Chemo #11 – Round 11

This treatment was about the same as last time. Horrible! It’s kind of weird because the previous seven Chemo treatments didn’t feel as bad as these last five treatments. Things seem to be looking up as the end nears. I really do hope and pray this is the last time I’ll hear the word cancer. After this last treatment I still have to do another scan to give me the final clean bill of health.

I want to say thanks to everyone who has been supporting Lorraine and I through this whole mess. It would be even harder if we didn’t have all of you to send over those good vibes our way! I never want to wish cancer even on my worst enemy. It’s definitely the hardest thing we have ever been through. The final round of Chemo is finally here and I’m ready to win this thing!

I hope everyone had an awesome Turkey Day!

Chemo #10 – Round 10

My tenth treatment was the worst! Just when you think it can’t be any worse it does. It knocked me down for a good five days after the treatment. I threw up more than a few times over the course of the weekend and felt like I was out at sea with my rowboat. After about the sixth day I felt better and good enough to go for more frequent walks. It’s amazing how horrible you feel one week and the next week you feel like a million bucks.

The good news is my hair is starting to grow a little. My hair never really went away but it thinned out quite a bit and stopped growing. My hair is no longer falling out and it seams darker now. The other part of the good news is that the Doc says that since I am responding so well to the treatments that I will NOT be doing any kind of radiation. All I have to do is finish up these 12 treatments and I’ll be on my way. Of course I will have to do a PET scan to give the final o.k. I know this will be it!

My last two treatments will be on November 19^th and December 3^rd.

Chemo #9 – Round 9

The day before my ninth treatment I went for a walk by myself and as I began walking I just started running. It wasn’t much but being that I haven’t ran in five months it was very refreshing. It was an exciting feeling doing something besides walking. Lately when I go in for treatment that morning I always feel like I’m going to throw up. When I’m sitting in the waiting area I think about what I am going to feel like the next day and it makes me feel sick. It’s something that I will not get used to.

We received the PET scan results and they came back negative. Which means that the scan didn’t detect any cancer. The Doc says the treatments are working 100% but I will have to still complete my last three treatments of Chemotherapy. Although I am very excited about the results, I really wont be satisfied until I am completely done with all this nonsense. It is my goal to focus on these last three treatments and finish these 12 rounds like a champ.

Chemo #8 – Round 8

Wow, I made it to eight treatments. I feel these treatments are finally getting to me. Even though the Chemo dosage is still the same as day one the days after seem to be more intense. This time around really beat me up for a good 7 days, which was not fun. Since I went on a Tuesday I missed a week of work and was in bed almost the whole time. There is really nothing to get rid of that feeling. The only thing that can get your mind off of it is falling asleep but I had a hard time doing that. Almost every night I would go to bed fairly early then I would lay there wide awake for about two hours. Then I would get up and walk around the house or sit on the couch listening to silence. Even when I would fall asleep it’s the kind of sleep that it feels like your still awake. I keep on dozing in and out of sleep waking up to every little noise. I feel the sleep is getting a little better but every night is different. Hopefully tonight is better than last night.

On Tuesday October 13^th I will go for another PET Scan of my body to see where the cancer is. I believe it will be a good outcome. I guess I wish I will do the scan and the doc will say, “Son, you are cured! No more chemo for you! For your troubles we will give you a lifetime supply of bubble gum!” and then a giant truck dumps bubble gum in my front yard. Yeah, that would be great.

As I mentioned on the previous post I was the Officiant at my sisters wedding, which went really well. I thought I would be more nervous than the wedding couple but they were way more nervous than I was. Once I was up there it was no problem. Leading up to the ceremony I was debating if I should wear a hat while I marry them. I still feel weird having a shaved head and I feel like I look sick when I am not wearing a hat. I guess my nervousness was more of I didn’t want people to look at me as a sickly person. For many of the guests at the wedding that was the first time they seen me since I was diagnosed so it was kind of hard for me. I chose not to wear the hat but I did bring a hat for after the ceremony. If I didn’t have cancer I would not have worn a hat and I didn’t want the cancer to be the reason for me wearing that hat. While marrying my sister I wanted to feel like myself as much as possible. Even though I did bring my hat for after the ceremony I did not put it on the whole night.

Chemo #7 – Round 7

These Chemo treatments are all the same now. Seemed that this last one went faster than usual but I felt really bad when I came home. I just wanted to lie down and sleep. It was hard to eat anything but I managed to force it down. The Chemo symptoms lingered for about six days. I had to leave work early on Tuesday because my body was achy all over and I was getting a headache. I went home and past out for about six hours but since then I felt much better. This last weekend I did manage to go out for a few hours to meet up with some friends that we haven’t seen for a while. It was good to get out of the house.

I am skipping this week’s treatment because I will be marrying my sister Melissa and Kenny this weekend and I wanted to feel as good as possible. Yes, I became ordained as a Deputy Marriage Commissioner for the day to marry my sister. They had asked me to be the one to marry them about a year ago before I was diagnosed. When I did become sick I kind of had second thoughts, thinking I will be in bad shape for the wedding. I am glad I kept with it and decided to do it because when is the next time I’ll be marrying anyone. As I’m writing this I do feel pretty good and I imagine by this weekend I will feel even better for the wedding.

My next treatment will be on October 6^th. After this treatment i will do another PET Scan of my whole body to see where the cancer is at.

Chemo #6 – Round 6

Well, I'm halfway to the end. This last Chemo session that was on September 3rd was just like the last three times, uneventful. I didn't gain any more weight. My Doc did mention if I want to look into getting a wig. She was asking me this with such a serious look and here I was trying my hardest not to laugh. It was a fantastic moment as I never thought I’d see the day when someone would ask me if I wanted to where a wig. Besides I don’t think they have Little Richard Chemo Wigs! The days after Chemo were the toughest this time around. I felt pretty horrible for a good eight days after the chemo. The symptoms I feel are mainly really nauseous and tired. I also was having trouble sleeping which I think made me feel worse the next day. All these symptoms do become better each day but it’s like you can’t do anything to help it. I have to keep on waiting it out trying not to think about it. Although I am not completely bald I am noticing my hair thinning out more everyday on some spots. My eyebrows and eyelashes seem to be thinning out slowly too.

My 7^th Chemo treatment is this Thursday September 17 and this will be exactly three months until my last treatment. Bring it!

This Time Tomorrow, Where Will We Be

Hi Everyone! Jason did a lot of sleeping this weekend so I had some free time to devour a homemade chocolate cake (thanks Brenda and Art!), do a little sewing, mostly hemming and mending. I also went through some of our old pictures while he slept. I made a video so I can share them with you. I cannot believe how time flies. Looking at these has brought back many memories! I couldn’t help but chuckle aloud because he is so silly and I even got a little teary eyed because these are my happy memories, so I thought I would share them with you all. We love and miss all of you guys, friends and family. We are halfway there! This is tough for Jason but he cannot do it without your phone calls and cheering on! Many many thanks. Enjoy and remember to hug the one you love!

XOXO

Lorraine

Untitled from Gilbert Contreras on Vimeo.