We have begun Round 3. This seventh week marks the beginning of what we expect to be the last half of treatments for cancer. Reviewing the blood work yesterday, our doctors have noted that everything continues to look great! The key cancer indicators continue to drop, and while the white cell count was a bit low again, it isn’t stopping us from charging ahead. Chemo side effects continue to be minimal, although I have a new appreciation for those with tinnitus.« Read the rest
Do You Have Kids?“Do you have kids?” asked Dr. Wos. “We don’t,” I replied, which led to his explanation that the chemo process is not kind to a guys ability to create sperm. He was up front that our options were limited, that infertility might already be our reality, but I know an option you don’t pursue isn’t really an option at all, and I had no hesitation telling him we would want to visit the fertility clinic. This led to a quick trip to Fargo, which included a visit to my sister, and some stories from my brother-in-law you can’t help but laugh at.« Read the rest
One thing that should come as a surprise to no one is cancer is expensive. I haven’t looked at things in as much detail as Tiah, but she tells me each chemo treatment is thousands of dollars. Thank goodness for insurance! Nevertheless, even with insurance picking up most of the expenses, there will still be thousands of dollars for us to pay before this is all over with. Along with that comes shifts in priorities and timelines with our finances.« Read the rest
This weekend was a little miserable for me. Over the course of last week a pain started to grow in my mid-back. Right as the weekend hit the pain jumped up to a new level, which made simply existing a lousy thing. On Saturday my massager arrived, which is nice and helped with the pain, but it was only a band-aid on something that seemed to be a larger issue. So first thing this morning we drug ourselves out of bed to visit Chuppe Chiropractic as soon as they opened.« Read the rest
Today I would like to give a shout out to Chelsea Berler. I came to know Chelsea via Twitter around 10 years ago, back when it was geeks and early adopters and still a place of conversation. We share the bond of being small town North Dakota kids, specifically, southwest North Dakota. I’ve been able to watch from afar as Chelsea has built her business, the Solamar Agency, into a well regarded house of creativity. Chelsea was also diagnosed with breast cancer, and has been battling it for some time.« Read the rest
As we wrap up week three of this process, it signifies what we hope to be the quarter done mark. Four rounds of three weeks is the goal, and I hope that visits with the doctor next week come with indications that things are progressing well, that the chemo is working as intended. The side effects have not yet been as bad as expected, but I can definitely tell my immune system is worn down, and I am noticeably tired for much of the day.« Read the rest
On April 12 I had a surgery to remove a mass from my right testicle. Our focus immediately following that was of recovering from that surgery, but that soon enough turned into a mad dash. On the day it was confirmed to be cancer, it launched us into a barrage of pre-chemo checkups, notifying family and close friends, and preparing ourselves as best we could with our jobs, volunteer activities, and side hustles. This carried over into the first week of chemo, getting to the hospital first thing every morning, and trying to have some semblance of normal in the evening.« Read the rest
My loving wife demanded I get some new water bottles. This is probably three times more than I need, but there are some conveniences to having more than one. We still have an out sized supply of water bottles for two people though, looking forward to that next rummage sale.« Read the rest
There is much I am thankful for, but first, the weekend was good. The drugs for the hiccups have been a real blessing, which has helped me sleep better. Also, not having to get treatments for a couple days improved my sleep and appetite. Getting several good meals in over the weekend was encouraging. Today we returned for a weekly treatment, but were out in less than an hour. Unfortunately, without some of the steroids getting pumped into me all week, it’s likely that some significant side effects could manifest later this week.« Read the rest
There have been several questions as to more particulars of what’s going on with the sickness and how we got here, which we haven’t elaborated on yet, so I guess this is going to be that post. Thank you all so much for the support you have shown thus far. Most of you know well of my high geek factor in a variety of areas, so it should come as no surprise one of the most motivating things for me right now is doing a little web development, a bit of blogging, and seeing your comments on the posts.« Read the rest
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