Sid Bacon

It is Friday, end of the week with an upcoming 3-day weekend … it has to be fabulous.   And it is!
 

I am thankful for this beautiful day.  It is sunny (as usual) with cooler temperatures than we’ve had lately.  It also is quite breezy.  Although I’m not a fan of wind (I had plenty of that growing up in Kansas), if it brings cooler weather, so be it.  I’m confident it won’t spawn any tornadoes … We should have wonderful weather all weekend.  I can’t wait.
 

We took Laura back to her house yesterday, after getting her stocked up with groceries (we focused on getting food that would require only one hand to prepare).  She is very independent and capable, and I am confident she’ll get along well without us, though she’ll probably move back home to stay with us for a few days immediately after her surgery.  I’m grateful that she lives in town and that we are able to help her during this time.  It is nice to have family close by.  I certainly benefit from it. 
 

Cathy and I do not have any plans yet for the weekend, other than our morning walks.  I’m feeling well, so fortunately my health should not dictate what we can and cannot do.  Whatever we do, if we do it together, it will be fun.  I’m sure of that.
 

I hope you all have a wonderful, 3-day weekend.  I will write again on Tuesday, probably in the afternoon from Piper, where we will be anxiously awaiting news of my platelet count.  In the meantime, we’ll keep fighting the fight with our positive attitude and strength in numbers.  Thanks for your help!

I hope you all had a wonderful weekend.  Cathy and I certainly did.  The weather was absolutely gorgeous, with highs in the 80s on Saturday and Sunday and in the low to mid 90s on Monday.  We took advantage of that weather to get some long-overdue yard work done.  We trimmed trees and cleaned the yard from debris that had accumulated over the past month or more.  It felt good to get all that done (fortunately, Cathy and I are alike in that we enjoy working and getting things done).  We also had our windows cleaned on Saturday (one of the few chores we outsource … he is very good at it, and is able to clean windows extremely well without any noticeable streaking).  We have this done twice a year, once when it is time to put on the sun screens (now) and once when it is time to put the regular screens back on (in the fall).  When it heated up a bit on Monday, we moved our work force inside and cleaned the house.  Working together, it doesn’t take all that long.  It is great to have things cleaned inside and out.

We went out to eat Saturday evening at one of our favorite local pizza joints. We really like to support this restaurant, as it is seemingly one of only a few “mom and pop” type businesses around.  The owner employs a number of local teenagers, which we really appreciate. I must admit, though, that it is pretty easy to support this restaurant, given that the food there is so good. 

On Sunday we went to see the movie “The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel”.  We thoroughly enjoyed it.  It has quite a cast, and they do not disappoint!  I highly recommend the movie.  Afterwards, we both commented that there are several films coming out soon (that were previewed) that we would like to see.  This was heartening, as we have not felt that way after some of the other movies we’ve seen lately.  Of course, we haven’t particularly enjoyed the past few movies we’ve attended (you may recall that we saw a bloody horror film recently, in the spirit of generating lots of platelets …).  What happens, of course, is that the previews tend to be of the same genre as the main attraction (e.g., if the main attraction is an action film, the previews tend to be of other action films).  Too bad we can’t see the previews before we buy the tickets (though you’d think we could do a better job picking movies to attend …). 

Yesterday afternoon my friend Cheryl stopped by to visit (and to deliver yet another home-baked pie … this one a peach pie).  She is definitely doing her part in increasing my caloric intake.  We had the pie, with some vanilla ice cream, for dessert last night.  It was absolutely delicious.  I’m looking forward to dessert tonight!

I’ll be leaving soon for Piper to see if I can have chemo today.  As you know, I definitely want to have the chemotherapy treatment, but I am prepared to be told that my platelet count is not sufficient ...  I’ve been feeling really good lately, which is a blessing.  I’ll keep focused on that, regardless of the news. I’ll finish my blog from Piper …

Well, I weighed in at +1.5 pounds relative to last week.  That means I am only 3 pounds shy of my pre-diagnosis weight.  Wow!  (See paragraph on Cheryl and peach pie …). My goal is to surpass that weight, as it will be good to have extra weight during this fight, particularly when I start a different chemo regimen in a few months.  It is more toxic with more severe side effects.  I’ll be ready for it!

I just found out that my platelet count was 64,000, so we are good to go for chemotherapy treatment.  Hooray!  I am very pleased.  This is the 3rd week of treatment in a row.  I am scheduled for a week off next week (which will end my 4th cycle, where a cycle is 3 weeks on, 1 week off).  After my week off, I will have a CT scan and start the 5th cycle, assuming the results of the scan are favorable (i.e., tumors the same size or smaller).

I have been feeling good lately, with very little nausea or pain and a fair bit of energy.  We are having lots of success in our fight.  I feel blessed.  What a team!  Thanks for everything.

I can hardly believe that I am not experiencing any nausea right after chemo (that sound is me knocking on wood …).  Although there are a lot of variables that can affect this (enough to drive a scientist crazy), I think my good fortune has to do with a timely and good placement of the anti-nausea patch.  The recommendation from the manufacturer of the patch is to put it on one day before chemotherapy treatment.  For various reasons (e.g., switching treatment days from Thursday to Monday … then to Tuesday due to the holiday), this has been the first time we have been able to follow that recommendation (the new patch was placed on my arm this Monday).  It is as if the manufacturer knows what they are talking about!  It is certainly making for a wonderful day.
 

I do have a little back pain today, which, again, could be due to all sorts of things.  One possibility is that we are trying to stretch the time between anti-pain patch replacements from 60 to 72 hours.  The last time we tried that (about 3-4 weeks ago), I ended up with some back pain and thus we promptly went back to a 60-hour replacement cycle.  I am scheduled to replace the patch tomorrow, either in the morning (60-hour replacement) or evening (72-hour replacement).  We’ll decide which time wins out based on my pain level tomorrow.  As one of the nurses explained, even with a shrinking tumor (we hope it is still shrinking), it could be pressing on enough nerve endings to cause the pain.  I may simply need a 60-hour replacement cycle to deal with the pain effectively.  I do, however, think it is worth testing this every once in a while, to make sure that we are providing the right amount of medication: not too much, not too little.
 

I am still happy about the fact that I was able to get chemotherapy three weeks in a row.  Next week is my week off.  If we were to stick with a Monday treatment day, I would have chemo again on the 11th of June. Instead we are going to shift back to having treatments on Thursday.  Thus, my next treatment day is scheduled for the 14th of June.  We have a CT scan scheduled for the 13th.  That means we’ll hear the results of the scan as well as the cancer antigen test (so-called CA19-9) when we go in to Piper on the 14th.  That will be a big day … full of (good) news and platelets (we’ll need a count of 100,000 to start the 5th cycle of treatment).
 

Cathy and I are excited about having almost 2½ weeks off from chemo.  If all continues to go well, I should feel good and possibly even stronger than I do now over the next few weeks.  We’ll definitely have to plan fun things to do and enjoy every day as we continue on this recovery road.  I should even feel strong enough to help Cathy provide nursing services for Laura.  She has an appointment this afternoon with her surgeon.  We are not sure when she will have the surgery, but we are hoping it will be sooner rather than later.  Laura needs to be on her recovery road as well.
 

All in all, I feel very grateful for how well my treatment is going.  I also feel very lucky.  This is not an easy fight, but I have a fantastic medical team doing all they can for me.  I also have a Team that is pulling for me and doing everything they can to help me with this fight.  I certainly do not feel that I am fighting alone.  I have a truly overwhelming amount of support, more than I could have ever imagined.  I don’t know what I would do without it.  Thank you all!

We are about to experience another 30-degree swing in temperatures, from low 80s this past Saturday to 112 tomorrow.  Ouch!  It is summer in Phoenix (a dry heat, but a heat nevertheless).  Fortunately, the mornings are still reasonably nice.  Cathy and I are able to enjoy the mornings on our back patio before we walk (the patio is shaded from the morning sun).  We have been starting our walks a little earlier, however, which helps us beat the heat. 
 

I have little or no back pain today, so we’ll stretch the anti-pain patch replacement to 72 hours again.  This will be two replacements at 72 hours. This is a good sign, although I realize I may need to go back to a 60-hour replacement cycle if pain returns and persists.  We’ll see.  I like the idea of being able to stretch it to 72 hours, as it makes me feel like I’m improving and making good progress in our fight against this terrible disease, although I realize that it may say nothing at all about the size of my tumors (even small tumors can press on nerve endings, causing pain).  We’ll certainly be anxious to know the results of the CT scan and cancer antigen test when we go to Piper on the 14th of June.  I feel good and believe I am getting better, so I am optimistic that the chemotherapy is doing its thing and shrinking the tumors further (or at least holding them at bay).  Again, I am so grateful that I was able to have chemotherapy three weeks in a row.
 

Cathy has been able to work at home a couple times this week.  I really enjoy those days. Even though we sit in different rooms at our separate computers for most of the day, it is comforting and enjoyable to have her close by.  This is true even though I am feeling so much better and not in need of her 24/7 nursing care.  I just like to be with her, whether I’m feeling good or not.  It is no wonder we’ve had a wonderful marriage now for almost 31 years.  It is, I think, important to be married to your best friend.  Thirty-one years ago this August we promised to be each other’s friend and companion in good times and bad … it is important to keep promises.
 

I have so much to be thankful for, not just on Thursdays … I am getting stronger and have tremendous love and support from family and friends.  No one knows how their life will turn out; we need to be grateful for all we have and to enjoy each day we are given.  It isn’t always easy, but it is important. For me, cancer has brought incredible love and support and has made me focus on important things in life.  In that sense, I am lucky and immensely grateful.  May you experience the same, but without any disease.