After two weeks of chemo

Sorry I've been lax in updating. My work-daughter (Melissa) reminds me I need to be a little more proactive, so here goes..........

Yesterday (Wed. 6/21) marked the second round of chemo. The cycle has one more week then I get a week's break before starting the second of what will be six cycles. The good news so far is I can tolerate the chemo being IVd at a high rate of speed without too much pain or burning sensation. The guy who has assisted me the first two weeks indicates what I'm getting (Gem-Car) is a lot less toxic than if the drips came a lot slower. The first week caused me a little tiredness by Friday, but no real nausea. Yesterday, I felt starved while getting the chemo, came home and gorged myself, and gave that back to the porcelein Gods about an hour later. I do not attribute that "put back" to the chemo, more on my crappy choices of what food and drink to pour down my body. I'm a little sluggish today, but put in a full days work without any trouble.

Best news today was our visit to my kidney oncologist. This was our first appointment with Dr. Evans (nice guy). He had reviewed the prior MRIs and CT Scans and indicated the weird (but small) cyst in my right kidney had not changed in size. Dr. Evans said he even questioned whether it was cancerous. He indicated he could see some strange growths inside the cyst, but said there are many causes for that, and not all are cancer. He indicated the cyst would be very slow growing (if it ever grows). Here comes the good news..................he will be watching scans other doctors request within the UC system but HE DOESN'T WANT TO SEE ME FOR 18 MONTHS!!!!!!!! Yippee

Can't end this without mentioning health problems for another member of our family. Although Shelly and Chris are not married, they are practically joined at the hip. Monday, Chris was in a motorcycle accident at a track near Bakersfield and is currently in Kern County Hospital. Too many details, but dislocated shoulder, 5 broken ribs, #2 vertebrea broken, pelvia cracked in 3 spots. Shelly and other members of Chris' family are in the process of trying to get him transferred to somewhere nearer to Laguna Beach where they live. While passing on your thoughts and prayers for me, please send a few Chris' way.

Jim

ps...to Melissa (I promise I'll write more often).

Totally tubeless man

It's hard to write an email and make it "sound" hippy-like, but I am finally "totally tubeless". My last pouch was removed yesterday revealing a less than washboard looking stomach. There's only one way to describe it......my stomach looks like someone with a machine gun had their way with me (not to mention the huge left-to-right upside down smiley face scars from where the incision wash made).

Being "totally tubeless" means I can finally start chemo (next Wednesday). Dr. D' Andre assured Kaye and I there should be no hair loss, should not be much nausea, and should only be tiring from time to time........we'll see.

Now that I don't have things hanging from my chest/tummy, I promised Ali we will start going back to the gym (have I written this before :-))). Anyway, Ali, Kaye and I are going to the gym tonight. Geez, I wonder if my card still works???

Golf, work, tube, and chemo........

It's 11:15 (early lunch) and I'm blogging from work. Yes, I have returned to CDA on a full time basis (or as long as I can stay awake each day :-))). It's sooo much easier working in familiar surroundings instead of from home where I have no cheat notes and a lot smaller work space.

I not only played golf Saturday (thanks again, Brad), but I finished all 18 holes. It was a best ball scramble so I obviously didn't have to chase all my errant/weak shots, and there were too many to count, but the fact I didn't have to call Kaye to come and get me until the round was over was fantastic. Was I exhausted? Obviously! I had a few naps on Sunday to recover and now the stiffness is setting in, but who cares. Kaye and I plan to go to the gym tonight to resume trying to stay in some kind of shape. Our group finished at 12 under (thanks to Brad, Lou Snavely, and Rex Balder....the man of very long, very straight drives) which was good enough for second place (and we were dumb enough to not buy any mulligans). I really enjoyed the day.

The last drainage tube is still in place. We're assured??? it will come out this Thursday. Because of the tube, the oncologist wants to delay the start of chemo until the tube has been removed. Chemo is now scheduled to start next Wednesday, June 14.

Other than a few doctor scheduling problems and more than a few prescription refill problems, our home has finally returned to some normalcy. I (we) can't wait to move on to the next step.

As the Bartels and James boys used to say............thanks for your support.