Week Three Update: New Cycle About to Start; It's Weird Being Hairless.

Today (Sunday) I go in to get blood tests with results available by tomorrow morning when I start another 21 day cycle of chemo. They will pump meds faster this time so I have some anxiety about that and I am still trying to figure out what to eat before, during, and right after the chemo to avoid day after nausea from last time around. Another change is that I'm going to try driving myself this time and see how that goes. Got to try to figure out how I'm going to do some early Cyber Monday shopping on Chemo Monday , too.

Most notable during past week is my hair loss. While getting ready in the morning is a lot faster since I don't have any hair to wash and blow dry, it's just weird seeing my bald head in the mirror. I have my Detroit Tigers baseball cap for use when I am out and about , but at home i have a "gangsta" type of blue skull cap that I put on my head to keep it warm, even when I go to sleep. No one is likely to mistake me for Rip Van Winkle with that cap on, that's for sure.

The Deed is Done.

I woke up to find that a very slight tug I was pulling out twenty plus hairs at a time, so did a preemptive strike this PM to get a buzz cut. Hit the local SuperCuts and I couldn’t have been in chair more than 2 minutes before it was all gone along with my $15. Had a nice conversation during and shortly after the stylist , she told me her dad had served two tours in the ‘Nam and that she had just spent 30 days there last summer bicycling around from Hanoi all the way to Ho Chi Minh City. She couldn’t convince her dad to go with her, I’m sure he regretted afterwards.

Rubbing my hand across top of my buzz cut it feels like I have a pet again, but the bigger impression when touching is, “damn my head is BIG”.

Heeding a warning in advance from a member of the bald brotherhood, I went out and got some head coverings. I look like a DORK with or without any of them but at least they will keep my head warm.

Here's a top view of how the asymmetrical dome looks without it’s previously almost full head of hair.

My Favorite Cancer Joke.

And it s has been my favorite for a long, long time…

Guy wakes up and is not feeling well. Gets in to see the doctor who after several tests comes back and tells the guy. “I have some really bad news”. Proceeds to tell the guy. “Look, these new tests are 100% accurate. We discovered that you have the rarest and most aggressive form of cancer that we know. Tomorrow morning you will be dead”. I would put your affairs in order and enjoy your last day on earth"..

Guy, understandably, is distraught. Weeps, bemoans his fate, and begins to think about how he is going to tell his wife, who he loves dearly.

Guy finally composes himself and goes home to tell his wife. Sits down with her and proceeds to tell her what doctor has told him. She is beside herself also , loses control and breaks down sobbing.

Guy composes himself once again , holds his wife lovingly and says:

“Honey this is terrible news, but I have been thinking about how we should spend my last hours on this earth and we are losing time here. Remember that expensive restaurant we always wanted to go to, with that extensive wine list? Screw the money, lets go. We will have the best meal of our lives and get that French wine that we always wanted but thought was way too expensive. Then when were done, lets come back home and make wild passionate love ALL night long? How does that sound to you?”

The wife responds, clearing her throat and saying to the husband,:

“Humph! That’s easy for you to say, YOU don’t have to get up in the morning”.

PS -IF YOU GOT BETTER CANCER JOKE, ADD IT IN THE COMMENT SECTION and don't let concerns about "in good taste" get in the way of a really good joke.

Some Animated Humor: YOU Thought you Had Computer Problems?

Remember when I indicated that I hoped that I could humor as theraputic during my treatment? IF this works (send a comment in comment box if it doesn't) this could be the start of several short bits of animated humor.
I don't know why this cracks me up but it does.....

Week 2 Udate: Smooth if Somewhat Odd Sailing.

No real physical issues this week, but an oddity. One of the reported side effects of Prednisone (the “P” in CHOP) is restlessness.

In my case while I didn’t feel restless, I also didn’t apparently feel sleepy. For first time in my life I pulled not an “all nighter” but essentially I went without sleeping from the time I woke up on Saturday until I finally caught about 5 hours of sleep on Tuesday night. (And that sleep only happened after i got a prescription sleeping pill from my Doc). Frankly I felt pretty darn good even toward the end of that period, and I also got a LOT of work done. Go figure...

I also went out and got what is likely to be my last haircut before I start losing my hair , if typical time periods for hair loss during chemo happen for me.

First Week Summary

Day of infusion went fine, day after, not so much. Didn’t get one of nausea medications so spent lots of time at porcelain prayer bowl, leading to loss of fluids, and a late night trip to get an IV to put fluids back in. Since then other than trying to remember when to take which pill, all has been OK. After today no more chemo pills for 14 days, only nausea pills when needed.

Continued thanks to Roberta who bailed me out and got a prescription for me, took me to the IV, home from chemo, and tuned me on to some gluten-free Popsicles too.

Multiple cards, phone calls, and emails from recent and long ago friends and associates "brought the mist" to my Irish eyes more than once this week; thanks to all who took the time to let me know they were thinking of me.

Hope is there are only 17 more weeks of this, could be 23, but at least 1st one is under my belt.

PS--Say thanks to a veteran this weekend, eh?

WEB VIDEO : Elections, Cancer, and The Onion News.

I think I'm going to need some laughs to help me get through the next few months of chemotherapy.

To memorialize/bury this years election season concluding tomorrow, I saved the Onion News Network mock video below to my ITOUCH so I could watch during my first seven hour chemotherapy session. It lightened the mood considerably is all I will say.

Video doesn’t have anything to do directly with cancer , but who cares, it's funny! (Apologies in advance for key frame and the commercial, I had to use the video as is).

BTW, the first session went well, no adverse reactions. Pills the rest of the week, and then two weeks no meds while chemicals do their thing on my bod. Repeat as ordered 6-8 cycles; no doubt much more humour will be required. Suggestions always welcome.

Public Figures with NHL

Courtesy of Wikipedia,several notable public figures with Non Hodgkin's Lymphoma (NHL).

• The former Shah Mohammed Reza Pahlavi of Iran
• Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis, widow of former U.S. president John F. Kennedy
• Gene Wilder, diagnosed in 1999, made a full recovery in 2000
• U.S. Senator Paul Tsongas
• Fred Dalton Thompson, former United States Senator, actor and 2008 presidential candidate
• Hussein of Jordan, former king of Jordan
• Golda Meir former prime minister of Israel
• Ernie Johnson Jr., American sports broadcaster for TNT and TBS
• Jon Lester, Boston Red Sox pitcher