The Grinch is alive and well...

Aw, NUTS!. I hadn't really followed my every-3-week-chemo-schedule down the calender. Last chemo was May 4th the day before my birthday (blah), and next one is May 25th, JUST before Memorial Day weekend. Just ran my finger down the calender, and I've also got one June 29th, just before the July 4th weekend, August 31st, just before Labor Day weekend, and, believe it or not, November 23rd, which is THANKSGIVING DAY! (No doubt he'll offset that one by a day, but I've already got that week reserved as vacation to visit my folks out west; unless it's OK to move it into the next week, that one's going to screw up my only reserved vacation for the year. In December, it should be on the 14th, then January 4th, so Christmas and New Years should be relatively "jolly", but I already know I can't get those off for real vacation this year, so I won't be spending those with my folks anyway. If he'll push Thankgiving off a week, that puts the December date at Dec 21, JUST before Christmas. Man, this sucks. Just about every major holiday. I think the Grinch had a hand in my scheduling.

 

LOL. Mis-spelled calendar, and didn't catch it in time to change it. I must still be tired.

 

I don't think anyone here would hold that against you. Just think how much you'll get to enjoy next year's celebrations

 

Hmm, that does suck, Gary. As long as you're still alive and mobile, I guess anything else is a bonus. Still a major bummer with the timings.

Reminds me of the Sheriff of Nottingham’s "...and cancel Christmas!" quote.

 

Very true. And could be a lot worse. A friend in Atlanta wanted to come visit during Memorial Day weekend, which got me checking the calendar. Was just somewhat depressing thumbing down through the calendar and noticing most of the fun holidays getting flattened. LOL.

Yeah. He was a Grinch too.

 

Gary - sorry to hear your chemo schedule cuts in on all the holidays. Get yourself in some of your fave foods beforehand so if you feel up to eating after you can surround yourself with nice munchies

Is it possible, if you are allowed to skip a week, to change the one at the end of June? That way you will get ALL the holidays back, not just the ones after Thanksgiving. It's worth at least asking your doc maybe?

 

I'll definitely be talking to him about it. When we started the chemo, he emphasized that steady schedule was very important, but we'll dicker about it some. There are two other major things that get mixed into the schedule with the actual chemo, but we'll see.

 

A little more speeling effort would be appreciated by me,tough schedule that sucks,find something to break,smash you old mobo and power supply let it out

 

am i misunderstanding this, or will the holodays give you more time to recover befor returning to work? if so, could it be a blessing? you are in so many prayers GT that God must be on speed dial for you. Trust that all is as it should be. (even so....argue the toss with your Dr if you are not happy.) my aloha as always.

 

What an awesome and encouraging thought

 

Yes, an extra day or so to recuperate is a plus, but it's SUCH a "mixed blessing". LOL. We'll see how it plays out.

 

Pearly Gates wouldn't be bad. Much better than automatic forwarding to the waiting room in a warmer climate.

 

Press 4 for Healing Touch, Press 5 for Added Prayer Support

 

"you have selected 2 angels annonymous,unfortunately all our operators are busy at the moment your call is important to us and we'll be with you shortly"angels singing kicks in

 

Now THAT truly is eterna-hold.

 

4............4..........4.........4.........4.........4........4........Oh well...... 5........




How are YOU doing Lev? You never did go into detail about your surgery, but whatever it was, is everything better now?

 

You got plenty of Press 5 coming at ya from Oregon

So...you want the details huh? Well....first they took a great big carving knife and made a 6 inch hole in my belly....... oh heck...can we get smelling salts over to the green couch quick......Roger and Goldie are looking a little pale there Oops...maybe a couple of barf buckets too hehe

Seriously though, major as it was, it was routine and I am doing great. My daily walk is now 5 minutes faster for the same distance than it was 2 days ago, and I'm walking less like a 8 month beached whale...getting that old slinky hip walk back I drove my rig for the first time today..all the half mile to Freddies, and it didn't feel too bad, but I'm much comfier walking.

I cooked my first dinner yesterday too

Going back to work part-time on Monday

Every day has a new "first".

Thanks for asking after me Gary *hugs*

 

De nada. Care & prayer works both ways.

Six inch hole, huh? Do you have any pictures????

 

Hmmmm - could start a new trend. Instead of post your desktop, it would be "post your surgical scar"

 

HAHA..I could do that but I think I might get banned for indecent exposure!

Sorry Gary...I don't have any photos mid-surgery, but I'm sure my doc videoed it all

 

That's OK. We'll leave you whatever dignity the surgeon left you with.

 

Not that doctors leave you with much dignity. LOL. I get SO tired of "take off your pants/clothes, drop your pants and bend over, etc., etc....

My latest indignity:
Chemo messes up the normal bacteria balance on my body and in my mouth, allowing candida, a fungus that's normally present in the mouth but held in check by the normal bacteria balance, to run wild. White coated tongue that hurts and messes up taste. Last time, doc prescribed Nystatin, which you swish in your mouth then swallow. I had a BAD reaction to that (still have scabs all over and the skin on my hands is peeling), so this time, he prescribed something different. A tablet called Fluconazole. Ten dollar insurance co-pay for ONE pill. I take it out of the bag, and the prominent text on the card that holds the pill is, and I kid you not: "The easy oral cure for most vaginal yeast infections." Good thing it said "oral", as I was wondering just where I was supposed to stick it. The pill was even PINK. Humiliating, I tell ya. I thought they'd given me somebody else's meds by mistake, but some nosing around WEBMD etc. showed that it was indeed for what I have as well, but it sure didn't SAY so.

Been waiting for any weird side effects from THIS one, and so far so good, except for a mad urge to go shopping at Bed Bath & Beyond.

 

Gary..every woman knows this, but not many guys. For candida take acidophilus. You can get it in any health food store or pharmacist. Check with your doc first though because I would hate for it to clash with any of your treatment. It IS all natural though. Store them in the fridge (keeps the live good bacteria alive). No side effects either

 

Thanks. I'll ask him about that. I had to quit taking green tea capsules, because THAT interferes with the chemo I'm on. Can't assume anything anymore.

 

Also peppermint tea for the nausea chemo gives you.

I had chronic fatigue syndrome and spent a lot of time learning about alternative remedies for the multitude of symptoms, but yeah, check it all out with doc first. Your system already has enough to deal with without any extra side effects

 

While the chemo leaves me massively tired for a few days, my stomach is immune so far. I don't have any trouble eating anything. I keep green tea around as a tummy settler just in case, that works pretty well too.

Talked to the doc, and acidophilus is OK, as is yogurt with live cultures, which does somewhat the same. Dannon strawberry yogurt now fills a corner of my fridge.

I also pled my case with the sawbones today, and we're moving the infusions forward a week to miss all the holidays, except for Christmas, and I will be working through the Christmas/New Years weeks anyway, so I'm fine with that. MUCH better arrangement.

On the flip side though, I got my latest PSA test results back; first one since starting with this chemo. Went up instead of down, which is not good news. If the chemo stabilizes it, just at a higher level, that's OK, but if it keeps going upwards, that's not OK. And DOWN would be much preferred. Will find out in a few weeks when he runs it again.

Taking things "one day at a time" is easier on some days than others.

 

Disappointing news on the PSA results Gary, but it is early days and they could stabilize ready for the next test. Sometimes it takes a few shots to get things heading in the right direction

Great to hear that they've moved your sessions to avoid most of the holidays. This IS a positive and you should focus in on that joy. Keeping positive mentally is a big key factor in your health too, as I'm sure you know, because you just keep on oozing that positiveness all over the forum. It makes the floor a little sticky in here at times, but I'll mop up after ya

 

I'll tone it down a bit. I'd hate for you to mop up the floor with me.

 

Good news on the change of chemo dates, Gary. At least you'll be able to enjoy most of the holidays now. Well, enjoy them more than you would be feeling sick and tired throughout them, I'm sure. I know from experience that chemo treatment really feels like one's been put through the wringer and hang out to dry, so to speak.

Pity about the higher PSA readings, but like you said its early days yet. A strong positive attitude does indeed go a long way to licking the disease, or at least prolonging the quantity and quality of life. We all know that you're a logical and positive kinda dude. Hopefully the PSA levels will start dropping soon. I keep ya in my thoughts and prayers as usual, my friend.

Yak to ya soon. Take care.

 

Me too, that's why I'm single.

 

So am I. That's not a guarantee.

 

Will do. It's a shame we're in opposing time zones.