Update...

Well, yesterday was the start of my final cycle of chemotherapy! Cycle 6A is down and out and all I have is one more treatment, 6B which will take place in 13 days. If my second treatment was not postponed a week when I started all this, I would have had my last treatment on Rachel's mom's birthday. I wish that was the case, but it is kind of hard when I don't have any control.



As treatments have been coming and going, this process has only been getting harder and harder even with the end in sight. Like I have said before, there is no real guide to how you are going to react to the chemo, and how you are going to react mentally. I don't want this to come across as negative, but I think I am just pissed off that I have had to go through all this. Would I change any of it, probably not? The only reason why I say that is because I have really learned a lot about myself these past 6 months, I have also learned what's really important to me and what things need to come first. I think the biggest thing to me and is most important are growing my relationships with my family and friends. I really have learned that life can be too short and there are certain things we have no control over. For me, it is important to slow down and cherish what I do have. Sometimes we all take things for granted without realizing it. So, that's the biggest thing I want to work on once I am feeling better.



I never knew how stressful this process was going to either. Not being able to work much the past 6 months has really starting driving me crazy. I miss meeting new people, working with new people and being around the people I work with. Being cooped up in the house for the past 6 months just gets boring. Plus, if I am not working, I am not making any money. The only positive to that is I won't have pay taxes this year ;) Obama doesn't deserve my money anyways! But I really can't wait to start working again; going through savings and not making in money is no fun.



Besides all that, I am pretty excited to have my last chemo treatment. Going through chemo really sucks and I hope no one ever has to do it. If you have been through it, you're a real trooper in my mind and I hope that you never have to go through it again. Everyone keeps telling me that radiation is a breeze compared to chemo, I can't wait to get that going and I can't wait to get the port removed from my chest. I know I am jumping ahead a bit, but as you can imagine, I am ready to be done with all this. I went out with the guys last weekend to the Dawgs game and had a great time. I went against my doctor’s word and had a few drinks and enjoyed a long day of tailgating and football. That was good for me to get out and just enjoy life. I look forward to many more tailgates, football games, and great times with friends and family. Next year will be a much better year, and more enjoyable!



I have now lost all my eyebrows, I kind of look alienish...

Today is my 10th treatment.

I apologize for the lack of postings that past month or so!

Man...I really don't know where to start with this note, but I guess I will start with the fact that I have my 10th treatment today at noon and that means I will only have two more treatments of chemo(4 weeks) left. I still have to follow up chemo with 4 weeks of radiation, but everyone is telling me that is a breeze compared to chemo. I know I am not finished with treatment, but the past 6 months have been a mix of good times and hard times. The treatment itself is hell, and I am over being sick and having no energy to do stuff, especially work. There is no Chemo for Dummies book, so no one can completely prepare you for it. The stress of not being able to work much is starting to get to me, it is pretty difficult to generate business when you are sick. I am able to work for about 5 hours a day at most on my good weeks, but by the time I get home, I am exhausted. I was hoping to have more referrals from past clients and friends, but it has definitely been slow for me the past 6 months. I am lucky to be able to work with my dad, as he is pretty damn good at generating leads. But at the same time nothing ever happens fast enough in the real estate business. So, let me know if you know of anyone that is looking to purchase or sell their home. My dad and I have a great partnership, and we will get the job done!

Now that I have done a little venting about work, I feel a little better. Besides the stress and being sick constantly, I am excited about being done with chemo. I try to do everything to stay positive, but I will not lie...chemo has taken its toll on me. I do find it harder to get excited about things and I think this is because it has been so long since I been able to just do whatever. It is definitely hard not being able to do things like I used to be able to. I wish I was able to travel, take off for the weekend, play a round of golf (I did that once this year, but I had a pounding headache by the time we were done) but I don't have a choice. The only thing I can focus on is getting healthy. I obviously have one thing to look forward to that I get excited about and that is our wedding in April. I am excited about our wedding for some many different reasons, and I cannot wait until spring because I will be getting back to normal. I have been told that it will probably take 6 months or so to get back to normal from the chemo.

Besides all that, I don't have much to complain about. I am beating the cancer, I am comfortable for the most part, I have the best fiance a guy could ever ask for, my parents have been extremely helpful throughout this whole process, and I have the best friends. I always enjoy getting out of the house and meeting up with friends. It is usually a low key thing, but just being around other people is so nice as I get cabin fever after treatment because I am so wiped out for about 4-5 days.

There is only so much TV I can watch. I think I need to get on Wheel of Fortune soon, I am killing their puzzles right now! ;)

Here it is...

Well…Here it is. It has been some time since I have posted on the blog and I wanted to just let you know how everything is going.

First, I am feeling like crap because I had treatment yesterday and I had my Nullesta shot this morning. But, I feel pretty damn good at the same time because yesterday was my 7th treatment and that means there are only 5 more treatments to go. It is so nice to be over the hump! What a ride this has been thus far and I wish I could describe and explain all the feelings that go through your mind during the journey of chemotherapy and battling cancer.

I will say that I do everything I can to stay positive and the more I hear from people and the more I get to be around people, the more it truly keeps me going. At the same time I do have my times where I am down and want to crawl up, fall asleep, and wake up in December when this is all over with. I still will never ask why this happened to me as I have no control over this disease. I am blessed to have a cancer that does have a cure, but by no means would I want anyone to ever have to go through what I have had to go through. A couple weeks ago I was talking to some friends about being diagnosed and my treatments. When I was first told I had cancer, the emotions and shock was tremendous, and when I look back on those couple of weeks, it amazes me how far I am already. In the whole gist of everything, time has gone by pretty fast and I know this is all going to benefit me for many more years once I am cancer free. I do miss being able to have free roam and just being able to go out and do what I want. It seems that the days I want to take the boat out are the weekend when I am sick and of course that is when the sun is out too. Sometimes I push it a little too hard on the weekends when I am sick and I really feel tired for the next few days after that. I have not been getting sick, but I am on the verge of it.

Yesterday when I was finishing up treatment, the nurse has to flush my port out with saline solution, and I almost threw up. The taste of saline is horrible and as soon as they flush it you can taste it. I get nauseas just typing/talking about it. This is all mental, and the only reason why I get more nauseas as the treatments go on is because a few weeks ago, there was an elderly man in the treatment room. Before he even sat down to start getting treatment, he was already throwing up, and he took the seat right next to me. I think the poor guy probably threw up over 20 times. Luckily they brought the man into the private room, but I could still hear him through the walls and I had my headphones on. Well, that image and sound is stuck in my head, and when I think about going to treatment, that is one of the first things I think about and it makes me sick to my stomach.

I will say the nurses at the cancer center are so nice and they all know my name, I feel bad because I can’t remember everyone’s names. A lot of the nurses and people that work at the cancer center have been diagnosed with cancer at some time and have had to go through chemo or radiation or both. It makes it so nice to be able to speak with them about how I am feeling and what they recommend. I also think they enjoy having someone in the treatment room that is younger then them. I am pretty sure the average age for patients is probably around 70 and I am 28. Last week was the first time I saw someone who looked about my age, and I don’t even know if she was being treated or if she was there with a family/friend getting treated.

I have started taking notes on this whole journey I am going through and I am going to attempt to write a book about being diagnosed, how I stay positive, and everything else I have learned along the way and everything that comes with it. I have a whole different look on life and I am sure when I am cancer free my look on life will be even that much different. I think the real reason why want to do this is first for me not to forget what I went through, second, if one person can benefit from it, I would feel it was a success, and third I never knew how intense this would be. Even when my dad was diagnosed with cancer awhile back, I never understood it and how mentally and physically draining this disease is. It will be therapeutic for me, just as these blogs are. I know my English skills are not the greatest, but I have a ghost writer all lined up. So, don’t worry…

It was great seeing some old faces at my 10 year reunion in Issaquah, at the same time I felt like an ass for forgetting half the people’s names. Oh well…I was surprised, we had over 320 kids graduate in 2000 and only about 75-100 total people showed up, that’s including dates. It is funny, you have the people that go to the bar down the street from the reunion for the after party, but they won’t show their face at the reunion. I guess they are still too cool for school, huh? I can’t drink and I was too tired, so I didn’t even go to the after party. Oh well…

For all my dem friends, here is your pic of the day!!!

Great News!

So, I have great news to report...the cancer is going away!!! The scan was not able to show any lumps in my neck or spleen and the lump in my chest has shrunk tremendously. This is all great news and I couldn't be happier about that. I am still on track with my treatments and I am hoping to be all done with chemo the first week of November. 5 treatments down, 7 more to go, almost half way there.

The chemo still makes me feel horrible for about 5 days, and apparently I am just like a pregnant girl. I crave certain foods, especially blizzards. Besides that, I feel ok and I am excited to be half way done with the chemo. Then I have 4 weeks of radiation, but that will be a breeze compared to the chemo.

I have been trying to enjoy myself on the weeks I don't have treatment and that really makes things go by quicker. I had a great time in Chelan and I rocked a straw hat and t-shirt the whole time. I dig the straw hat, and this might have to make more appearances with the wardrobe.

Another Week Down...

So, this is the week where I feel good. So, I have been enjoying it and trying to keep the next week out of my thoughts. Rachel and I are off to Lake Chelan tomorrow for a few days with the Roupe's and some other cronies, so I am excited for that. I think this will be my only vacation until this whole thing is over with.

A couple days ago I went to the hospital for a CT/PET scan to see the progress from the chemo. I meet with my doc next week to go over the slides and to see how well the chemo is working for me. I am pretty confident that it is working very well because the doc cannot feel any lumps on my neck. So, I am curious to how big the lump in my chest and the lumps in my spleen are now.

Because this is my good week, I feel great and my mind is in a good place and I have energy. On the weeks of chemo and after I get chemo I feel like shit!!! I don't have much energy for anything. I usually stay positive but it still brings you down for a bit. I think just the constant feeling like shit for 5-7 days starts to take its toll on you, but once you finally get through it, you kind of forget about the past week. The only things that really gets to me are certain smells, the thought of going to chemo treatment, and the needle that goes into my port. I have never had a problem with needles, or pain, but for some reason the connection of the port makes me feel so sick. Oh well...I don't think I have another option.

Overall everything is going according to plan, and thank god for health insurance. I can't believe how much this would cost if I didn't have insurance. 4 treatments down, 8 more to go! I will keep you posted on the results from my last body scan.

Have a great weekend!

Just a Quick Update...

I will write more later this week.

I had my 4th treatment yesterday and my white blood count was back to normal at just over 5,000. Right now I feel like crap, and I can't wait for the next couple days to roll by so I start feeling better. I only have 8 more treatments to go, I wish it could go by faster. I know everything is working for the best and I know I will be cancer free by December, so I will keep pushing through. Besides that, I am all good.

I will update you all later this week with more fun stuff...

Round 1, Cycle 2 Down the Hatch...

Yesterday I was able to have my third chemo treatment which is the start of my 2nd cycle, each cycle is 2 treatments. Right now I am actually feeling ok, which is nice. I felt like complete crap yesterday when I got home from my treatment but I just crashed on the couch and laid low. Yesterday my blood tests showed that my white blood cell count was low again, but high enough to have my treatment. Three weeks ago it was at 400, yesterday it was at 1000, and the doc would like to see it above 1500. Because I have lower white blood counts I will be getting a "booster" shot to elevate my count. I think the name of the shot is Nulesta, and apparently this makes my bone marrow create more white blood cells. Because of this, the nurse was telling me that I will feel sore in my larger bones for the first few days after each shot. Each shot will be given to me the day after each chemo treatment.

When I had my check up with the doc yesterday he was very please with my progress and is very excited to see that the lump on the left side of my neck appears to be so small he can not feel it, and the cluster on my right side of the neck has been reduced significantly! I will have a full body scan next month to get a better idea of how everything is going. This is all great news and it just shows that my body is reacting very well with the chemo treatment. I will still continue the same schedule and I will most likely follow up chemo with 4 weeks of radiation.

This past weekend I had family in town from Spokane, and it was great seeing everyone, especially my grandma. I was happy to see her make the drive over the mountains to come visit. It just tells me she will be just fine to fly down to New Orleans next April for the wedding. My uncle helped my install the A/C unit in the family room, my aunt cooked up some delicious enchilada's, and my grandma brought over her famous biscotti's. It was really nice just being with the family. My parents even washed and waxed my car, I can get used to all these perks ;)

I am really excited for the 4th of July, and I really hope I am feeling well. My buddy and I have acquired a full arsenal of fireworks. It is great having the best hookup for the best fireworks you can get your hands on. A friend of ours is a wholesaler for the fireworks you can't buy at the local stands. I think we have about 250 artillery shells, 5 cakes and a bunch of other crap. Sorry to ramble about my 4th of July stuff, but as you can tell I am pretty pumped! I will be careful, and you can guarantee that because I am not allowed to drink alcohol...

Besides all that, I am just trucking away, and I now only have 9 treatments left to go! If I can stay on schedule I will be done with chemo in early November and hopefully be done with radiation before the end of the year! I know the schedule and the way my body reacts is out of my hands, but with the booster shot, I am really hoping that we can stay right on path. There is nothing more that I want is to be done with the treatment, but I know the only way I will get healthy and be able to live a long healthy life is to go through this. So, I have no problem going through treatment for 6 months, and if I have to do it again in the future...Well, I will cross that bridge when I get there.

For me it is so easy to motivated and to stay positive because of the people who surround me. I must thank each and every one of you for following my journey, sending me notes, calling me, texting me, and stopping by. I have so many things to look forward to in the near future and I am so excited for all of it. I know there will be more ups and downs along this path, and I still have a ways to go, but if I can continue to feel this good, then I will have no problem kicking the shit out of this cancer! I am just happy that we found the lump when we did, and that there is a cure for this crap!

I didn't have a picture to post of myself, so I decided to post a picture for all you Obama lovers!