Well the last few days have been a little relaxing and have allowed me a little time to recover. I think I was more tired from the weekend than I realized as I took long naps on Thursday and Friday. Of-course, my tiredness could have been chemo related but I would bet it was more of a culmination of everything that has been going on. Man, those naps felt good. When I eventually do get back to work, I would not be surprised if, occasionally, I took a few hours of PTO to enjoy a good nap.
My health is still pretty stable and I actually hit a bit of a milestone last weekend. January 5th marked 6 months since diagnosis. Again, there really are no statistics for 25 year old, "healthy," individuals with pancreatic cancer, but I have survived longer than what a lot of the horrible information on the internet was predicting. In a way, it is a bit exciting to be where I am right now. Some of my fellow patients, as well as myself, actually have the opportunity to perhaps be some of the first long term pancreatic cancer survivors. Hopefully the tide is turning a bit in what has, until recent years been a very one sided battle. For now, I try to stay focused on the immediate goals and just keep hoping for the cancer to respond to the chemo.
After my long wonderful nap on Thursday, Eva and I went to the King's game. We were joined by a childhood friend of mine, Jeff, and his girlfriend, Stacy, as well as Adam Shaffer and his girlfriend, Tran. It was Tran's first major sporting event and she seemed to be quite excited. Although I am not sure if she was more excited by the game or the nachos. What ever it was, there was a smile on her face. It was really good to catch up with Jeff and Adam as I had not seen either in a little while. Jeff was comparing this experience to the last game he went to where he got to sit right up against the glass (we were up in the nosebleeds, though it was a pretty good vantage point from which to watch the game). It certainly was not as exciting without the guys crashing into the glass right in front of you, but you could definately follow the game much better as the puck was actually visible a majority of the time from our perspective. Anyways, it was a pretty enjoyable game but the Kings ended up losing to the Sharks 5-2. Our goalie kept getting beat on his right side.
Friday and Saturday were spent mostly lounging around the apartment. Friday's highlight was a really nice lunch with Eva. On Saturday we took care of a few domestic things (laundry, mail, bills, etc.) and then met my parents for dinner followed by the theater. Eva picked out a nice little Vietnamese place right next to the theater and, in an effort to impress Richard and Joey, I had the Pho (uncooked meat thrown into the hot soup). It was pretty good although I never know exactly what to do with the extra stuff they bring (sprouts and liquorish leaves). Eva also picked the show and we saw "The Queen of Bingo" at a small theater just down the street from our apartment. It was a riot. Especially since Eva and my folks had actually played Bingo in Vegas last year. So many of the hilarious idiosyncrasies were captured by these two somewhat large men playing older women. At the intermission, the audience actually got to play a round of Bingo that was dubbed the Middle Bird Special and the winner actually took home a turkey. Now one of the major Fo-Pas in the bingo world is calling bingo when you don't actually have it, usually the result of some confusion or mix-up as to what game is being played or what card everyone is on. Our family almost suffered the embarrassment of a false call in Vegas when my dad was a card behind and called it once before my mother could rein him in and show him his mistake (luckily only a few people around us heard and the family name was saved). Needless to say, a bit of fear jostled me as my father once again called bingo during the middle bird special at the theater last night. Eva and I looked at each other and half grimaced and half smiled and just hoped that he actually had it, which he did. My father won the middle bird special to cap off an incredible day (he had scored and the team had won his soccer game earlier in the day). We enjoyed the second half of the show and then the priest/bingo caller delivered the prize. We were sort of expecting a game hen or something of that nature when he hands over a 19 pound turkey. We were a little shocked and that bird got pretty heavy on our walk home. Anyways, it was just a fun wonderful evening out and about.
Today, Eva and I kept it low key and just had a really nice day. It is amazing how much we have both grown to enjoy just spending time together. I still try to squeeze in quite a bit, but it is important to also slow down from time to time. I biked alongside Eva as she ran this morning and on the way back we stopped at the farmer's market along Santa Monica Blvd. We picked up a few of tastiest oranges I have ever had and then moved onto the strawberries and avocados. Eva put the brakes on when she almost bought a $3 tomato. Granted it was hydroponically grown, but that still seemed a little excessive. I know that Eva and I were really close before this whole thing but we have grown incredibly close over the last 6 months. It seems as if we are closer everyday and it is such a wonderful feeling. There really is very little I enjoy more than just spending time with her and being close to her. I wish each and everyone of you out there the kind of contentment, closeness, and happiness that I feel right now. Of-course there are rough times and sometimes she is so feisty that I can't handle her but those times are rare, and she has just been such a big part of me doing as well as I am doing.
-TN
Sunday, January 14, 2007
Friday, January 12, 2007
1-12-2007 Back on the Blog
As a reflection of the past 6 months, the last month has certainly been filled with highs and lows and I have just been trying to hang on, enjoy, and get through it the best I can. Again, it has been tough losing my grandmother. We were so close. I continue catching myself about to make a call to her place just to check in and let her know what I am up to. Thank you all so much for your warm words, thoughts, and prayers. She really was an amazing woman and hopefully she can help me through my current struggle.
My health has been pretty steady over the last month. Just minor ups and downs. I still get the usual excess siliva and lemony/metallic taste in my mouth for the few days after a full round of chemo. I am pretty tired on my chemo days but otherwise my energy level has been pretty good. I have been staying pretty active and have been managing to fill the days. My inner plumbing is working as well as I could hope for though I am still a little gassy from time to time. Dr. Isacoff has slowly reduced my steroid level so that now I am down to 5mg a day (when I started, I was on 60mg). Actually, this is my week off of Xeloda, so I am only taking 2 pills/day here for the next few days (pretty exciting change from the 7 pills a day I was taking last week). I am still injecting myself with Lovenox twice a day and will probably have to continue with that for another month or two. I have had a couple small sores in my mouth but as long as I am careful while brushing, they usually resolve themselves in a week or so. My weight has been steady at a hefty 190lbs. and I am actually trying to drop about 10-20 to get back to my pre-cancer weight. I sort of overshot that mark during the high calorie craze. Otherwise, everything has been fairly normal. I know I am just repeating myself, but it is still very trippy to feel so normal with such a horrible disease. I guess that is just the insidious nature of pancreatic cancer. That it can grow unnoticed for quite a while until it is too late to do anything about.
As far as my activities have been going, I have tried to stay true to form and run Eva as ragged as possible. Though she keeps up much better now that I am a little more tired and quite out of shape. After my Grandma passed, the family kept our trip to Vegas (we figured that Gram would have wanted us to go) and then on the way back Eva and I hit Palm Springs for a few days (thanks to the generosity of the Sanders for letting us stay at their wonderful condo). I have been over to Catalina 3 times in the last month with various friends and actually went SCUBA diving with a buddy about a week before Christmas. It felt good to get under water (it had been a couple years) and we saw some pretty cool stuff - A number of sand bass, some calicos, and 7-8 lobsters. I have also resumed flying lessons and am about halfway to my private pilot licence. Two weeks ago, my buddy Tom Allen came down and we took a little tour of LA with my instructor. We flew from Long Beach, up over LAX, to UCLA, then along the mountains over to the Rose Bowl and Dodger stadium and then back down to Long Beach. I cannot wait to go on little trips with Eva.
I had a really nice Christmas with Eva, my parents, and the rest of the local family. We had a really wonderful dinner at my Grandmother's place and it was just a good way to sort of remember her and get the family together. She always loved it when everyone got together. We did a bit of the division of stuff amongst the grand kids and I was pretty stoked to have gotten her M&M jar. As far back as I can remember, she always had this jar and it was always filled with M&Ms. I think it was how she won over the grand kids at an early age. After dinner at Gram's, Eva, my parents, and I went to church and then back to San Pedro. We got up on Christmas morning and had a wonderful breakfast and really got to spend some good quality time together (though, these days, we try to make all the time we spend together, good quality time). My spending habits have changed a bit since diagnosis, so we sort of went big on Christmas this year. Just trying to do our part to keep that economy rolling. Eva gave my parents Cranium and we had blast playing it in the evening. Between me humming "Billie Jean," Eva sculpting a bikini out of clay, and my father acting out a volcano, it was quite a scene. I have to give props to my mom for figuring out what my father was doing half the time. All in all, it was a really wonderful holiday. On the 26th and 27th I was back in for another full round of chemo.
Last weekend, Eva and I took a little trip back up to Park City for a little winter getaway. We stayed at my oncologist's condo again (an incredible place) and it was quite a good time. Ran into a bit of a snowstorm on the way up to Park City and again on Saturday which made the snow great and certainly added a bit of excitement. The Camry we rented did surprisingly well in the snow though once we got it into the garage we did not dare to take it out again until the roads were clear. Luckily there are free buses in town. We boarded at Park City on Friday and Saturday and then skied on Sunday at Deer Valley. Both mountains were awesome. Lots of different terrain, long runs, and great snow. We were hoping Dr. Isacoff would have made it up over the weekend but he had some other things to take care of. Though we missed his company, passing on a few extravagant meals allowed us to divert our funds for the lift tickets which they were certainly not just giving away. Saturday got a little intense on the slopes as a wicked wind blew in and the temperature dropped to -5 F (not counting the wind chill). Eva and I were well prepared and made it off the mountain with no problems. The lift operators got a kick out of seeing people stumbling around in the wind on the top of the mountain. The storm blew through and Sunday was incredible. Blue sky, temps in the 20s and just a spectacular day. Deer Valley is only open to skiers which was a neat experience. It was good to get all those punk kids on their boards out of the picture. Eva basically worked me on the slopes but we were both surprised at how well I kept up. I would need to take breaks, especially on the longer runs, but generally she would not have to wait too long at the bottom of the hill. What a wonderful weekend.
Once we got back, I went in for another full round of chemo (Tuesday and Wednesday) and then went flying yesterday. Just trying to get those landings dialed in. I can get the plane on the ground with no problems but now we want to just set her down as if I were landing on butter.
I hope everything is going well in all of your lives. I continue to be bad about returning emails or calls for which I am sorry. Just know that I truly appreciate all the love and support I have received throughout this whole journey. I was especially touched by the kind words that were said about my Grandmother.
Take Care and Live Strong,
Tyler
My health has been pretty steady over the last month. Just minor ups and downs. I still get the usual excess siliva and lemony/metallic taste in my mouth for the few days after a full round of chemo. I am pretty tired on my chemo days but otherwise my energy level has been pretty good. I have been staying pretty active and have been managing to fill the days. My inner plumbing is working as well as I could hope for though I am still a little gassy from time to time. Dr. Isacoff has slowly reduced my steroid level so that now I am down to 5mg a day (when I started, I was on 60mg). Actually, this is my week off of Xeloda, so I am only taking 2 pills/day here for the next few days (pretty exciting change from the 7 pills a day I was taking last week). I am still injecting myself with Lovenox twice a day and will probably have to continue with that for another month or two. I have had a couple small sores in my mouth but as long as I am careful while brushing, they usually resolve themselves in a week or so. My weight has been steady at a hefty 190lbs. and I am actually trying to drop about 10-20 to get back to my pre-cancer weight. I sort of overshot that mark during the high calorie craze. Otherwise, everything has been fairly normal. I know I am just repeating myself, but it is still very trippy to feel so normal with such a horrible disease. I guess that is just the insidious nature of pancreatic cancer. That it can grow unnoticed for quite a while until it is too late to do anything about.
As far as my activities have been going, I have tried to stay true to form and run Eva as ragged as possible. Though she keeps up much better now that I am a little more tired and quite out of shape. After my Grandma passed, the family kept our trip to Vegas (we figured that Gram would have wanted us to go) and then on the way back Eva and I hit Palm Springs for a few days (thanks to the generosity of the Sanders for letting us stay at their wonderful condo). I have been over to Catalina 3 times in the last month with various friends and actually went SCUBA diving with a buddy about a week before Christmas. It felt good to get under water (it had been a couple years) and we saw some pretty cool stuff - A number of sand bass, some calicos, and 7-8 lobsters. I have also resumed flying lessons and am about halfway to my private pilot licence. Two weeks ago, my buddy Tom Allen came down and we took a little tour of LA with my instructor. We flew from Long Beach, up over LAX, to UCLA, then along the mountains over to the Rose Bowl and Dodger stadium and then back down to Long Beach. I cannot wait to go on little trips with Eva.
I had a really nice Christmas with Eva, my parents, and the rest of the local family. We had a really wonderful dinner at my Grandmother's place and it was just a good way to sort of remember her and get the family together. She always loved it when everyone got together. We did a bit of the division of stuff amongst the grand kids and I was pretty stoked to have gotten her M&M jar. As far back as I can remember, she always had this jar and it was always filled with M&Ms. I think it was how she won over the grand kids at an early age. After dinner at Gram's, Eva, my parents, and I went to church and then back to San Pedro. We got up on Christmas morning and had a wonderful breakfast and really got to spend some good quality time together (though, these days, we try to make all the time we spend together, good quality time). My spending habits have changed a bit since diagnosis, so we sort of went big on Christmas this year. Just trying to do our part to keep that economy rolling. Eva gave my parents Cranium and we had blast playing it in the evening. Between me humming "Billie Jean," Eva sculpting a bikini out of clay, and my father acting out a volcano, it was quite a scene. I have to give props to my mom for figuring out what my father was doing half the time. All in all, it was a really wonderful holiday. On the 26th and 27th I was back in for another full round of chemo.
Last weekend, Eva and I took a little trip back up to Park City for a little winter getaway. We stayed at my oncologist's condo again (an incredible place) and it was quite a good time. Ran into a bit of a snowstorm on the way up to Park City and again on Saturday which made the snow great and certainly added a bit of excitement. The Camry we rented did surprisingly well in the snow though once we got it into the garage we did not dare to take it out again until the roads were clear. Luckily there are free buses in town. We boarded at Park City on Friday and Saturday and then skied on Sunday at Deer Valley. Both mountains were awesome. Lots of different terrain, long runs, and great snow. We were hoping Dr. Isacoff would have made it up over the weekend but he had some other things to take care of. Though we missed his company, passing on a few extravagant meals allowed us to divert our funds for the lift tickets which they were certainly not just giving away. Saturday got a little intense on the slopes as a wicked wind blew in and the temperature dropped to -5 F (not counting the wind chill). Eva and I were well prepared and made it off the mountain with no problems. The lift operators got a kick out of seeing people stumbling around in the wind on the top of the mountain. The storm blew through and Sunday was incredible. Blue sky, temps in the 20s and just a spectacular day. Deer Valley is only open to skiers which was a neat experience. It was good to get all those punk kids on their boards out of the picture. Eva basically worked me on the slopes but we were both surprised at how well I kept up. I would need to take breaks, especially on the longer runs, but generally she would not have to wait too long at the bottom of the hill. What a wonderful weekend.
Once we got back, I went in for another full round of chemo (Tuesday and Wednesday) and then went flying yesterday. Just trying to get those landings dialed in. I can get the plane on the ground with no problems but now we want to just set her down as if I were landing on butter.
I hope everything is going well in all of your lives. I continue to be bad about returning emails or calls for which I am sorry. Just know that I truly appreciate all the love and support I have received throughout this whole journey. I was especially touched by the kind words that were said about my Grandmother.
Take Care and Live Strong,
Tyler
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