Hi Team Tom. I had a friend ask for an update on my cancer journey and whatnot, so I thought I'd take a second to tell you what's up with what's been going down.
Since last we left our heroes, I had a wonderful time with my wife over our anniversary, worked my regular 40-hour a week job, and, yes, had my fourth Chemo and second Immunotherapy infusions. For the most part I've been pretty upbeat and positive. I've been riding off a high where I discovered my tumors were shrinking and the treatment had been working.
We had other reasons to celebrate as well! My wife and I saw our 32nd year of marriage. One thing about having a cancer diagnosis, everything feels more poignant -- or maybe more immediate and important, I suppose. The Uber Wife splurged on me a bit (probably a bit more than she should have) and took me to the coolest geek spot in all of Utah. (It was her year to plan and surprise me.)
She drove me out to the middle of nowhere Utah and introduced me to a place called Outpost X. It's like Burning Man meets Tatooine from Star Wars with a side of yurt glamping. They have land speeders you can check out for a half hour at a time and drive around a big dried up lakebed / Utah desert. Low light levels made the night sky beautiful to look at and the mellow techno music / dance party at night was well worth the visit. It was a vibe.
The next day, she took me to a new wellness spot on the way to Zion National Park called Zion Canyon Hot Springs where we spent 4 hours going in and out of mineral pools that were meant to detox you and heal you. In addition, there were saunas and cold plunge pools as well. This place was pretty legit. Needless to say, when I returned to work, I was feeling completely rejuvenated. I wish I could detox like that after every chemo! Alas, we aren't of the millionaire's cut of cloth.
This was all leading up to my latest Chemo on Friday. Chemo hit me a bit harder this time. I took Monday and Tuesday off because I was not feeling great at all. I was back to work on Wednesday, but even then, I was in cold sweats all day and just generally feeling tired. Nausea hit me this time as well, which I wasn't expecting. I wasn't throwing up or anything, just had what felt like a big knot in my stomach. Kind of weird.
I was hoping to have a little music therapy on Friday as well, but my therapist cancelled because she was sick. Hopefully next time! Speaking of next time, upcoming next will be another CAT scan and more immunotherapy in just a couple of weeks. I'm still doing my homeopathic stuff alongside my regular treatment, and I hope the upcoming scans show more improvements.
As for how I'm physically feeling, I feel a little better, but I've been having some smaller, more localized pains in my back and side. I'm not sure if that's things getting better or worse. Hopefully better. We'll have to see. One thing is for sure, it's been nice being able to sleep on my side and with a pillow again.
I would appreciate the traditional thoughts, prayers, love, vibes, voodoo, mantras, and you-name-it for healing. I worry about this thing spreading. It's one of my main fears actually. That and the fear of a government shutdown next week, but we'll approach that if and when it happens.
Happy Dueling!
1 comment:
Thank you for taking us through this journey with you. That trip to Outpost X looks so cool. Keeping my hopes up for you. I hope they you hear good news after the scan.
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