The Chemotherapy Treatment: Day 4

Wow, a lot has happened since I posted last week. I'll start with Friday and go from there.

Friday night, Rachel and I watched our nephew, Hayden for about 2 1/2 hours. We had a really good time singing songs, reading books, playing with toys (and water), and crawling all over the place. I can't believe how big he is getting.

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Saturday was Hayden's 1st birthday party. Of course, there was a bounce house (aka moon bounce) was 2 basketball hoops inside. Once the little kids had their turn, the big kids got to play some high quality Bounce House Basketball. It was a lot of fun, but also sad to realize we aren't as young as we were when we started playing 10 years ago. I'm not in as much pain as I was Saturday night, but I am finding more bruises as the week goes on. Oh yeah, and my head still hurts from Fomai landing on it.

For his birthday, we got Hayden a covered RadioFlyer Red Wagon, a cup with his name on it, and two Cheerios books. Hopefully he'll get a lot of use out of all of them!

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On Sunday, we went to church and then to the Strawberry Festival where we walked around with Hayden, Brandon, Kimi, Cam, & Brian. After that, we went to 29 Palms to visit Bennett, Rachel's brother. He's working out there as a civilian contractor for the USMC. It wasn't too hot (about 90), so we were able to relax outside in the shade and watch the fish in his little pond.

The drive home was a First Class Adventure. Rachel's GPS doesn't work in my car, so we were driving blindly at 10:30 at night. I haven't driven back from the desert in a while, but I knew I needed to be on the 215 or 15 (I wasn't sure which, although Ra mentioned something about the 15). All I knew is that the 215 (allegedly) hit the 91, and if I missed that, I would be down at Pechanga and would know how to get home from there. Well, the 215 DOESN'T hit the 91, so we ended up at the 215/15 Interchange in Murrieta, south of Lake Elsinore. I took the 15 north and made it home about 45 minutes later than when we should have been home. I think it is officially time to lay down the cash and purchase a GPS that will work in my car...or the Dodge Charger I really want.

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Monday was a trip to Disneyland. We met up with friends @ the Land & then my mom & dad @ DCA. My teacher friend doesn't like the rides, but her kids do, so Rachel and I rode some of the Roller Coasters with them. We had a good time, but I really hit the wall about noon. The long weekend had finally caught up to me. I was so tired, I slept in the car on the way home (Ra was driving).

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Tuesday I was back at work, followed by the Angel game that night. I attended batting practice and caught one ball off of Jeff Mathis, an Angel catcher. During BP, I couldn't help but notice Ervin Santana was really running hard while shagging balls in the outfield. The Angels ended up losing 4-2, but it was much better than Monday's game.

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Today was Day 4 of treatment. My counts were all perfectly within the ranges that a "healthy" person should have, so that is encouraging again. Treatment only lasted 2.5 hours today. I returned home, watched some TV, ate lunch, and then took a 2.5 hour nap before settling in for a night of Lakers (win) and Angels (up 2, top of 9). Tomorrow will probably be a heavy sleep day for me. Look for more on Sunday.

-bw

The Blood Counts

For the 6th consecutive week, my blood counts continue to be promising.  Of course, I have plenty of other issues going on (migraines, insomnia, FarmTown, earthquakes) that I always have something to worry about.  My next treatment is Wednesday, but I should have stuff for you from this weekend.

-bw

The Weekend...and the Earthquake

This has probably been the toughest recovery weekend for me.  I've felt some level of nausea at some point over the last 96 hours or so.  Luckily, nothing has developed into anything, but it has been irritating.  I know I'm lucky to have mild symptoms, but I was really spoiled after the first two treatments.

Making matters worse (or contributing to the way I felt) was that I didn't do a good job of saying "no" this weekend.  I don't regret any decisions I made this weekend...life is too short to stay in bed all weekend instead of spending time with the ones you love.  

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Took a trip to the local movie theater today to see a movie I never thought I would be interested in.  Rachel, Cameron, Brian, and I all went out today to see Star Trek.  Let me set the record straight:  I'm a Star Trek virgin.  I was a Star Wars virgin before Episode I.  I hadn't seen any of the Indiana Jones movies until a few years ago (thanks, Netflix).  Luckily, Rachel has made me watch all of these movies and I've enjoyed them.  

The movie today was excellent!  It was way more than I expected and I'm hoping they make more.  I'll probably end up renting the rest of them from Netflix over the summer as I go through treatment.  I just hope that the "old ones" don't ruin the experience I had today.

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I was making the bed tonight and watching the season finale of Survivor when I heard something loud and noticed that the television started shaking.  A few seconds later, the entire house started to shake!  I went downstairs and asked Rachel if she was O.K. and she was.  Even better for her, she didn't even feel it!  

It was centered up near Long Beach and registered a 4.7 on the Richter Scale.  We survived, but something still concerns me.  My cell phone was down immediately following the quake.  Media outlets are saying the cell phones should be fine, but this is the second decent sized quake in the last year that has disrupted cell service.  The bottom line though is that we're safe and O.K...until the next one hits.

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I go in for my weekly blood work on Wednesday.  I'll have more for you then.

-bw

The Chemotherapy Treatment: Day 3

Well, I had my third chemo treatment today, and it would be very easy for me to copy and paste old blogs into today's post to give you an update--especially when the results of today's treatment are really no different from the results of my other treatments.  I am a little more tired this time, but I think I can handle that.  

Today's blood counts were excellent again!  My white blood count was a little below range, but "for a chemo patient, they are very good."  You've got to love a doctor that shoots straight from the hip.  

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Treatment today went a little quicker than it has the previous two times.  I'm sure part of it was that I was able to take a couple of naps during the treatment.  In my defense, it was a late night last night, and the Benadryl makes me a little sleepy.  

I didn't eat much during the actual treatment, but my appetite is starting to come back to me as I type.  Tenderloin, pasta, and veggies for dinner as my aunt and her boyfriend from Auburn are here this week to visit.  If I'm lucky, I might be able figure out a way to get me some garlic cheese toast as that sounds really good right now, too.

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It is now 10:30 Pacific Wednesday night and the blog I started around 6:30 is now four hours old (I did the math in my head).  Dinner was great and then we gathered 'round the big screen and watched the Angels beat the hated Red Sox 8-4.  Ducks & Wings tomorrow for Game 7...should be a good one.  Hopefully more stories for you then!

-bw

The Weekend & Hummingbirds

Well, it has been a while since I've visited these parts, and the old adage "No news is good news" definitely rings true this week. With another treatment scheduled on the 13th, I'm happy to report that my weekly blood counts continue to amaze my doctors! My all-important white blood count was at 4.1, one tenth away from being in the "average range." The good news is that is higher than it was the week before. The better news is that my body is handling the treatment very well.

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I'm a big believer in seeing "signs" that things are (or sometimes aren't) going your way. There are no coincidences. Everything happens for a reason. Which is probably why I've been noticing a lot of hummingbirds frantically flying around our house the last week or two. I'm sure part of it is the fact that it is May and the birds are looking for food. However, I feel part of it is something else.

One of my best memories (there are literally a ton) of my great-grandparents was sitting out on their porch and watching the hummingbirds suck the nectar out of the feeder, and then watching my great-grandparents refill it so the birds could suck it dry again. I think great-grandma liked watching the birds the most, which is what brings me to my current situation.

There is no doubt in my mind that my great-grandparents are nearby as I go through this battle. The evidence? All of these hummingbirds that have literally come out of nowhere. I feel them with me each time I see one of those magnificent birds flying around me. So I see them and say hi and thank them for flying by and remember the days we spent together. I miss them more now than I probably ever have...but I know they're with me with every hummingbird I see.

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Well, it is approaching 11:00 out here and there's a big game to watch tomorrow. Nothing more on this site until Wednesday or Thursday after treatment. Thanks again for visiting!

-bw