Thursday and it must be Gaithersburg

Not a great sleep last night...see how everything is measured this way...but the cable and internet were back on and so computer and telly work! What a relief.

We had the journey to Gaithersburg ahead of us and this time Rus had to drive.Really not a terrible distance and the session was short and good. Rick met my sister and did a little heal on her gammy eye so I'll keep you informed of the progress on that one you sceptics! Lovely fattening Big Mac for lunch and back home for rest and pool.

Wednesday and the Amish

Well...yes! It was a good one,the sleep,the toilet even any of the side effects of the injection seem to be manageable. I actually noticed that I am ready to eat more and I am making a note of my intake to make sure I get the required amount so as not to loose weight but start gaining.

It did make me feel good that Sylvie was 'pleasantly surprised' at how he found me..Scary to think of what he imagined.Also so great to have such a truly great friend who has taken the time out and made the long journey to see me and walk alongside these next two weeks!! I know it sounds daft but I am very lucky...must have done something right, somewhere, sometime!

We had a visit to the Amish town of Intercourse PA planned depending on how I felt and so off we set! I drove all the way there and back...yes 3 hours! We stepped back in time and marvelled at the beauty of the corn fields and the pace of life which feels slower and more relaxed. Rob was the official photographer for the day and Rus the picnic organiser...little bags of snacks that were slid into a convenient position for my hand throughout the drive. When I was slow to get the food Sylvie was in there like a shot!

We had a quick look around the farmers' market and bought pretzels and turkey for the way home...exhausted by the time we got there but I DID IT!

My doc appointment this pm was ok but the fatigue had settled in so I was cranky and beginning also to feel a little achy from the shot. Didn't help that there was a huge thunderstorm which knocked out the cable and internet again!!! Really wanted an early night but my big sis decided we should chat...can't understand why she thinks 9.30 is too early to go to bed!!??

My Zim visitor

This morning a very good friend (Hylton "Silvi" Solomon) arrived from Zimbabwe to visit with me. Having been traveling for 32 hours he was surprisingly awake and "compis mentice". We started catching up on the goings on currently in Zimbabwe as he owns and runs a supermarket in our home town of Bulawayo. He tried to explain the inflation rate of millions of percent to us. Huh! Did not comprehend!!! Spent the rest of the day catching up on all the news from Zimbabwe and Sylvie tagged along with me while I did all the usual chores! Dropped by Di's office,had lunch down the road which I managed very well! I am constantly bombarded with food in little bowls...does that mean they are trying to make me gain weight!?

I needed to get my shot done (the white cell helper) and so I was able to introduce Sylvie to Mary and some of the team and he was able to see the infusion center. Afterwards we all lazed at the pool...what a life hey! Sylvie was the guest of honour at a prominent Baltimorian fund raiser so we deposited him at their home and came home to relax and have dinner.

My evenings are quite routine,being the creature of habit that I am, but it's always good to watch the usual programmes with more people.I must add that I am actually feeling good! Let's hope the sleep measures up!

Chemo 5 (Round 2)

Today was a slightly easier chemo day with no Carboplatin. Russ and Diana were with me and Mary was her usual wonderful self.I felt a little better and my blood work looked good. So this week hopefully the Gemzar won't knock the crap out of me. The face situation has improved and almost stayed the same. Blemishes. What else can I say! Oh yea. I have "thrush" (in my throat). No, not some kind of bird. But some kind of infection in my throat (or something like that). It's a bit uncomfortable but the stuff they gave me should clear it up. It was caused by the anti-biotic and not me frolicking with some tart. One more thing. I didn't loose any weight. Thanks Di and Russ. But here is some weird bit of info. Sorry it has to be in Kilos. When I went in for the treatment I weighed 58.3 kilos (yea, I know it's light!!!). But on the way out I weighed in at a whopping 60.1 kilos. Nearly 2 kilos of chemo??? Oh shit.

Swim in the afternoon, dinner with the gang and then silly shows on TV. I feel OK to good.

Comments to the blog

I know there are quite a few people that have tried to post comments to the blog but unfortunately they have not showed up!!! I ask you please, if you are having problems or suspect that the comment never went through then email the comment to me at:

asuskin@hotmail.com

and I will be happy to publish it for you. It seems that there are lots of comments that have gone askew. Many thanks.

Weekend Update

Thursday and Friday were tough days for me. It wasn't anything major physical really. Just some mild swallowing pain (like a sore throat). But, it was emotional and a lot of anxiety. It is extremely hard to get a logical hold on what's going on and to try and explain why you feel the way you do. There are just so many thoughts going through your mind. You try and use the mental tools that the Doctors, family and friends all around you have told you about. It boils down to what you want to be..........a victim or a survivor! I promise you all I have not chosen victim. On Fridays session at Dr. Levy he really helped with these issues. The mind is an incredibly powerful tool and I have certainly come to realise that.

Oh yea. My walks with Max in our forest are still a multiple daily event. It's somewhat cool and shaded so that helps with the heat. I have slowed up a bit during these walks. Go figure. Max is still patient. Bounds ahead and then waits. You can just sense that he is looking and tapping at his "little dog watch" saying "keep up, what the hell is wrong with you?".

Before I continue, I'm very pleased to let you all know that my English secretary is back and so a little reprieve for me especially as I haven't been feeling as good as at the beginning of the week.

Actually for those who don't know it's me ,Rus, the bigger (in every sense) sister!! I arrived yesterday (Friday) and Ade,Diana and Robyn had come to pick me up!! Awesome to see them again and although Ade looked tired we soon arrived back at the house,relaxed,had something to eat/drink and he rallied slightly. Just one of the 'not so good days' that we know happen from time to time. Ade had an amazing beginning of the week as you can all read but Friday....well the Rick Levy bit was good!

We had a delicious Shabbat (Sabbath) dinner cooked by Di and we all enjoyed being together. Early night and looking forward to a day at the pool with my bro!!

I wasn't the only one up at 4pm on Saturday! Yes, he had an awful night and I'm sure not much has been written about the sleep issues in his blog so I will try and elaborate so we're all on the same page! Ade has always had very defined ideas about how one should sleep and without his 8 hours of uninterrupted sleep he is literally a 'basket case'! My little sis is the same so she probably could elaborate better. For whatever reasons, if he does not have a good night or a few good hours of sleep the day is horrid and even a nap during daylight does not make up for it! We have the 'bathe with bubble bath and candles' before bed,the 'reading and take a tablet just as you nod off' routine,the 'stay up for ages' plan, and mostly it's just random...maybe some of you have better methods but perhaps it's part of the chemo doing it's job!

So, we had a little walk in the forest,ate a little brekkie and sat outside in the magnificent surroundings in what was perfect weather! Then he did try to have a nap and when that didn't work we all went swimming! Magic! Water seems to do it every time.

Not much movement from the house and pool (why would you?) and so we invited friends for dinner!

Hey it's me again (Ade). Sunday was a better day. Had a swim in the morning, a massage at lunch time and a movie in the afternoon. A French movie called " tell no one". Very good indeed. Followed all this up with the obligatory Sunday Chinese take out dinner with the family. Great!

My weight (or lack of)

What I have come to vividly understand through this ordeal is how important a good diet is. Having said that, the chemo treatments do wonders to your appetite and taste buds and so the good diet seems to fade away. I don't mean good diet in the sense of ultra healthy etc etc. Of course you should eat well but the main thing is to eat. Everyone around me has been incredible trying to help me through this. Must be a Jewish food thing!!! I have been told on a number of occassions that slight weight loss during treatment is normal. Phew.

The face rash has improved considerably. Maybe I will post a before and after shot. I don't want to be too premature because the Doctors did mention it could flair up again. There goes my hopes of Prom night.

I seem to have had a few pretty decent days even after the heavy chemo Monday. They did lower the dosages slightly but assured me the effectiveness was not compromised. The tiredness and fatigue are still with me. Sleep is my friend, sleep is my friend, sleep is my friend............................................

Wednesday's vet visit

No, not for me! It's for Max. Gotta take him in for his yearly Lyme vaccine shot. Otherwise, he is doing quite well for an 11 year old Wheaten Terrier. Still enjoys his walks in our forest with me but I can't keep up. He keeps looking back thinking "what the hell's wrong with him?".

Got an appointment with Dr. Ward today. Still trying to sort out the sleep deal. Rather crappy as of late. It reminds me of my flying days, or should I say nights? My flying Buds will relate to this quite well.

Tuesday bowling?

Yes, we actually went bowling. Phil, Rob, Mike and I. Rob and Mike teamed up against Phil and me. It was not pretty. In fact at times it was down right ugly. Rob was the only one who had a fairly decent game and the rest of us were pathetic. There, I said it. We were even using the small balls. But all in all, it was a lot of fun.

I'm not feeling too bad today. A bit of a guts ache but that usually happens right after the chemo. Nothing new. The nausea seems to be controlled by the meds for now but my appetite is still not great. I now have a very good idea what it must be like to be a duck. Getting food stuffed down your gullet constantly. I swear I'm gonna turn anorexic and bulimic (whatever the hell that means). It just is really difficult right now because I really do understand the value and advantages of eating well but am laboring with this.

The sleeping is still not great and even the afternoon naps are getting tougher to do. The tiredness and fatigue are still a big issue. Maybe a good afternoon swim!

Chemo 4 (Round 2)

I arrived at the infusion center with quite an entourage. Diana, Phil and Lil were with me. Mary took us back to our usual "big" room so things were looking up. This was to be my long day as I was getting all three drugs. My blood work came back fine and so the process started. A little over 5 hours later and we were on our way home. Phew.

I am generally feeling OK. The face deal has cleared up quite nicely but no pain associated with it anymore. The fatigue and tiredness are another matter. I know that I have to start doing a very light work out to help this process. Oh well, gotta start somewhere! There is also mild swallowing pain that I attribute to gulping (wolfing) my food down. My appetite is not great now so when I eat I notice this. My weight for the most part is relatively stable. Loosly translated - too thin. 130 lbs or 59 kgs or 9.3 stone.

Had a swim. Wonderful.