Time flies through Cycle 2

Happy Saturday All,

I know I haven’t posted in a while, that is a factor of actually going to work the last two weeks and feeling pretty good so having nothing really to report. However I wanted to update everyone as cycle 2 ends and we keep on movin on.

This cycle has been much easier than cycle 1 was, either my body has become less reactive to the chemo drugs, it has decided not to struggle anymore and just let them do their thing, or we’ve just gotten good at the pill cocktail recipe for managing symptoms. I suspect a combination of the three. I’ve definitely been more fatigued then I was three weeks ago. Climbing the six flights of stairs to get to my office used to be no big deal, took those things two at a time the whole way up while chatting to someone. Now I get to the top and have to catch my breath before I can say hello to anyone, my heart just beating out of my chest. I’ve also noticed in the last two weeks that my immune system is noticeably compromised.

I’m pretty injury prone in my daily life, Crystal is constantly trying to get me to be more careful about grabbing hot pot lids or using sharp objects. Usually I don’t notice the routine small nicks and bruises and burns I get but with my immune system turned off I have basically stopped healing myself. As of this writing I have four still open wounds on my right thumb alone. The biggest (caused by an unfortunate reach into a kitchen drawer looking for a measuring spoon while trying to maintain focus on the two pans on the stove and instead finding a sharp knife, pretty sure Kona put it there) was over a week ago and has still not healed. So that’s new, I’m starting to pay a lot more attention to Crystal’s “don’t get sick” list of do’s and dont’s. Not surfing because it rained sucks but this is not the time to get flesh eating bacteria (thanks Tijuana).

In side news while Halloween is our favorite holiday, Crystal and I were just too overwhelmed and tired to think of doing our usual dress scantily clad (yes both of us) and wander around downtown drunk with thousands of other San Diegans evening. However that doesn’t prevent the dogs from going to their annual Doggie Daycare Halloween party. And while not dressing our dogs up was one of my “we will never”s before we got dogs, Crystal has identified a loop hole in that if it is only a cape style item and not full clothing it doesn’t count as “dressing the dogs up”. (She duped me into agreeing to this loophole with a chargers cape for Kona a long time ago and then it was a rule and I could not argue) So I give to you, Piglet Kona and Eeyore Boomer!

(Boomer doesn’t mind but Kona is utterly horrified)

Kona’s anger over wearing costumes in fact lost them the costume contest, in their picture for the contest that day he looked super out of character and therefore they lost to a ridiculously photogenic dog name Mia.

(Kona not happy as Tigger, Boomer holding up his end with a solid Eeyore impression)

(F**k you Mia, No one likes you…)

Yep, first world problems… moving right along.

Friday was my second PET scan to map the progress on my tumor and see how much it has receded. The decision to forgo radiation and increase Chemo cycles hinges on whether the tumor is responding well to the Chemo. We already expect that it is responding well due to the very quick recovery of my knee, (swelling gone, no pain, walking normal, etc) but we still need to get the visual from the PET scan to be certain.

PET scans are a good time, you have to fast before the scan and you get pumped full of radioactive sugar (fluorodeoxyglucose) before you get strapped to a table and stuck in a tube for 25 minutes. The machine (called a Cyclotron… cool name) that pumps you full of radiation is interesting though, you sit in a chair connected to it that weighs you and then calculates how much of a dose you need and then pumps it into your vein all basically automatically. It measures out the right amount into an internal tank (11.25 MicroCuries in my case), and then you watch that number drop as it then pushes it through with fluid until the tank is clean. The fluid is really cold so it feels like a Dementor is sucking on your arm or something.

Then you have to chill for about 45 minutes while the sugar is metabolized by various things in your body and the radioisotope collects at those points. You get odd sensations in places that it collects, mainly your bladder, it’s a warm tingling sensation. It can get so intense that they warn you it might feel like you pee’d yourself. (you probably didn’t, worth checking though because it IS convincing…)

Then the pleasure of having your chest and knees strapped down while laying on a board and they place a rubber band around your shoes like a newspaper to keep them together if you fall asleep. I asked if they would take a picture before they strapped me down. I figured that would be a more pleasant photo.

Honestly it isn’t that bad, I fell asleep both times. Much quieter than an MRI, don’t even need ear plugs. So I should get the results of the scan on Monday before my third chemo session.

Crystal has a major test on Monday she can’t miss so Bobby is going in with me. He asked about games and stuff (and I know some of you have expressed interest as well) but honestly I am high as a kite while getting the chemo. Not sure which of the 15 pills I have to take at the beginning do it or if it is the chemo drugs themselves but I just sit there in a super content daze for hours on end. Crystal will tell me about conversations I had with the nurses and I will have no memory of them so I don’t think I’m especially lucid. Pulling the “Captain Morgan” pose on my chemo stand last time may have been a clue I guess…

Anyway, the third session will be the almost halfway point through the chemo process (and hopefully half-way till recovery begins!) so pretty stoked about that. Not looking forward to the Neupogen shots though, by far my least favorite part of this whole thing.

Thanks for all the love and support and looking forward to seeing many of you next week!

–Captain Dave the Slightly Skinnier

The Bad news is Time Flies,
The Good news is you’re the Pilot.