Sid Bacon

I hope you all had a wonderful weekend.  Cathy and I certainly did, although we wished that Mary did not have to leave Saturday morning.  Her visit was fun, but too short!  Cathy and I decorated our Christmas tree on Saturday – it is one of best trees we have ever had, if not the best.  It certainly was fun to decorate it. On Sunday, my sister Su arrived from Kansas City. She’ll be here only a short time too (she leaves tomorrow morning), but we’ll try to make the most of it.  Yesterday my cousin Tom came up from Tucson to have dinner with all of us.  He moved to Tucson from Salina, KS about a month or so ago, and is still learning the lay of the land. We had a nice dinner, after which we drove around a little bit to look at some of the Christmas lights that have been put up around our neighborhood.  That was fun.
 

Today will be my 23rd radiation treatment; I am scheduled to be done on Wednesday, assuming I do not have any boosts scheduled after the regular treatments … that is certainly my choice. The decision about the boosts will be made today.  After I get my treatment, Cathy and I will speak with the radiation oncologist to see what she says about the boosts.  We are also scheduled to see my regular oncologist after that. If the radiation oncologist is pushing for boosts, we will get a second opinion from my regular oncologist, who is overseeing my entire treatment.  My hope is that we are all on board with stopping radiation treatments on Wednesday. Cathy and I certainly will let them know that our choice is to be done after the initial 25 treatments.
 

Cathy and I enjoyed wonderful walks/hikes in the desert this past weekend. It is more exercise for me than walking the streets, as there is a lot more up and down. And although the trails are narrow, we are still able to walk side-by-side and hand-in-hand (necessary prerequisites).
 

On Friday before my treatment, Cathy, Mary, and I met Cathy’s and Mary’s cousin Cathy for lunch at a restaurant across the street from Piper. The picture today was taken at the restaurant.  I have hair because I haven’t had chemotherapy for some time ... Although I like having hair, I am anxious to get back to the initial regimen that was so successful for me.
 

My friend Laida is taking me to Piper tomorrow. As I’ve said before, it is so nice to have such support. We couldn’t manage meeting all the appointments nor dealing with the emotional roller coaster without the love and support from our friends and family. You all mean so much to us … we can’t thank you enough.

I am happy to say that today will be my penultimate radiation treatment … treatment 24 out of a total of 25. We will NOT be having any boosts.  I am very happy about this and a bit relieved, too, as I have enough trouble with the radiation dose that they have been giving me.
 

I probably will not have a CT scan for another 3-4 weeks at least, as the radiation lingers and continues to fight the tumor for another 2-4 weeks after the cessation of treatments. They don’t want to do a scan until the radiation is completely done doing its thing. I certainly like the notion of gaining benefit from radiation without having to endure the treatments!
 

We will not start any new treatments – such as chemotherapy – until after the holidays.  The timing is such that this will allow me to enjoy the holidays as much as possible. I am excited about that. The time off also will allow me to gain strength for the next round of treatments, whatever they may be.
 

I hope the time off also will give me a chance to gain weight, as I have been losing a little bit each week. We will continue the TPN for the time being. Moreover, I think the next round of TPN will have even more calories and protein in order to help mitigate my weight loss. It is just so hard to gain weight or even hold steady when you do not have an appetite and when it is hard to keep your food down. I am hopeful that I’ll gain an appetite when I’m done with the radiation treatments … just in time for the holidays and all the good food that will be around at that time.
 

Cathy took my sister Su to the airport this morning on the way to work.  It was great to have Su here, but unfortunately she wasn’t here very long. Nevertheless, we’ll take what we can get.  Moreover, we get a bonus treat when family come to visit – Laura spends the night with us. It is always nice to spend time with Laura.  
 

I haven’t gone on my walk yet this morning. It won’t be as much fun without Cathy, but I’ll go anyway. It is important to keep up my exercise routine, as it is important in my fight against this awful disease. There is a lot of fighting to do, and indeed I am constantly fighting this disease. I know you are in this fight with me … I appreciate all you are doing to help me fight and win this battle.

In just a few hours I will have my last radiation treatment … I am very pleased, to say the least. Although the effects of the radiation will linger for several weeks, it will be nice not to make that trek to Piper every day of the week and it will be nice not to have new radiation. When I think about having radiation directed to my stomach, it really is no surprise that I do not have an appetite and that I have trouble eating in general. I expect the appetite to return over the next several weeks … in other words, I do not expect the lingering effects of the radiation to have an adverse effect on my appetite.  I also expect my fatigue, which has been a major side effect, to begin to dissipate as soon as we stop the treatments. Overall, then, I am optimistic that I will start feeling better soon.
 

Cathy and I went for a nice walk in the desert this morning.  It was definitely cool, despite having the morning sun embracing us throughout the walk. I walked a loop, and about 2/3 of the way into my walk, Cathy started her run. I’m sure she was much warmer running than walking.
 

Our neighbor Judy is taking me to my last radiation treatment. It is so nice of her to take the time to do that.  It is great to have such a nice neighbor.
 

I just received a new batch of TPN fluids. They have increased the calories from 900 to 1400 per bag. I hope that with those increased calories and an increasing appetite that I will reverse the trend of losing weight. That is certainly the goal.
 

I want to thank you all for your support. It means a lot to Cathy and me. We are blessed to have such caring friends and family.

I am very grateful to be done with my radiation treatments.  I hope my side effects of nausea and fatigue start to dissipate soon. I am looking forward with gratitude to a relaxing holiday season.

Cathy and I went on the same desert walk that we went on yesterday. It was brisk out, but beautiful and very enjoyable. I am certainly grateful for the beautiful desert just behind our back yard.

We have one more set of pre-Christmas visitors coming to visit soon … Cathy’s brother Paul and his wife Carter will arrive Monday and depart Thursday of next week. It will be fun to have them here. I don’t know how many activities per day I’ll be able to participate in, but I will be involved in as many as possible.  I don’t mind being left behind some of the outings, however, to allow my body to recover; rest is an important aspect of my recovery process. I am certainly grateful for all the visitors we have had recently.  Our family is so thoughtful. 

There is so much to be grateful for. This is the season we typically stop to give thanks. I want to give thanks every day; I hope I can have the discipline to do that.  I know I express thanks for all of you on a daily basis. You give me so much strength, and for that I am most grateful. Thank you.

The Valley of the Sun is full of beautiful rain clouds.  We had rain overnight and it looks as though we could have more during the day today.  The high temperature is only supposed to reach 59 degrees; that is nippy for us.  It is a perfect day for staying inside and reading.

Cathy and I went on a brisk walk this morning in the streets. The temperature was in the low 50s, which kept us moving at a pretty good pace.  After about 2/3 of the way into the walk, Cathy split off and started her run.  That probably kept her warmer than did the walking.

I woke up fairly nauseous this morning, but am feeling better now that I have walked and had a bowl of oatmeal. I think I’ll do better if I can eat some bland foods throughout the day.  Given that the radiation is still having an effect on my tumor, I am assuming that I may still have side effects for a while.  I hope, however, that the side effects dissipate faster than the effect of the radiation on the tumor.

I am hopeful that the TPN – with its higher calorie count – will help me gain some weight.  I do not have much of an appetite yet, although I am eating as much as I can.  It really is a challenge to eat when you do not have an appetite, when nothing sounds good. I’ll keep trying, however, because I know it is important for my recovery.

I want to thank you all for all you do for Cathy and me. We benefit immensely from your love and support. 

I hope you have a wonderful weekend.  I am certainly looking forward to our weekend.  I also am looking forward to writing more next week.  I may, however, miss a day or two because Paul and Carter will be visiting. So, if you don’t hear from me on a particular day, you’ll know that I am having too much fun with our guests to take the time to write.