The Irony Was Not Lost On Me

That I was admitted to the hospital on the day of the 40th anniversary of the Apollo 11 Moon Launch. I feel certain there is less risk with my procedure than there was with Apollo 11.

Had the first round of chemo yesterday. Started around 4:30PM or so and finished around 7PM. There are plenty of supplemental drugs with this, but this one chemo infusion had more of an effect as far as wooziness, feeling hungover, etc. than previous chemo infusions. It's a normal reaction and they do insist that you let them know how you are feeling at all times.

Right now, the schedule is 5 more days of the chemo regimen, so the last drip should go in on Tuesday. Then, Wednesday would be an off day where they pump me with IV solutions to flush out the chemo, They said I would be making frequent trips to the rest room that day. The day after that (Thursday), I would start getting my stem cells back. Warning, the preservative they use to protect my stem cells that were collected has quite the strong odor and will make the room smell for a day or two. I've read that there is the smell of oysters or garlic. The person that figures out how to make the preservative smell like fresh linen could probably be set for life. I imagine it's being researched in a lab somewhere.

Blood counts are hanging in there. Results from the blood work from last night show that platelets are up around 120, (about 20 points below the lowest desired count - but 70 points higher than they were last week after collecting stem cells) and the white counts are good. I know the counts will go crazy over the next several days, but I have been encouraged throughout the whole process in the way my counts have responded after injections and platelet infusions.

I look forward to the final chemo party that I will have next Tuesday. I may not be all that strong physically on that day, but mentally will be beside myself. Then, when the stem cells come back to visit, I'll have another one of those private parties. I apologize in advance to the first person I see when I start feeling like myself physically. Be ready for it!

This Eagle will land and come back!

Stay tuned for upcoming song parodies. Working title: "Wasted Away Again With Chemotherapy." Thank you Jimmy Buffett and I'm sure Skippy will have to say something about it.

Hunter update: He had his final scheduled chemotherapy the other day. Things are looking good there. Bo is coming to close to the end of his treatments and should be done by the end of August. I'm looking forward a road trip someday to celebrate with those little men and their families. I'm thinking there will be plenty of East Carolina barbecue consumed!

Others who are doing well are Judith, who posts comments here (most of the time with Tar Heel comments)and also Kim, the receptionist of one my clients. She was diagnosed with brain cancer and has been receiving treatments. She has been going to work in the middle of her treatments. I really respect that. We all talk about going to the "salt mines," but you get a different perspective on that when you go through something like this. It's part of the therapy.