Sid Bacon

Cathy and I went on a nice long walk this morning, at a fairly brisk pace.  I really appreciated and enjoyed the fact that she walked the entire route with me. I almost picked a route that was too far (for me …), as I was getting somewhat fatigued by the end of the walk. (I could be accused of picking a long route just to extend the most pleasurable part of the day for me.) I am glad we walked that long route, however, as it is important that I exercise as much as possible. I would be the first to admit that my exercise isn’t particularly rigorous, but it is all I can handle at the moment.  When I get stronger, we can once again add weight lifting and perhaps some jogging. I’ll get to the point where I am much stronger and able to do more things; it is just going to take time.
 

There is no question that I am in a fight with radiation therapy. I am back to dealing with nausea and vomiting. I ate a reasonable amount for dinner last night, but unfortunately was unable to keep it down. I don’t mind the fatigue so much, but I definitely mind the nausea and vomiting, particularly as I am trying to gain weight, or at least keep my weight steady (I have lost a couple pounds over the past few weeks, despite receiving nutrients and calories via TPN … thank goodness for the TPN – who knows where I’d be without it).
 

Cathy is doing all she can to help me with my caloric intake. This morning she identified foods I might eat at various times of the day. The idea is to eat small amounts frequently. I think it was just an oversight, however, that she didn’t mention a chocolate chip cookie or apple pie a la mode.
 

Cathy is working on campus today; she has a variety of meetings and her undergraduate class to teach in the mid to late afternoon. Thus, she is unable to take me to Piper. Fortunately, our friend Larry is taking me to my radiation treatment today. We are so lucky to have support from our friends. These rides are especially helpful to us, as it just isn’t possible for Cathy to take me to treatment five days a week.  It is amazing, though, that she has been able to carve out enough time to take me most days. Indeed, between Cathy and Laura, we have most days covered. 
 

I feel fortunate and truly overwhelmed to have such tremendous support from family and friends. Cathy and I could not be fighting this difficult fight without your support.  We are truly grateful, and cannot thank you enough for all you do.

Cathy and I went on a nice walk again this morning. The pace was brisk … so much so that I felt I cheated myself and made it too short.  These walks are, after all, the favorite part of my day.  They are also extremely important to me physically as well as emotionally. They are an integral part of my fight against cancer. I feel it is important that I keep my body in the best shape possible, to be in shape to fight this pernicious disease. It is a fight, no doubt about that, and being in shape is at least one thing I can do to give myself an edge in the fight.  So, on we walk …
 

What do you call having to eat every two hours despite not having an appetite and at times being nauseous? It is definitely a job, a real chore. It is not fun, but it is my life right now. It is what I am doing in order to get as much food into my body as possible.  I can’t eat large meals, so I am eating multiple small ones … snacks in between somewhat larger meals that one would normally call breakfast, lunch, and dinner.  This is not easy, but I am hopeful that there will be a real pay-off down the road. I need to gain weight; right now I am losing just a little bit, despite the TPN. I need to reverse that trend. I am using an arsenal of drugs to ward off nausea. My arsenal includes Zofran, Ativan, Compazine, and Marinol. The latter can help stimulate my appetite as well. My arsenal also includes an anti-nausea patch that I replace once per week.  Unfortunately, the powerful radiation plays havoc with my stomach and makes it difficult to control the nausea, despite my arsenal.  
 

Despite the setbacks with nausea and vomiting, I feel like we are winning the fight. I know we haven’t had a CT scan or CA19-9 reading for some time, but my gut feeling (no pun intended) is that we are making good progress in shrinking the tumor. The radiation certainly seems powerful enough to be shrinking the tumor. Moreover, Cathy and I are fighting as hard as we can, doing all that we possibly can in this fight. But we can’t do it alone. The progress we have achieved to date is no doubt due, in part, to the positive thoughts and prayers coming from across the US and abroad.  I know Cathy and I have a great deal of support, and I feel it is definitely paying off.  I can’t thank you enough.

Although I still have nausea that I am dealing with on occasion, thanks to the radiation, I am feeling more and more positive about my health each day. We are making good progress, I’m sure of it. It is certainly the case that Cathy and I are riding an emotional roller coaster as we traverse our recovery road, but fortunately at the moment we are at a crest in that ride. We both feel it. I still am tethered to my IV bag at night, I still have to (try to) sleep on my back, I still have to be very careful with what and how much I eat, I still am terribly fatigued and need to rest often, etc., etc., but those things are no longer getting me down. They are no longer a major annoyance. I am definitely used to them, as is Nurse Cathy.  We are doing well, feeling more positive.
 

This morning Cathy and I went on a very nice walk together. We walked a fairly long distance before Cathy started her run. I’m getting smarter and making the initial phase of the walk longer and longer so that I can spend more time with her. As I’ve said before, our walks together are the highlight of my day. While walking we are in the moment together; we have some of our best conversations while walking because our time is uninterrupted. You just can’t beat spending that kind of quality time with your best friend. I feel fortunate to have that time.
 

Cathy is taking me to Piper today and Laura is picking me up and taking me home after she gets off work. Laura likes to run in the desert (just like her mom does), so she plans to take advantage of today’s schedule to go for a run in the desert behind our house. I’m glad she gets something out of this chauffeuring arrangement.
 

Thank you for the positive thoughts you send our way. They are important to us, and are no doubt part of why we are feeling more positive right now.

The joy of Friday takes on new meaning since I’ve started radiation therapy.  It is great to look forward to having a couple days off from treatment.  The effects of the radiation are cumulative, so I’m feeling worse today than I did at the beginning of the week.  I’ve been feeling nauseous all morning. I’m definitely ready for a break. TGIF!
 

Our friends, John and Mary, took us to a concert last night at Gammage Auditorium on the ASU campus. The show was “Donny and Marie – Christmas in Arizona.” Those two Osmonds really know how to put on a show!  It really was a lot of fun, and of course it was just nice to spend the time with our friends. We didn’t get home until about 10:30 … very late for me, particularly given how fatigued I am these days. Cathy and I quickly got the TPN ready and got me tethered to my pump and back pack.  We were in bed by 11:00.
 

Given the late night, I slept in this morning.  Cathy got up before me and went on a run.  When she got back, we had some coffee and read the paper before going on a walk together.  The walk was nice, although because I’m not feeling quite as well today as I have earlier this week, I felt a little cheated.  I would have liked to have gone on a longer walk and spent more of that quality time with Cathy. Oh well, maybe next time.
 

I’m going to cut this short and get some more rest before going to Piper for treatment.  I hope you all have a wonderful weekend.  I hope it is as rejuvenating for you as it will be for me.
 

Thanks for all your love and support!