Monday 10-2-2006

Well, another early morning. Luckily, we got to bed earlier last night, so I actually got a decent amount of sleep. My mom was heading out for a run so Eva and I decided to join her. This was my first run since the lung issues but I felt pretty good on the bike the last two days and figured I was up for a jog. We all walked up the steep hill and then just started really slowly. We hit another slight incline and I just felt that I was breathing a little too hard and I started to fall behind. I was just dropped by my wife and my mother on a run. What a humbling experience. Of-course, I was the one wearing the Cal track and field t-shirt. What a way to represent the team. We decided to go two different routes (mine was much shorter) and then meet up again towards the end. I was basically going a snail's pace, but the jog went pretty well and it was really pretty out on the cliffs.

When we got back to the house I made waffles and we had a nice little breakfast with my mother. I am usually good with one waffle but today I was feeling pretty hungry and a little ambitious so I went for a triple waffle. Three waffles stacked up and topped off with some chocolate chips and syrup. Mmmm. I actually put it away but then had to take a few minutes after I entered a bit of a food coma. Eva and I always enjoy breakfast with my mother. It is just a nice way to start the day.

In the afternoon, Eva and I made our way up to UCLA for another infusion. I thought I was only going to get Erbitux but my counts looked good so we went for another full round. I got Gemzar and Irinotecan and will get Cisplatin and Erbitux on Tuesday. My reds were slightly below normal, my whites were high but within the normal range, and my platelets were at 188,000 which is normal. I got the infusion in the lounge and my buddy who is on easy street was there. We chatted a bit but mostly I just read and listened to my ipod. He behaved himself and Eva did not have to open a can (though I think she was just looking for an excuse to do so). The pic is of me as I am getting my infusion. The IV may be dripping the "medicine" (toxic cocktail) straight into my veins but that did not really hamper my appetite. Pretty good ad for Cheeze-its, eh?

After the infusion, I did have some pretty bad diarrhea but the rest of the night I felt pretty good. I am always a little washed out afterwards but it was not too bad. Eva and I had a really fun intellectual conversation and taught each other about our respective governments. Did you know that Switzerland is a direct democracy (basically the closest government to a true democracy in the world) and the entire population can vote on every law? 50,000 signatures and the item gets onto one of the monthly ballots for the whole nation. Its amazing that anything can get done over there. Also, after all the effort we put in for Eva's green card, for me to get basically the equivalent to live and work in either Switzerland or the Czech Republic, it looks like it is one form and seems like it can be done in an afternoon (actually both consulates are on Wilshire, sort of by UCLA). Too bad it is just so nice here.

Finally, I did make it through the day without coughing, so my nipples are intact.
-TN