Tuesday 10-3-2006

Just wanted to say thanks for the comments. It is really good to get some feedback. This whole blog has been just very therapeutic for me and I am stoked that people have told me they have gotten some amusement out of it as well. I was expecting it to be much more medical but so far I have been just extremely fortunate to be able to keep doing fairly normal things. Hopefully that continues. I guess I have been a little candid about some of my bodily functions but they are just another part of this whole journey. Besides, now you know, the next time you see me, you might want to hold your nose.

At 4am I was wired. I lied there for about a half hour and then just got up and start playing around on the computer. Google has been really stepping it up lately. Between gmail, blogger, and their new calender and spreadsheet tools, I have to say I have been pretty pleased.

I spent the morning taking care of random things and trying to hydrate and then Eva and I went back to UCLA for the rest of the chemo for the week. I am running a little short on veins so I got it in the vein on my bicep. It was the first time I had been hooked up above the elbow. One of the nurses commented that I was looking a little "huskier" than when I started so I replied "Are you calling me fat?" I told her I was just trying to be a good patient by following the doctor's orders of cake, cookies, candy, ice cream, pasta, potatoes, and rice. The 15 pounds I lost after surgery (nearly all muscle mass that deteriorated) has been replaced by 15 pounds of fat and I am definitely a little husky these days. I look at this as a really good sign though. My body is still digesting foods, I can add fat, my appetite is good enough to gain weight, and now I am getting a bit of a cushion in case I go through a rough spell (vomiting and/or diarrhea). Some of the PC stories on the web are pretty gnarly about guys losing like 30-40% of their body weight. At that point you are at as much risk of starving to death as dying from the cancer.

The acne is returning which is also really encouraging. Dr. Isacoff said the prednisone should control or reduce it considerably but it is still good to see some zits showing up. There are a few on my face and a lot on my chest. By the way, getting a rash on your face and chest is an indication that you have the receptor that Erbitux (a monoclone antibody) inhibits. The more rash you get, the more likely the tumor is to respond. When I got the rash during the first round of chemo, we were all still pretty rattled by the diagnosis and had been reading a lot about coping, I remember saying to my mother "Ance is hope." What a concept, needless to say, it was a pretty touching moment.

I was the only patient in the lounge today so Eva made herself comfortable in one of the lazy boys and we watched a Seinfeld together. We also had plenty of time to play with Sony. That dog is so cute. It is also cute to see my darling wife, play fighting with Sony on the floor. She was deprived as a child and never had a dog. Although from the stories I hear about her and her brother's care of their hamster, I do not know how long a dog would have lasted.

As usual, I was pretty bloated by the end of the day with all that water in me. I had a few minor cramps, but nothing bad. Eva says she can really see the water as my cheeks are just bigger at the end of the day when compared to when I get up. I had some more speatzle (that is really good chemo food - fairly plain, has some substance, just easy to get down) and then crashed out at about 8.

-TN