3.13 Chemo Tomorrow

My blood work and doctor's appointment went fine today. I saw the doctor for all of about 5 minutes, he just said that my levels looked fine and asked if I had any questions or issues. I didn't, so that was that. I did get to go into more detail answering questions for a nurse before meeting with the doctor, although I didn't have too much to say other than that things seemed to go fine during this last treatment.

We had a fun Halloween evening. We ate donuts off of a string, and then went Trick-or-Treating. The boys got a lot of goodies, even though we didn't go to too many houses. People were quite generous. I think that the kids had a really fun time, and they did great at the whole thing, even saying "Thank you" and "Happy Halloween" after each time they were given something.

A fun night to remember in the not so fun days ahead. Here goes chemo number 4. Wish me well!

3.7-3.12

This week has been really good. I have felt fairly normal, eaten normally and not been too overtired. I made it in to work each day and feel like good progress was made there. On friday Brittney and the kids rode the train into campus to get me from work, and that was really fun. We had a fun weekend spending time together. Today was stake conference and that was nice as well.

I had the neupogen injections Friday, Saturday and this morning, and have had a bit of bone pain today, but not too bad. I must have slept on my neck wrong, because I have a crick in it today as well. Tomorrow I have a doctor's appointment in the afternoon and hopefully all is well for chemo on Tuesday. Hard to believe the time is already here again. I think we are getting to the grind part of treatment, just have to take it one day at a time and make it through each one as it comes. I will post an update tomorrow night when I know for sure about chemo on Tuesday.

3.2-3.6

Sorry about the lack of posts for the last few days. First I didn't quite feel up to it, and then we had some fun filled days which distracted me.

Overall, this time around, I think things went slightly better than last time in terms of indigestion etc. But I still was super tired and slept a ton for the first few days after, and my stomach felt abnormal all the way through.

I made it into work Friday afternoon and was able to focus more than the last Friday after treatment. So that was good. Saturday was Charlie's 3rd birthday, and we had a fun filled day celebrating this special event. I felt well enough to participate in all our activities, and I really had a great day enjoying time with the kids and Brittney, and especially seeing how excited Charlie was about everything.

Sunday was our primary program, and Alec had a starring role. The primary president asked Alec to (re)give a talk during the program that he gave several weeks ago in primary about missionary work. This meant that his speaking part was quite a bit longer than any of the other children, especially when you add in the extra time required for him to be prompted on each line. Alec did a terrific job, and had a very cute matter-of-fact delivery style that was very endearing. He received many complements afterwards, and the bishop even quoted Alec's talk during his concluding remarks. Alec was really pleased with how it went and that was fun.

Over the weekend I felt pretty good energy-wise, but my stomach was still a little off. Today I felt much better and closer to normal. I had a normal full day at work and plan to continue that for the rest of the week. On a more recent note, it appears that my hair is falling out at an ever increasing rate. My shirt is noticeably covered in hairs from sitting on the couch this evening, and there seems to be even more on my hand when I run it through my hair. Who knows how much longer it will hang in there? We shall see.

Anyways, here is to a good week! Hopefully we can enjoy the days as they come and forget about the next round of chemo on the horizon.

3.1

Today was pretty uneventful. I took it pretty easy and actually felt better than last time for most of the day. Eating was fairly normal. This evening my stomach has been feeling more like last time, lots of indigestion and gas. Overall nothing too terrible though.

Chemotherapy 3.0

This morning we got up and I went in to the Cancer Centre for the next dose of chemotherapy. It went smoothly again and I was there from about 8:30 until 12:40, so it might have been a bit faster than last time. I took some dvds to help the time pass more quickly, and that was helpful. My nurse today had a son who was born 6 days before me, so that was a fun connection.

After Brittney and the kids picked me up and we went home, we had a good lunch and then I had a short nap, until the kids all were done with quiet time/naps and decided to climb on me/request that I read them stories. After dinner (delectable French toast!) we went to pick up a basketball hoop for Charlie's birthday (this Saturday!) that Brittney found on the local Craigslist-ish website Kijiji.

My stomach has felt pretty good so far. It kind of feels tight, and I can tell things aren't normal, but I was able to eat normally so far. In fact, I just had a pre-bedtime snack of cereal, figuring that I might as well eat now since I might not feel like it tomorrow. So far so good. It is exciting to take another step towards being done. This makes it 25% of the planned treatments. The woman next to me getting chemo was on her second to last dose, but it sounded like she had been getting it every 3 months for the last 2 years. I just about teared up thinking about how great that must feel for her. Overall, it was a good day.

Chemo tomorrow: 2.12-2.13

Today I got some blood drawn and met briefly with the doctor. My levels looked good, and so we are going forward with the planned chemo tomorrow morning. The doctor seemed pleased with how I was doing, but our meeting didn't last very long. He just asked a few questions, did a quick exam and said that everything looked fine to go ahead and do chemo, which is the important thing. I went into work for the rest of the day, which was nice. Now to bed, and then to the Cancer Centre early tomorrow morning. I will give an update tomorrow night on how everything goes.

2.8-2.11

I have been feeling really good the last several days. Normal days at work, normal eating, and fun times with the family. Life is good.

Today we got to drive around a nearby neighborhood and collect food that people left on their porch for a city-wide food drive for the Edmonton Food Bank. The boys got really into it and loved running up the driveways and back to the car. We had a whole trunk-load of food by the end, and then we went to the stake center to unload it. It was pretty awesome to see all the food that everyone had collected being loaded into a big trailer.

Then this afternoon we went to the Edmonton Corn Maze. It was the last day of the maze before they tear it down and start a Haunted House or something. I think the boys had fun, and Brittney thought it was her first time at one too. It was great watching Alec lead our family through the maze and get really into it.

Yesterday and today Brittney gave me the injections of Neupogen, to boost my Neutrophil levels so I can do chemo on Tuesday. So far I haven't had the severe bone pain of last time, so that is good. I am starting to realize how grueling this every other week treatment plan is going to be. Not much time to enjoy feeling normal between treatments. We just have to take it one treatment, one day at a time. Every treatment is one step closer to being done with treatment and done with cancer.

2.5-2.7

The last three days have been beautiful. Brittney's parents left early Monday morning, and so Sunday was our last day with them. After church, we went for a drive down by the North Saskatchewan River which runs through the city. We stopped at a park and went for a walk with the kids. The air was crisp and clear, and the trees are gorgeously adorned in golds and yellows. I think we are realizing that we missed Fall during the time we lived in California. What a wonderful season.

Sunday evening we had dinner with our Bishop's family. It turns out Monday was Canadian Thanksgiving, so on Sunday was Thanksgiving dinner. Most everything was pretty much like we have in the states. Turkey, mashed potatoes, gravy, peas, bean casserole, yams, rolls, cranberry dessert and pies. It was all so delicious. It was also great to get to know the Bishop and his family. They are just wonderful, and their kids (of which they have 7) seemed to really have a good time with our children.

Monday we had a lazy day enjoying the holiday. It was fun to connect with the kids and play games. We also delivered flyers for an upcoming food drive that we are helping out with. The kids really enjoyed that and loved running up to put the flyers by people's doors.

Today I made it into work which was good. I have really been feeling good these last three days. Food is appetizing and delicious, and the weather and time with family just makes my spirits soar. I think this week will be a good one.

2.2-2.4

The last few days have been pretty fun with Grandma and Grandpa in town. How nice of them to visit. I have been feeling about like last time around, except more tired this time. My stomach generally just feels off, but more like severe indigestion than naseau. Today it has been much better, and the main problem is just a bad aftertaste in my mouth most of the day.

Tonight I felt good enough for Brittney and I to have a dinner out. We tried one of the few Mexican restaurants in town, and it was pretty solid. It felt good to get out and spend some time together with Brittney. Another huge blessing from having our dear family visiting. I just wish they could stay forever.

We also had a fun picnic in a park and raked leaves into a pile so the kids could play and jump in them. It was so much fun watching them play, and playing with them. It was such a beautiful day, in so many ways.

2.1

I tried to take things pretty easy today. I was able to eat fairly normally, although I didn't eat too much of anything. Mainly I have just had an upset stomach, lots of gas, burps, etc. But overall, nothing too terrible. Maybe I will get ambitious and try to make it into work tomorrow.

The exciting news is that Brittney's parents drove up from Washington for the weekend! They arrived tonight and it has been so good to see them. Hopefully we can fit some fun stuff in over the next few days and really enjoy some good time together. It is so nice of them to take the time to visit. I think it will especially be fun for Brittney to have them here.

At long last: 2.0

Chemo today went smoothly. I went into work for a bit in the morning and then walked over to the Cancer Centre. I got in my bed and had the iv hooked up and everything went nicely from there. It seemed to progress a little faster than last time, which was nice. The only down side was that for some reason the wireless internet wasn't working, which meant I couldn't communicate with Brittney liked we had planned. We decided to try this treatment with just me going in, to see how that was. I certainly missed her company, but was able to manage adequately without her. The whole process took almost 4.5 hours this time, about an hour less than the first time.

So far I am feeling ok, just a bit of a tummy-ache/nausea. Nothing too bad, it just makes me not want to do anything but lie on the couch. Maybe we can postpone our post-conference-be-more-productive-with-evening-time resolutions until next week, eh?

chemo tomorrow! 1.21

Good news! My levels are high enough for chemo tomorrow! I guess the wonder-priceless-booster drug did its trick. In fact it really did a number on my neutrophil levels. I have no idea what scale this is on, but here are the actual numbers. Apparently before any drugs or treatment I was at around a 9. Then on Friday a week and a half ago, I was at a 1.2, and I needed to be at 1.8 for them to do the next chemo treatment. When I went back in last monday I had dropped down to 0.9, and then last friday I was still at 0.9. I guess today, after 3 days of injections, I was at about 14! So, I now I have superhuman infection fighting powers! I can't say that I feel any different, but I am trying to think of what would look best as a Neupogen-Man costume, when I decide to use my powers to fight crime as a superhero. Send me any suggestions you have!

But, seriously, it was great news. Brittney called me with the news and did a great job keeping her voice the exact same as for the bad news calls of last week, and kept me guessing for a second. I was so relieved once she told me the results. Finally we can get on to chemo treatment number 2. Hopefully all goes smoothly and we can keep the every 2 week schedule from here on out. I will be back with an update tomorrow night on how it all goes.

1.20

Last night was rough. By the time I got into bed, my "bone" pains had increased. I couldn't find a position in bed where the pain went away. It hurt up and down my spine, from the base of my back to the base of my head. It just throbbed. It got a bit more manageable as I kept still, and I finally (around 1:00 am or so) found somehow to get to sleep. I woke up frequently though, and it felt like I was awake for a while each time. Miraculously, around 4:00 am I realized that the pain was all gone. This was such a blessing, and I slept well from then until the morning session of conference started at 10:00 am (a big thanks to Brittney for her kindess in letting me get some much needed rest). I have been back to the normal pains in my leg after standing too long, but after last night I am grateful that is all I have to deal with.

Since the bone pain came and went so fast, I figure it must have something to do with the injections. I haven't had any pain tonight from the injection today, so hopefully it was just a one time thing that we can be done with.

Tomorrow comes another blood test, and then hopefully chemo on tuesday. I am hoping the bone pain meant that the drug was working and that my neutrophil levels will be greatly increased.

Also, last night and today I have been having 2-5 hairs come off in my fingers ever time I run my hand through my hair. I think that sometime after this next chemo treatment the hair might just be done. I wonder what a bald me looks like? We might all find out soon.

1.19

Conference was great today. We were pleased to be able to watch it on TV. In between sessions, I finally got the lawn mowed. This is the first time that the kids have seen me mow a lawn, so they were pretty intrigued by the noise and whole process. This evening I have been having some pain in my back and legs, although in different spots that before. I wonder if it is from the injections. They said that it might make my bones hurt, since it is stimulating things in the bone marrow. But I am not sure what painful bones feel like. But I would believe it if this was it. Hopefully it will have diminished by tomorrow.