Sunday morning after Chemo

All is good in cool Indiana, but no snow on the ground.  Friday after chemo, had another sleepy bout.  Got home and went to bed around 4 PM and slept til 8 PM, watched the World Series and went back to bed til around 8:30 Sat. morning.  Then I was pretty good, pulled up the tomato plants and placed them in the garbage pick up, took a couple of fall-asleep naps in the recliner with college football on TV, and slept a good 9 hours last night.  No nausea, hair is still on my body.  All is pretty good considering.

Going to rake a few leaves and go see the grand kids.  Will help them carve their pumpkins and eat some soup it seems.

Thanks for all your thoughts and prayers, God Bless, Captain

drip station going

11:15 am. Blood work results good, chemo drugs going in as I type. Platelets 248, all phos is 130.

Under 2 blankets can't get warm today. More later.

Captain

Updates and pics

Rainy and cooler in Indiana today , didn't hit the lottery so I can't just go back south, uuuuggggghhhh.

Very nice in and around the Smokey mountains.  Spent Monday in Cades Cove, saw wild turkeys ( just a few days left boys ) and a wild bear.  Yes, I was out in the open with this bear, no fences in between, just about 35 other people doing the same thing ( taking a picture ).  Yes, the bear could have charged us at any moment, but I just have to out run the slowest person there.  The bear was digging the ground behind a fallen tree, either looking for food or digging a trench for hibernation.  For the most part he didn't notice us people, or could care less.

This next picture is of another wild thing playing on another fallen tree.

The next picture is just of the area in a manner similar to 1810.

We ( the babe and her sister babe ) took a picnic lunch and had a very nice time.  We drove into and through Gatlinburg and made one stop in Pigeon Forge before heading home. 

Her sister is having knee replacement surgery on Monday, Oct. 31, and she didn't want to leave the car is the reason that we didn't really stop other than to eat the picnic.  Please remember her in your prayers as well as others in our lives.

Tomorrow, chemo again......back to reality.

Next CT scan is Nov.9 to check on growth, or stoppage of the cancer spread.  Nov, 11 for results of CT scan and next Dr.'s appt.  The blood work numbers I gave last Fri. were wrong, the printed sheet I was given was a duplicate of the test on 10/14.  So I will get the correct numbers and the newest numbers tomorrow.

Thanks again for reading and keeping up with my progress, God Bless, Captain

Back at Home, 10/26 5:30 pm

More tomorrow, had a great time, weather was perfect.  Never could find a WI-FI hot spot without disrupting the whole flow of the vacation, is why you never saw a post.

See you tomorrow with a picture of wild life we saw, scary.

God Bless, Captain

Hooked up at chemo

10:30 update Everything is good with the blood work. Liver # we talked about last time, Alk phos was 126 the same as last time, platelets 245, all good and holding steady.

Just sitting here letting things drip, drip, drip.

Talk later.....

12:30 about 20 minutes to go, where to eat today? Mb chili's and some nachos.

Next post from warmer Smokey Mountains.

God Bless, Captain

All is well

Getting ready for the chemo and trip.  Has finally quit raining, just a very like sprinkle.  Still cold around 43 degrees, supposed to warm up over the week end.

About everyday I read an article about eating right and exercising to help the fight against cancer.  Today an article in the Indy star newspaper. 

Well, enough about me.  Have a great week end.  I'm sure you'll hear from me tomorrow during chemo.

God Bless, Captain

It's Tuesday and Something needs to be said

I just don't know what it is.  It's raining out, temperature about 46 degrees and will stay like that thru Thursday as I understand it.  I''m not running or walking just a lazy blob of fat. 

Chemo starts up again on Friday, and I'm on vacation next week.  We're going to take a spin down to my honey's sister in Tennessee on Saturday thru maybe Weds, cause I have to be back for chemo again next Friday.  Ain't it fun.  I know we will have a good time in the hills.  We all have are jokes, but it is beautiful down there, the people are friendly and the pace of life is slower.  I love the terrain and the scenery, mb we can get out and walk a few trails.

Overall I'm still fine and dandy and just wanted to check in with you.  My posts will be sporadic, I will have to find some hot spots for the wi-fi to work.

Please remember our friends and neighbors who also suffer.  God Bless you all, Captain

Time to check in

Doing good here, no chemo yesterday.  Going to babysit the grand kids while the real kids go to a wedding this afternoon.  Should be a fun time.

Am feeling fine, didn't put forth the energy that I did last week, but still got some things done.  Here is a few thoughts.

"  I have kleptomania, but when it gets bad, I take something for it. "

"  Follow your dreams!  Except that one where you are naked in church.  "

" Sometimes too much to drink isn't enough.  "

" Suicidal twin kills sister by mistake! "

" A bartender is just a pharmacist with a limited inventory. "

"  I may be schizophrenic but at least I have each other. "

"  Arkansas:  Five million people, Fifteen last names. "

Ok, that's enough to get some of you all riled up.  Have a great week end and God Bless, Captain

Thursday update

Feeling fine.  Just cooked myself bacon and fried eggs, basted sunny side up with 3 pcs of toast.  Yum, yum. 

No chemo this Friday, it is an off day.  So I should be good for the week end and next week.  Ye haw.

Kind of a misty rainy day here in Indiana, temp to be around 65 -70, little colder for the week end.

I appreciate you all reading this blog and praying for my health issue.  But in talking with you I'm very mindful that we all have problems, some health, some pain and guilt, some not feeling so positive with our lives at the moment.  So when you are praying and thinking of me, let's not forget our selves and other that we may know with problems.  It could be our neighbor, someone at work, a friend of a friend.  We all need the strength of the Lord.

Little commercial here.  I just finished reading " Heaven is for Real "  this is the story of a 4 year old who spent a few minutes in heaven during surgery.  I would suggest you all read it, it is a quick read, interesting and I think very real.  You may be surprised and some what astonished. 

Anyways, I'm doing fine, working 5 days this week, moving those heavy boxes, so I'm in as good a shape as I can be in.

Thanks for your concerns and prayers, I'm thinking of you all, God Bless, Captain

Tuesday update

All is good, headache pretty much gone, bowels working fine, itching not too bad.  Going to get out the leaf blower and move the leaves out into the street for pickup. Then catch up on Mondays tv shows.

Running is practically non existent right now.  Just have been fighting it, and I don't have any heart to get out there.  There is still time for the Mini, I can always go slower.  I have to remember that my life has been re-prioritized since I signed up for the Mini.

My overall health is fine.  If they didn't tell me I had cancer I wouldn't feel like it at all.  So I'm just living my life everyday, going forward with things that are most important.

Thanks for all you do, God Bless, Captain

Sunday morning

Hope you all went to church somewhere and thanked the Lord for this beautiful day.  I'm fine after chemo and a busy day yesterday.

Had dinner Friday night with my old friends from Avon, it was a great night, filled with much laughter.

Yesterday we ate at Gray Brothers cafeteria in Mooresville with some long time friends, but not so old.  Had a great time with them sharing stories, health issues and pictures of the families and grand kids.  But I may have done too much, last night I was hit with quite a head ache, would fall asleep, wake up and it was still there, tried the recliner- no good, tried the bed-no good, tried laying on the couch-no good.  Took 2 Advil-no good, took 3 Ibuprofen finally started getting some relief.  Then it was a night of trips to the bathroom with more Ibuprofen about 4 am. 

Much better this morning, have finally eaten some toast with green tea, and the babe made some homemade tomato soup yesterday and it was great.  Sorry you all can't have some.

Anyways, back to normal, will take it easy today.

Thanks for your thoughts and prayers, God Bless you all, Captain

Chemo done, back Home

All went fine, blood work was good. For those of you medically inclined, this is the liver marker that we are watching for improvement if we ever want to put in a chemo pump. Alkaline Phos SerPl QN  on 7/12/2011 that number was 511 today on 10/7/2011 that number was 126  the normal range is 25 to 125 so we are almost there.   So it may be getting closer to trying to weigh the pros and cons of a complex surgery with recovery, pain, etc., vs. continue what we are doing with limited side effects. 

I still feel good, gained some weight this week. We'll see if I crash or have energy this time.  Off for next week, then the Dr again and chemo on 10/21.

Thanks for the prayers and thoughts, it seems to be working.  God Bless you all, Captain 

Forgot to say, today we went to Bazbaeux pizza for lunch.  yum,yum.  Tonight we are going to meet our old friends from Avon again for dinner.

Breakfast was great

Met my friend and had a great meal at Cracker Barrel, and he bought so it was even better. Thanks, buddy.

It's now 1:30 and definitely too late to run today, especially on a full stomach. Although it is a beau-ti-ful day.

Getting ready for chemo tomorrow. Hope I can keep this energy level going.

Thanks for all your cards and prayers, God Bless, Captain

Energy is strong ????

But it is a good thing. Yesterday I laced up my running shoes, got ready, then before I hit the door, I called my barber to make an appt to cut my hair. He said you want to come up right now, so I left the house with an ATM card and my house key and jogged uptown to walk thru the ATM drive up, so's I have some cash to pay the guy, then jogged to the barber. Afterwards, I walked home losing my desire to run. Now we're only talking less than 1/2 mile so no big deal. But then it hit...........

I put on long pants and fired up the weed eater to trim around the front of the house, then mowed the grass, the cleaned up the mess with the leaf blower. Then I fired up the old balloon van ( 250,000 miles ) hasn't run since May, but it was there for me.

Then I went to a local store and got a pallet of firewood ( it will get colder up north soon ). He is able to take that pallet of wood, and with both side doors open just put it in the van. Also so, 2 bags of 40 # salt for the water softener. Drove back home and parked in front of the garage.

Then I moved out the leftover firewood from last year and unloaded the newer firewood to re-stack it from the floor up. Then I replaced the older firewood on top. Then I parked the van, and cleaned up all the broken pcs of bark, etc.

By the it was about 4 PM and I showered, you know I always got to shower afterwards.

In about 30 minutes I'm going to pick up a rental log splitter to use on the larger pcs of firewood and on 5 large tree pcs of tree trunk that has been laying by the garage for 1 year waiting on this day. Hopefully the wife ( babe ) will be home before I'm done and help lift the tree trunks. That's all for today, but it will be plenty. NO running, sorry.

So now you know why I didn't blog yesterday. Tomorrow is a rest day, I'm having breakfast with another old friend. These old friends are beginning to make me feel old, going to have to look for some younger friends I guess.............lol.

See you later, and God Bless, Captain

Ok, I'm back

Got at least 2 phone calls wondering if I'm alright because of no blogs since Friday. I got some energy and was busy over the week end. But no running was done. That's becoming a real mind game. Like mind doesn't want to run.

Saturday, I went to Lowes and bought a 2 x 6 by 8 and set up saw horses and painted it white. That wore me out, just kidding, and I stopped watching some football to do all that.......lol This was because my son in law was coming up on Sunday to help me rehang the porch swing, so it wouldn't fall down again.

On Sunday, I had to start gathering all my tools and ladders together for the project. Around 2 PM, here comes the daughter, grand kids and son in law for a meal and work project. So we started planning it while the lunch was in the final preparation mode. I wanted to attach the 2 x 6 to the ceiling of the porch in order to reinforce the hanging of the swing. But we couldn't find in ceiling joints. So I cut a small hole in the ceiling to see what was behind the ceiling that we were seeing from below. Well now we know, and then we were able to hang the 2 x 6 over the hole that I had cut, so that it was hidden. Glad to say the porch swing is now hanging again and we have all sat in it ( not at the same time of course ) and it has not fallen.

Then the son in law trimmed 4 bushes around the house while my wife cleaned up after him, while I took the kids across the street and played soccer and basketball with them.

So you see I did get some energy and just wasn't able to sit down and blog. Sorry.

I'm really trying to get some energy now to run today, but I have to let my cereal and toast settle a bit now.

God Bless, Captain and thanks for thinking of me

1 PM update, I just jogged 1 mile.