Sid Bacon

Cathy and I celebrated Valentine’s Day with a hand-in-hand walk in the desert, and we plan to go out to eat for lunch at a nearby restaurant.  We don’t really want to battle the dinner crowd. I don’t think we are being lazy shoppers when we tell each other that spending time together is the biggest gift of all … we can’t shop for that, but we can slow down and enjoy each moment that we are together. That is what makes us happy … it definitely makes for a Happy Valentine’s Day.
 

Cathy’s sister Karen sent us a personalized 2-lb bag of M&Ms.  Cathy arranged some of them for today’s picture.  The colors include dark and light purple … perfect for pancreatic awareness.  It was certainly a thoughtful gift, and one we’ll enjoy for sometime (at least you would hope it would take us some time to eat our way through two pounds of M&Ms … we’ll see …).
 

My temperature these past two days has been going between normal and a slight fever. We aren’t sure the cause of the fever; I hope it is not an infection in my biliary system.  We should know whether that is the case sometime later this afternoon, and then we’ll know whether I need to change antibiotics. I am holding out hope for no change.
 

I am not running a fever this morning, and in fact I feel quite good. As I mentioned earlier, Cathy and I went on a nice walk in the desert. I am hopeful that I won’t have a fever at all today, and that we get past this little bump without too much trouble.  I hate having these things happen, as they remind us that I am sick and that my health is precarious. I generally feel good, and that is what I want to think about. I want to focus on how well I feel.
 

I feel so fortunate to have the love and support from so many people. The size of Team Bacon is truly overwhelming. I can’t thank you enough for all your love and support, for your thoughts, prayers, etc. Cathy and I are lifted up by them all; they give us strength to carry on each and every day. Between Team Bacon and Piper medical staff, I feel that I am in good hands, and that we are fighting at full strength.
 

Thank you!

Thank God I’m Feeling Good …
 

And, of course, Thank God It’s Friday.  It is always good to get to the end of the week … TGIF!
 

Cathy and I had a nice Valentine’s Day.  We had lunch at a nearby restaurant.  Although it was only 57 degrees at the time we ate, we sat outside on the patio in direct sun and were very comfortable.  The sun here is intense … great in the winter, not so great in the summer.  The food was good, and the company was even better!  We had a great time.  Last night we had a fire in the family room fire place … very cozy.  We have been watching a new Netflix series called House of Cards. It stars Kevin Spacey and Robin Wright.  It is a very good political drama.  We enjoyed several episodes in front of the fire last night.
 

I had an appointment at Piper this morning for blood work.  They wanted to make sure my platelets were on the rebound, and also to check to see if my white blood cell counts were normal.  The platelets have increased from 38,000 to 44,000 and the white cell counts are normal.  I do not need to go back to Piper until my next scheduled appointment for chemo (27 February). We’ll hope the platelets reach the 100,000 mark by then, as that is what they need to be in order to start a new cycle of treatment. There is lots of time for them to build back up, so we should be fine (though I’ll be a bit nervous about them on the 27th).
 

I was over 2 pounds heavier today than I was on Wednesday.  That was certainly good and surprising news.  I do think my weight was down somewhat on Wednesday due to me being dehydrated from the high fever I had Tuesday evening. The fluids they gave me that day really helped. I am now about 15 pounds below where I want to be. I’m really going to have to work on my weight gain, with lots of snacking in between meals. Thank goodness for all the good food Cathy has been making for me … it will really help me gain that weight.
 

I mentioned that I have been dealing with a fluctuating temperature. Fortunately it has not been as high as it was last Tuesday evening (102.4). My temperature has mainly been in the normal range yesterday and today (just one reading late yesterday afternoon was above normal … Tylenol took care of that). I take my temperature frequently to document whether or not I have a fever, and of course to take Tylenol if I do. I give the information to Piper so they can monitor my condition.  We aren’t sure if I have an infection. So far it doesn’t appear that I have an infection in my biliary tract, which is good. I’m on an antibiotic that seems to be helping me fight whatever it is I am fighting.
 

I feel good today.  I went on a briskly paced walk this morning while Cathy was running. Though I prefer to walk with her, the timing of events this morning made it more sensible for me to walk while she ran. I had toast before the walk and oatmeal with Cathy afterwards. I don’t have any nausea or much if any pain, so I have absolutely nothing to complain about.  It is great to feel good. I’m certainly tired of being sick; when I feel good, it helps me forget my overall health struggles, at least for awhile.
 

Cathy trimmed my hair this morning.  I haven’t had it cut since it started growing back, and it was getting a little too long in places.  It won’t be long until I don’t have any hair, so we didn’t want to cut too much now.  I got used to being bald once before; I’ll get used to it again.
 

As always, thank you for your love and support.  It is greatly appreciated.
 

Have a great weekend. I’ll write more on Monday.

It also helped that I generally felt great this weekend.  The fever that I had earlier in the week seems to have gone away.  I haven’t had an above-normal temperature reading for several days now.  What a treat, especially after the rather scary 102.4 temperature I had last Tuesday night. I am so grateful for the days in which I feel good.  I certainly do not take them for granted.
 

Cathy had a curriculum committee retreat on Saturday.  She went on a shortened run in the morning so she could go on a walk with me before going to the retreat.  That was incredibly sweet of her.  I guess she enjoys our walks, too … Fortunately, she was able to be home before Dan and Liz arrived mid afternoon.  We don’t want to miss any of the time that we can have with them.  It is so special that they come home this frequently.  It seems as though this is the 3rd time Dan has been home in the past six or so weeks. He is so thoughtful. He knows we don’t expect him to come home this frequently, but he says he likes to be here.  I’m a lucky dad. We are lucky parents.
 

Saturday night we went out to eat in downtown Tempe, at a place called The Handlebar Tempe. They have lots of different beers on tap as well as in the bottle. Their dinner menu is sparse, but the Handlebar Burger was quite tasty, so it all worked out well.
 

Cathy fixed a tasty brunch on Sunday.  This was after our walk and a 5-mile run enjoyed by Dan, Cathy, and Nashley.  Later that day we went to a local thrift store and got Nashley a Steve Nash Suns jersey. Cathy did a little sewing to make it fit better.  Nash looks so good in her Nash jersey. I’ve included a “Nash in Nash” picture with today’s blog.
 

This morning Cathy and I went on a walk and then she and Dan did a short run in the desert. We then met Liz’s parents for breakfast at a local restaurant called Hillside Spot … it was fun to get together with them.  And Dan paid!
 

This is my scheduled week off from chemo. I should feel good throughout the week.  I’m busy, however, making platelets!
 

As always, I want to thank you for all your support. It is truly overwhelming.  I definitely feel supported in my fight against this awful disease. I know I’m not fighting alone.  For this, I am most grateful.

Hair today, gone today?  My hair has been falling out since Saturday.  It is long enough that it doesn’t look too thin quite yet, although I am shedding all over. I think it is time to cut it really short and then shave the rest. I’ve enjoyed having hair again, but being bald isn’t all that bad.  And it is a sign that the chemo is effective at killing cells that divide rapidly (hair, cancer cells, etc.), so that is good!  I’m just glad I have plenty of hats to keep my head warm.
 

Cathy and I went on a nice walk this morning, and then she had to dash off to work.  We are interviewing a number of faculty candidates for three slots, including department chair. Cathy went in for today’s job talk and candidate interview with the faculty.  She’ll be back by lunch, as her cousin Cathy is stopping by for lunch today.  After lunch, Cathy will then be able to work at home the rest of the day.  As I’ve said before, it is a real blessing to have that flexibility.
 

I am having my biliary drainage tube replaced at Mayo Hospital next Tuesday.  We wanted to get this done before chemo on Wednesday, so the timing is good.  I don’t know if they will completely internalize the tube, or whether they will leave an external part for external drainage as needed.  I am guessing the latter, but would be pleasantly surprised with the former.
 

I’ve been dealing with nausea the past couple days; it seems to be worse after I eat, but not necessarily after every meal.  It is hard to predict.  I still try to eat frequently, as I know it is important to keep eating and to gain weight (it is, however, getting harder to eat frequently when I’m feeling this way). I do have medication that helps, so I use that when I am feeling nauseous.  I took some recently, as the left-over breakfast burrito from yesterday’s breakfast isn’t sitting all that well … bummer.
 

As always, thank you for all your support. It is so helpful.  I just can’t thank you enough. Go Team Bacon!

I am feeling pretty good today … little or no nausea and little or no pain. Can’t complain (at least I shouldn’t).
 

We had a nice lunch with Cathy’s cousin Cathy yesterday afternoon.  Cathy brought three (empty) wine bottles that they had textured with chalkboard material, so that you can write things on the bottle with chalk … fun idea.  In today’s photo, I am holding one of the bottles she brought.
 

After Cathy’s run this morning, we tackled my hair.  It was time … I was shedding just a little bit too much.  Cathy used scissors and the trimmer on my electric razor to cut most of the hair, and then I used my razor to cut the rest.  It is noticeably cooler without any hair. I’m glad I have plenty of hats to choose from to keep me warm. One beanie in particular arrived yesterday from my friend Beth S. Perfect timing! It is on my head as I write, keeping me nice and warm.
 

Today I received a photo (from Beth S) of a group of friends/colleagues at a conference.  One of them was holding an iPad with “Team Bacon” displayed on it.  Unfortunately, it was too bright for the photo, and you can’t read it.  I can, however, see everyone in the picture. I’m grateful for the picture and the fact that they would take a moment to take their picture and send it to me. It is one more example of the tremendous support that I am receiving from so many people and places.
 

Indeed, Cathy and I are most grateful for all the support we receive from you.  It truly is overwhelming and much appreciated. We do feel that you are with us in this fight against this dreadful disease. Thank you!