I recently finished the Max Lucado book Every Day Deserves A Chance. And he makes many good points and I agree that with each day there is a new opportunity to be blessed by our farther in heaven. In this post I wanted to share some of the challenges that each day presents to me as a cancer patient, and frankly I am doing well my challenges are minor compared too many others being treated.
Allow me to run you through a typical day. Start the day at 5:30am this is because I need to get to work by seven so I can get in around 10.5 hours , yep a 10.5 hour day this is because I need to accommodate the doctors appointments and any unforeseen incidences that I may have which historically I have had 2 classes of theses incidents which have caused me to go home in the middle of the day I would go into more detail but they are of a personal nature
I have aches and pains in certain muscles which are probably due to the deocdron. My mouth is sore which could be a side effect of the avastin . I get fungal infections at the drop of a hat, any scrape I get seems to result in a fungal infection. I am fatigued a lot once again a side effect of most of my meds. I get cramps in my feet and hands due I believe to the norvasc. I have leg swelling due to water retention and correspondingly weight gain. Unfortunately not all the weight gain is water. Keppra slows down ones metabolism while decordron increases your appetite a bad combination. So each day has a set of challenges but I over come them and am able to work a full week and increasingly go to the gym, So in spite of these challenges I recognize that I am indeed blessed, so this post is not so much a registry of complaints but more of a victory chant.
Monday, October 19, 2009
Monday, October 12, 2009
Birthdays
This past week was Darby’s and mine birthday. I have been seeing on TV a lot lately the American Cancer Society advertisement stating they are the official sponsor of birthdays. I am thankful to have had another birthday. While I am a realest and realize it is unlikely that I will live to the age of my parents and grandparents i.e. 87 and 96 it would be nice if I could get my 3 score and ten ( i.e. 70)years in, we will see what God has planed for me.
Psa 90:10 The days of our years [are] threescore years and ten; and if by reason of strength [they be] fourscore years, yet [is] their strength labour and sorrow; for it is soon cut off, and we fly away.
In news this past week I had and appointment with my PCP he is really good and is watching over me closely. Due to increased problems with yeast infections he has placed me on diflucan.
I had another immunotherapy session which is what Avastin is, it in an angiogenesis agent associated with the Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor (VEGF) here is a link which talks about it http://www.researchvegf.com/researchvegf/index.m?hl=en&q=vegf&btnG=Search&aq=f&oq=&aqi=
I went to the gym Thursday, Friday Saturday and Sunday. I do a pretty hard work out which is good
We went to Longhorn steak house for lunch.
I went to an elders meeting it was nice to get back in the saddle a little bit.
Psa 90:10 The days of our years [are] threescore years and ten; and if by reason of strength [they be] fourscore years, yet [is] their strength labour and sorrow; for it is soon cut off, and we fly away.
In news this past week I had and appointment with my PCP he is really good and is watching over me closely. Due to increased problems with yeast infections he has placed me on diflucan.
I had another immunotherapy session which is what Avastin is, it in an angiogenesis agent associated with the Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor (VEGF) here is a link which talks about it http://www.researchvegf.com/researchvegf/index.m?hl=en&q=vegf&btnG=Search&aq=f&oq=&aqi=
I went to the gym Thursday, Friday Saturday and Sunday. I do a pretty hard work out which is good
We went to Longhorn steak house for lunch.
I went to an elders meeting it was nice to get back in the saddle a little bit.
Monday, October 5, 2009
Liver Labs & Vacation
8 months since diagnosis there was a time when I thought based on statistics 6 months was the best I could hope for. But I guess the 6 month number is based on no treatment. So after months of radiation which apparently didn’t work and sever sessions of immunotherapy which may have worked I am doing okay and continuing with the immunotherapy.
This past week I had a lab appointment as requested by my PCP, I really like my PCP he seems to really care and takes the role as a Primary Care Physician very seriously. For this I am blessed. So because I am taking decodron which opens one up to opportunistic fungal skin infections he put me on oral Lamisil to help clear them up. With this drug one needs to monitor liver function thus the liver lab work. I have not heard the results and if they are good I may not hear anything.
The much more interesting news is our trip to North Conway we had a great time and as I told in the Time Precious Time post last week, this is what I cherish now time spent with loved ones we spent some time shopping and went to Wildcat Mountain and rode the gondola. We also went on a moose watch only saw one but it was a big bull we also saw a couple of skunks and three foxes (not all on the moose tour). We rode the cog railway up Mt. Washington. I climbed the last 10 feet to the summit and it pretty well wore me out. We did a little geo-caching (easy ones). The foliage was pretty good it was a great time. The B&B (Cranmore mountain lodge) http://www.cranmoremountainlodge.com/ was very nice
Now for a couple of pet peeves I understand why people take tours but it can be a little irritating since tour seems to take over places this big group of people arrive all with special arrangements and special entitlements and the problem is the people see to act as if they are entitled I am sure it is just a cultural thing but it can be irritating the other peeve is when you go to a restaurant and there are people the that seem to think you want to hear there conversation they talk so loud that you can’t carry on a conversation yourself this happened twice in a row to us.
This past week I had a lab appointment as requested by my PCP, I really like my PCP he seems to really care and takes the role as a Primary Care Physician very seriously. For this I am blessed. So because I am taking decodron which opens one up to opportunistic fungal skin infections he put me on oral Lamisil to help clear them up. With this drug one needs to monitor liver function thus the liver lab work. I have not heard the results and if they are good I may not hear anything.
The much more interesting news is our trip to North Conway we had a great time and as I told in the Time Precious Time post last week, this is what I cherish now time spent with loved ones we spent some time shopping and went to Wildcat Mountain and rode the gondola. We also went on a moose watch only saw one but it was a big bull we also saw a couple of skunks and three foxes (not all on the moose tour). We rode the cog railway up Mt. Washington. I climbed the last 10 feet to the summit and it pretty well wore me out. We did a little geo-caching (easy ones). The foliage was pretty good it was a great time. The B&B (Cranmore mountain lodge) http://www.cranmoremountainlodge.com/ was very nice
Now for a couple of pet peeves I understand why people take tours but it can be a little irritating since tour seems to take over places this big group of people arrive all with special arrangements and special entitlements and the problem is the people see to act as if they are entitled I am sure it is just a cultural thing but it can be irritating the other peeve is when you go to a restaurant and there are people the that seem to think you want to hear there conversation they talk so loud that you can’t carry on a conversation yourself this happened twice in a row to us.
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