Labor Day Weekend

I know I haven't been on to update people lately but I've kind of been in limbo. I have finished the first stage of treatments and have slowly been building my energy back up. I was actually surprised at how wiped out I was from the chemo and radiation.

I spent last week in San Francisco and on the coast with my mother. It was a very laid back and lazy trip because I was still so very tired. It was such a nice place to relax though. I fell asleep a few times just sitting in a chair meditating and watching the waves crash against the rocks below.

This week I have been much better. I went and joined a new gym on Monday and have been enjoying working out on the treadmill as well as in the pool. I'm running out of time though to get back into shape before surgery.

I'm taking a mini vacation this weekend to go explore a couple state parks up in the Sierra Foothills with Chris. It has really been tough for me to go through the summer without several vacations planned. Oh well, life on life's terms and one day at a time is really how it has gone for me.

Next Tuesday, the 2nd, I have several doctor's appointments to prepare for surgery on the 5th. I've been getting very nervous the past few days about the surgery. I've never had any surgery this major and I am a little scared right now. I'm pretty confident though that I have a couple of great surgeons, as well as a great oncologist, so every thing should work out just fine.

Once the surgery is finished, I will be beginning chemo again, one week per month for the next four months and then I should be cancer free. Yippee.

I've got a very lite school schedule for the Fall semester and am hoping that the instructors are going to work with me with all of my medical issues.

Have a wonderful Labor Day Weekend!

Thursday and it's over.......

I've made it through the first stage of treatment! My 28 days of chemo and radiation are over it it feels so good to be free of the chemo pump. I'm expecting it will be about a week of recovery before I really feel good again. This last week or so has been the worst as far as fatigue and just not feeling well goes, but I made it through with no significant side effects.

Well it is past my bedtime again but I did at least want to post a brief update. Take care all and I will write more later.

Tuesday and 2 days to go!!

Wow! The time really has flown, well at least most of it. As of this Thursday I will be off of the radiation and chemo for about 1 month. I'm thinking I'm going to need about 1 week to recover from everything the doctors have been putting my body through. This last week has been full of minor pains, fatigue, irritability, and lots and lots of sleep. I've just tried to keep my eye on the fact that we are almost through and I can handle just about anything if I know it is only for a limited amount of time.

I'm hoping to get back to the gym as soon as treatment ends so I can get myself in the best shape possible for surgery. I'll also be able to start dieting at that point too. During this first phase of treatment I've been going through, the doctors have recommended not to attempt weight loss and I haven't. I have changed my diet quite a bit to include a lot more fruit and vegetables and less junk and animal fat. The diet change hasn't contributed to any weight loss though. Darn!

Well I think I'm going to take another nap. Hope everyone's having a great week.

5 weeks down.....

.... and 4 days to go! Next Thursday I will be done with the first phase of treatments, that is the daily chemo and radiation. I am so excited. This last week has been rough in that I've been really fatigued. I've had to give up walking to radiation after Wednesday. I was so tired after I got there that I didn't think I would make it all the way home. My body is needing more rest to recover from all of the toxins they are pumping in along with the radiation.

I got the report back from the urologist regarding my right kidney. I do have some hydronephrosis but as long as my kidney function tests remain normal I am not going to get treatment for that. They would put in stents, but the treatment could be more painful than what I am experiencing now.

Surgery to remove the cancer tumor is scheduled for September 5. I tried to get it moved up but my surgeon will be out of the country until that week and I've heard so many good things about her that I'm afraid it might not be a good idea to try and switch surgeons. I'm going to have to miss my first day of classes, but hopefully the instructors will work with me on that one.

Today I am going to the Relay for Life in Vallejo with my friend Karen. She is also a survivor and she couldn't make it to the Relay for Life we had in Fairfield. I think she is really going to enjoy the Survivor Lap and the opening ceremonies.

Have a great weekend. I'm going to have to take mine a little slow, but it will still be great.