesecake Factory here she comes.

Cycle 5 Day 6

Today was the usual jittery day 6 as I start the down swing from the Prednisone and the immune systems starts to gradually decline before climbing back up to normal levels.

I did not sleep all that well last night and it had an effect on my day but I managed a good day of work and don't feel too worse the ware for it; as I said a normal day 6 and tomorrow should be similar but a little better and then I should be recovered from the worse of this cycle and ready for the home stretch and the final cycle!

Cycle 5 Day 5

Today is the last day of meds for cycle 5!  I am very happy for this, I slept great last night and am feeling good today; which is good as I have a busy day of work ahead of me.

Cycle 5 Day 4

I made it through the day, hardly grumpy at all.  I am pretty worn-out from th ehard work and lack of sleep but made it.  an evening of relaxing is in my future...

Only one more day of meds this cycle and then only one more cycle to go!!!

Cycle 5 Day 3

A busy day in the yard and in the house... the steroids hit me pretty hard today and I was not able to focus all that well and had a short fuse today.  The littlest things seem to throw me off; I drank lots of water and gave Lori the heads up when she returned from her 5 K race this afternoon.

It was still a productive day and nobody got hurt so it was successful!

Cycle 5 later on in Day 2

I had a good day today in the garden and spending some time with our neighbour's daughter, she is 5 years old and enjoys "helping" with the yard work.  I felt good throughout the day and had a bit of a relax afterwards.

I received a neat little gift from some friends who have been reading the blog and decided to use a play on words so gave me an Ankh (symbol of life) because I mention going to the Onc's all the time in the blog; thank you very much guy's it gave me a reason to pull out the silver chain I have had in the box for the past few years.

Lori has her 5K race in Sidney tomorrow so wish her speed and good weather...

Cycle 5 Day 2

The rest of yesterday was OK I relaxed until Lori came home then we ate and I relaxed a bit more before going to bed and having a broken sleep.  I feel pretty well rested this morning and plan on hydrating and doing some yard-work for the day with rest periods as desired.

Oh, and did I mention only 1 cycle left now!!!

Cycle 5 Day 1

Well the big drip is done and behind me...

All went as expected and I am now at home and about to hit the couch for the afternoon, I am feeling fine with no issues at all from today's treatment other than the usual stuff of course.

'til tomorrow

Good news, bad news update

I have just come back from my visit with my oncologist; their review of the CT scan report is as follows.

I am responding very well to the treatments and the lymphoma is as well (well for me not the lymphoma).  All areas of involvement show dramatic improvement with most showing a lack of presence in the latest scan, this means the lymphoma is disappearing.

The rogue node I referred to is not a node at all, it is a nodule in my lung tissue, the onc. said that it is extremely unlikely to be cancer as it was not there prior to starting chemo and cancer does not grow well during chemo, it could be a small benign growth which we would keep an eye on or it could be an infection.  I am being referred to a respirologist to determine what is is and the next course of action, if any.

Bottom line is things are going very well cycle 5 starts tomorrow and the referral will be made, it will likely be about a month before I can see the respirologist.

I'll write when I am home tomorrow...

Update on those tests my GP sent me for...

The swab came back negative, this is good.  The blood-work showed all was well, with the usual slightly lower platelets and white blood cells counts due to the chemo but these were all high enough that I do not need to worry too much about an infection. 

Of course since the tests were done I have pretty much shaken the cold and am ready to start Cycle 5 on Friday.  Yes, Friday there has been a slight schedule change as my regular Onc is back from sabbatical and was not available until tomorrow which means the big drip is Friday.

I'll let you know how it goes with him when I get back from my appointment.

Bad news is getting better

I think I am past the worst of my cold, I had a bit of fever on Friday and felt awful.  Since my fever got up past the magic 38'C (sign of an infection) I called the agency and spoke with the nurse; I mentioned that I had a cold and a high fever as well as my GP sending me in for blood work on Thursday.   She was able to see the results of the test and determined that I was strong enough to fight it off but if my temperature went any higher to call the on-call oncologist; it didn't so I didn't.  I went back to bed and completed my 36+ hours of rest.  I woke up on Saturday feeling better and today I am better than yesterday with only a few sniffles and a bit of coughing, no fever and no aches.  I should be well enough to start cycle 5 on time this week as scheduled.

That's the update for now, I'll post again when something changes or after I visit the oncologist.

Great news... bad news

The bad news first, I seem to have a sore throat today.  I was fine yesterday but last night it started to bother me and this morning it is much worse.  I had my usual GP appointment scheduled for today and went to see them about the throat and CT results.  We did a throat swab and sent me in for a bit of blood work just to ere on the side of caution; I'll post those once I get them.  So not really bad news but not good either, I am at home resting and drinking lots of fluids today.

The great news!  The results from the CT scan shows that all of my impacted node groups are back to normal or very near normal size and my spleen is much less bulky but still slightly enlarged.  There is a single node in my lower left lung that has actually gotten a bit larger, my GP did not know how to interpret this and said the oncologist would be the one to explain.

So everything has gotten MUCH better except for one rogue node, great news!

Later in Cycle 4

The past few days have gone well with no issues.  I did a short bike ride, went to support Lori as she met her goals at the Hatley 8K this weekend and did a bit more staining and painting around the house.  Baseboards come this week so I should be able to have at least one room completely finished by the end of the weekend!

CT scan is tomorrow afternoon and I will hopefully have the results of that for the weekend as well, very much looking forward to some evidence based results of the treatments.  The scan will let us know what if any impact the treatments have had on the lymphoma; we suspect that it will be very positive because all of the surface nodes have been reduced to normal, my spleen has also retreated to its normal size and my energy levels are back to my normal pre-cancer levels which means I am ready to swim, bike and run again.  I'll wait to see the results of the scan and the end of the treatments before I start to push myself...
I'll share the results once I have them.

Cycle 4 Day 7

The past few days have been pretty good!  I have felt well and actually have been able to focus mentally on things... so the down-side of the steroids was better this cycle than previous ones.  The next week is my low immunity week so I will work pretty much from home every day and avoid crowds of people; sounds like a good weekend for stuff around the house.

I have not been on the bike for about a week or so, I'll give that a whirl tomorrow and see how it feels.  I just have not felt like riding lately but do now.

This cycle seems to have treated me fairly well and I only have two left!

My CT scan is booked for next week and that will provide evidence of the effectiveness of the treatments; I will post the summary of the report once I get it.

Later.

Cycle 4 Day 5

Last day of meds for this cycle!  Thank goodness, the accumulation of the steroids seems to get worse each day with my edginess heightening yesterday and today.  It will likely settle down over the next few days and I should be once again back to my normal self for the weekend.
Saturday's sleep was not so good but I slept very well last night and it feels like another good sleep coming tonight.

No nausea since Thursday afternoon and in fact side-effects have been minimal this cycle so I am very happy for that.  I have not ridden the trainer in a little while so will give that a go when I feel up to it, perhaps later in the week.

Hope you are all well!

Cycle 4 Day 3

All continues to go well, after a bit of minor inflammation in my hands, wrists and knees (likely fluid retention from the meds) I am back to my normal.  Sleeping fairly well, good energy and a strong appetite.

I think I have found the secret to minimising the impact of the steroids; don't get hungry and drink lots of water.  I have been eating lots of small meals and drinking water for the past few days and the edginess has dissipated.

Lori and I are both doing fine and enjoying the good weather we are having at the moment.

Later that same day...

I am at home now, a little dopey, well fed and ready for a bit of relaxing perhaps even a nap today.  The treatment went well with no issues, staff loved the cake.

Happy Valentine's Day; Cycle 4 Day 1

Today starts cycle 4 of 6, I had my blood-work done yesterday and have not seen the results yet but have been told all was as expected.  I also found out that my CT scan will be in about 3 weeks from now.

The big drip day is here and I am heading out shortly, I thought I would bring the staff at the agency a little something to mark the day as it is Valentine's day so I made a cake for them.  I have not made this particular type of cake in something like 28 years so was not sure how it would turn out.  I made a second cake for Lori and I which we shared with a few friends (testers) and so far the feedback is all positive.  Lori also made a fabulous lasagna from scratch last night which was delicious!

I will let you knw how the drip went once I return but suspect it to be like the others have been, pretty much a non-event.  I will likely sit in the big comfy chair with a tube in my arm, drink lots of water, watch a couple of movies or at least a movie a couple of times if I forget that I just watched that one and then catch a lift home from James our driver...

Here is a picture of the cake, it is a lemon sponge cake with strawberry mousse and whipped cream finish.

Testing for Cycle 4 starts tomorrow

Tomorrow is the day before the big drip, I go in for the usual blood-work plus a little extra blood-work to test for kidney function to get the go ahead for my post cycle 4 CT Scan for some concrete evidence that the treatments have been effective.

I am still recovering from my silly attempt of the 12KM race on Sunday, I woke up yesterday to have my legs remind me in no short terms that I had pushed them a bit on the run considering my last run was before Christmas and my last effort run was the McNeil Bay Half in early September; the legs reminded me again today.  I am hoping that getting a couple of holes poked in me and some meds dripped in to me will make the legs realise they could have it worse.  It does show me that the bike workouts do not 100% translate to run training; although my turn-over was very good!

Well a bit more work to do tonight then a good night's rest before my tests in the AM.  Once I get the results I'll let you know how I did.

Less than a week to Cycle 4

Well past the half way now!  The past few days have been going well and my energy has been very good.  I have been able to continue full work days plus a bit of work around the house and continuing with my bike trainer; although I did miss today's scheduled trainer ride.  Lori had her third in the Island Race Series and it was just outside of Nanaimo in Cedar, a challenging 12KM with a few nasty hills, since this involved me being away from the house for most of the day and I was not going to be able to do my ride I decided I would give the run a go.  In the past I have been able to run this route in 50 minutes or so with last year in 52:45 I was going to take today as it came. Considering I have not run in a few months I was not expecting to come very close to my previous times, I was going to give it a solid effort though.  I set out to run a 4:20/KM to start and see how long I could keep that going and then adjust as I needed to, the answer was about half way and then the KM's gradually took a bit longer as I went and as the hills were long so to were my KM times.  I ended up with the tank emptied knowing that I had no more to give and feeling that I had done my best for the day I crossed the line in just over 56 minutes and am VERY happy! 

Post run my legs feel like they have been pushed but I feel otherwise good, I have decided that I will not run anymore races without training for them and will stick to the bike for now.

Lori had a great race as well and was running so  well at the end that I could not run her all the way in, we both come in 9th in our perspective age groups and are pleased as punch to have competed together once again.

This week I have the usual pre-treatment schedule of blood work Wednesday followed by the big drip on Thursday and a rest day on Friday.  I will be posting more frequently in the next few days.


Cheers for now
Don

mid-cycle 3 update

All is well, I am feeling my normal self for the past few days.  I continue to work from home in an effort to avoid the cold and flu season at the office and have been able to get on the bike three times a week to do a pretty good hour or 90 minute workout.  My energy has been good and I am sleeping better now as well.

Cycle 3 Day 6

So I have cleared the active portion of cycle 3, I have no more medications until cycle 4 which starts on Valentine's Day. I had a much better sleep last night and am feeling pretty good today, I did another 1 hour on the trainer this morning, I did not realise the tour photographer had come back from their run already...

Oh well at least my hair looks good!

Cycle 3 Day 5

Last night was not a good sleep at all, I think I managed to get only a couple of hours worth of sleep.  The morning was good and productive work wise but the afternoon has caught-up with me and I am now tired but will make dinner and get through the evening and hopefully get a good night's sleep tonight so that I can start to feel normal for the remainder of the week.

Steroids are all done for the next couple of weeks and I can get back to normal and enjoy things again... I have decided that I do not like taking steroids at all so once I am done with chemo I can honestly say that they will not be part of my athletic future.

'til next time.

Cycle 3 Day 4

It has been another good day today, very busy...

I managed to do a 90 trainer ride on the bike and felt good for the duration.  Lori headed up and ran the Cobble Hill 10K race and did very well.  I put a second coat of paint on the spare room walls and made dinner for some friends.

Feel good this cycle with none of the soreness in the throat and mouth that I had in cycle 1 and very little of the foggy brain I had on cycle 2.  This stuff really does boggle, I am never really sure what to expect from cycle to cycle or even day-to-day so we continue to hope for the best each day and are very happy when it happens!

Tomorrow is my last day of Prednisone for this go around then I get to detox for a couple more weeks and I will be more than half way through the 6 cycles!

Cycle 3 Day 3

Last night was not a very good night's sleep but managed to get through and felt OK today, had a great morning visiting friends and spent the afternoon painting the spare bedroom.  Managed to get through the day without a nap and am ready for a good night's sleep.

All continues to go well and I am looking forward to my trainer ride in the AM.

Cycle 3 Day 2 Part 2

A quick update, I am feeling great today!  Went for a 1 hour ride on my trainer and that felt really good.  I have been doing a few things around the house and went out for a 45 minute walk to a friends place then for lunch listen to some records and back home. 

Day 2 has been a very good day!  I am off to cook dinner now...

Cycle 3 Day 2

The rest of yesterday was non-eventful, I just relaxed and took it really easy.  Tried to control my appetite and eat regularly and drink lot of water.  I am always so hungry after the treatment and it would be very easy to eat a weeks worth in the day or two following. 

I had a great sleep last night and am feeling good this morning, puffiness in my face has gone down but it is still warm and flushed from the medications, this should pass over the next couple of days.  I am not nearly as edgy as I was in cycle 2 so hopefully that continues as well.

If anything changes I will do a second post later in the day; but typically the days seem to go as the mornings do.

thanks for reading.

Cycle 3 Day 1 Part 2

I am back home after having a bit to eat and heading for the comfy couch... all went well, no surprises.

Cycle 3 Day 1

Well today is the big drip...

I went for my blood work, weigh in and oncology appointment yesterday, the blood work came back close to normal with a few white blood cell related markers a little low but just under the low end of the normal range so nothing to worry about.  I have managed to control my diet enough to stay at a consistent weight and the oncologist did an exam and determined that things were going well and my body was responding well to the treatments.

We had a discussion around adjusting dosage of the prednisone and determined that it should remain the same.  We will keep an eye on how I feel this cycle and revisit before my next cycle starts.

We also discussed that I am most likely going to have all 6 cycles of the chemo but we will do a CT scan after the 4th to get a view of what has really changed in relation to the cancer in my body.

I am heading off to the agency shortly and will be there in th ebig comfy chair until 1:30 or so, if you are in the 'hood and want to chat feel free to drop in.

I will write you when I return...

A normal weekend...

It was a pretty good weekend, feeling good and getting back to the normal weekend activities.  Did some work around the house, there are a few finishing items that need to get done so that we can finally call our three year old renos finished.

I did my first real trainer ride on Sunday and that felt really good!  I went for a bit of a jog with the neighbours son.  He has been asking to go for a run since he did the Terry Fox run last spring so we did a few laps of the local track and had a sprint finish; I think he just nudged me at the line...

We did manage to get a bit of relaxing in during the afternoon on Sunday so as I said a pretty good back to normal weekend.

Less than a week before Cycle 3

Since I wrote last all has been going well, still feeling good and even alert for the remainder of the week.  I have decided not to run during treatment any longer as the weather is cold (for here) and damp (for anywhere) and I don't want to risk catching a cold.  I have instead decided to cycle on my trainer a few times a week to get in shape for my hopeful participation in the Challenge Pentciton race this August.  My previous 3 iron distance races tell me to focus on the bike so I figure I could use the training there more than the run and besides it is warmer in the house.  I did my first ride today and am feeling really good about it, I will stick to the same sort of idea as I had for my running; two shorter rides and one longer ride each week depending on how I am feeling. 

I am feeling good and all continues to go according to the plan, even my hair has decided to fall out some more after a week or so of very little fall-out. Just like after cycle 1 it started two and a half weeks into the cycle, at least now that it is so short I don't see it laying on the floor and I can finish my shower before the drain clogs up.

Ooops my bad

I do apologize for the lapse in entering here; it was a bit of a week and time just got passed me.

In cycle 1 I had some physical side-effects that I don't need to re-visit but those did not occur at all during cycle 2, good news.  On cycle 1 the effects of the Prednisone faded fairly quickly and I was back to normal shortly after I stopped taking the medication; not so for cycle 2.  I found that the entire week was spent on edge with lack of focus and a bit tired, I was just off all week.  In fact it wasn't until Saturday that I felt normal at all, and after only a little physical work around the house I was pretty much done for the day and had to cancel plans with friends in order to recoup.  Sunday was better and I felt 100% as I took Lori out to the first of eight races in our local running race series, She placed in the top 10 for her age group, hit her target pace and had a good-time doing it so it was a very good day, we had a bite to eat relaxed for a bit and headed over to a friends to celebrate their son's big adventure.  I was able to make it through the evening feeling good.

Today was a good day of working from home and I felt like I was back to being myself and able to hold a conversation without a bunch of pauses while I tried to figure out what should come next, a big improvement over last week.

Thanks for continuing to follow my writing and thanks to those who came by for chats, discussions and coffee; always appreciate the thoughts.

'til next time...

Cycle 2 Day 5

All done with meds for a couple of weeks!  Today was pretty good, I felt well enough to go to the office for a few hours and have a conversation with work mates as well as touch base with my boss, spent the afternoon catching-up on my email and other work items.

This cycle of treatment did not bother my sinuses at all and my mouth and jaw were fine as well!  I did find that the steroids had more impact on me this time around, that may be due to the additional given during IV or just a build-up in my system or it could just be from???  Not a real big concern for me at this moment but I will ask the doc's and nurses if there is something that can be done to lessen this.

I have survived cycle 2!!

Cycle 2 Day 4

Today was a much better day!  Not nearly as shaky and was able to get a few things done around the house today, but no run.  Perhaps later in the week I'll get out for a short run; I just don't feel up to it during the treatment days as I have a hard time focusing on things.

Cycle 2 Day 3

Well, today was not a great day.  I woke up after a good nights sleep quite on edge and anxious feeling.  This feeling did not get better after I took the Prednisone and intensified through the morning.  I still have not had any nausea to speak of and Lori and I did made it out for a great lunch date with good friends.

I spent the majority of the day laying down trying to relax and am feeling pretty good now.  I have just put a roast in the oven and soon we will be eating a very nice dinner.

So even my bad days are going pretty well.

Here's hoping that tomorrow is a better day.

Thanks for reading

Cycle 2 Day 2

Well I am feeling better today and much more on the ball than after the treatment yesterday.

I had all four meds yesterday over a 4 hour period.  I t was a bit different this time as my system was better able to cope with the treatment; although, they did add a couple of twists to the mix in that they doubled up on the Diphenhydramine (antihistamine) and put that through the IV rather than orally they also added Cortisone through IV to help with the immune response to the Rituximab.  This approach seemed to work just fine as I did not have any reaction to the meds at all, but it sure made staying awake a huge challenge!

I managed to have a short nap in the afternoon and still get a fair sleep last night.  I have been drinking lots of fluids to make it easier on my kidneys and liver, my appetite has settled down since yesterday as I pretty much cleaned out the fridge (must be those steroids).  I am now on day 2 of 5 of the Prednisone and all is going well.

I am feeling pretty good today although like in the first cycle my face is warm and flushed, i am just taking it easy and laying about the house.

Talk at you tomorrow.

Cycle 2 Day 1

I have been back for a few hours now but very drowsy and tired from the meds.  I do not have to go in tomorrow as they gave me all of the IVs today, I get to rest, recover and let the meds do their work.

I will write again later but wanted you all to know I am good...

thanks to those who dropped in to say hello at the agency!

Back from appointments

Well, I had the blood work done, checked in with the nurse and then saw the onc; all is well and likely have a single day of IV this cycle rather than two days of it.  They are going to reduce the Vincristine to 75% due to the numbness in my fingers.

Not much to report but no bad news...

Happy New Year!

  We celebrated the previous and toasted to the new, ate some lobster and shared a few stories with friends.  Took down the lights and packed the decorations up for another year then relaxed.

Now we are back to our regular routine, I have a couple of appointments today and another blood test.  I first see the nurse then the onc, likely to get weight taken and to see how I fared with the first treatment and determine the plan for the next cycle which starts tomorrow.  I will of course let you know what goes on today and what the plan is for tomorrow.

Happy New Year!