Day 5

5th day in a row of chemo means one week in the books. Finally get a small break. I go back Tuesday and that is the only day for week 2.

Doing ok overall and even went out and bought a new tv finally after 12 years.

Day 4

Today Travis and Joel were with me to help pass the time on this 4th day in a row of chemo. After 3 days of having the same injection site it is required to start a new one in my arm to avoid any infection.  So today after 2 attempts in my right arm, my veins were not cooperating for some reason so my left arm is much better apparently. After a total of 3 sticks from needles and a little blood, 3 times was the charm.

My appetite is ok but not as good as the past few days. Tonight's dinner was tomato soup, crackers and spinach with mushrooms and red peppers. Trying to drink lots of water and gatorade to  help flush out the kidneys. The intake of all the fluids each day does have an effect but it must be done. Tomorrow will be 5 days in a row and then I will finally get a break for 3 days.

One day at a time and so far so good. I know I am not alone in this. Your support is definetly felt. Thank you.

Day 3 December 17th, 2014

Not much to report from today as things went well. I was in and out after 3 and a half hours, my shortest day yet. I feel fine but the anti nausea pills are important not to miss. This helps keep my appetite good so far.

Spending my down time at home tonight watching survival shows on Discovery. A good time to catch up on movies the next few weeks as well. 

Day 2, December 16th, 2014

   

                                                                                                                                                     Today was another smooth day of treatment at the hospital as there were no complications and it went pretty fast overall. Today I received all 3 forms of the chemo, B, E and P. B is only given once a week and the E and P are at every session. They always start out with fluids and anti nausea in the IV which helps.

Last night I started feeling a bit nauseous which is to be expected from time to time. I do have 2 different types of prescriptions to take at home and they seemed to work after a while. I had two emergency buckets by my bedside just in case but once I laid down for bed I felt better.

My Brother was with me the whole time today at the hospital which again is a huge help. I watched the movie The Grey with Liam Neeson. Movies, Tv and facebook help pass the time. My nurse is great and really have no complaints today.

My appetite is still good today and just relaxing and going to watch the Blackhawks and Wild tonight with my bro. Another friendly Chicago-Minnesota rivalry. I am thankful I only have to drive 5 miles for treatment and get to sleep in my own bed at night.

 

My Journey with Cancer Day 1 December 15th, 2014

The dreaded C word. Nobody asks to be in this position. Who the hell invited you to invade my body (twice) and try and take away what I absolutely cherish, LIFE. Well I got news for you cancer. You can scare, you can create fear, you can take away life from people's family and friends, you can create heartache and you can create pain as you have for all of the above for me. So yeah, you knocked me to my knees again but I have this quiet little side to me that will shake the fear off, get back up, look you in the eye and fight back with everything I got. Ok so maybe I watched too many Rocky movies as a kid but I won't give up in honor of myself, my friends and my family who have been amazing to me no matter what challenges I have faced in life. Those in Illinois and my family know exactly what I am talking about when it comes to August 1st, 1986. That will be explained more on August 1st, 2016, 30 years later. 

So as for this battle, today was my first day of chemo here at the Northfield Hospital and day 1 went pretty smooth and had the support of 2 great friends coming to visit me. It was a huge boost. Then my Brother from Florida flew in and is now staying with me for a couple of weeks which is great. I can't travel to see the rest of my family like I usually do for the holidays but will be with my Brother and some friends for Christmas if I feel ok. My family is always with me no matter where I am if only in spirit. 

I was given an anti nausea right from the start and plenty of fluids to help offset any side effects. My appetite is good and had lunch catered to my room. This week I go every day thru Friday so we will see how I feel after week 1 but so far so good. 

The picture above is the view I had from my room as I was all hooked up and beginning the chemo. It was a dreary, rainy, gray day outside but when I see this I think a little differently as I tend to take a view from a camera perspective. 

No matter how rainy, how cold, how gray, how muddy, how snowy, how hot, etc. I don't let that stop me from going outside and finding that perfect angle or view to get that next shot. 

I guess I use that type of mentality no matter what life throws at me. 

As I know this fight will get harder before it gets better so I will try and post as much as I can on this blog about this journey for those interested and to one day look back at this bump in the road of life. Thanks for your support!