Chemo 2 (Round 6)

Well it was a fairly good day for me all things considered. I am now back on Alimta and Avastin every 3 weeks and this regimen will go on for some time. It's ok because I seem to tolerate both drugs more or less ok. Also, from our genetic testing it showed that I have a sensitivity to both drugs. In a nut shell, it means I should do well with them. We will see as things certainly change with time!

My vitals were all good, my blood work was fine and I even gained 5 lbs. So what else does a guy need? Oh yea, to be free of this awful disease. One can only hope.

Carpe Diem.

Weekend update and more

Tuesday was doctor day. I already feel like a Florida retiree (with all due respect). Doctors, doctors and more doctors!!! I met with the cardiologist and he was pleased with the Echo cardiogram and the electrocardiogram results. Because of all this he has cut back on the 2 meds I take and hopefully, sometime in the not too distant future, I will be off them completely. I then met with the infectious diseases doctor. No, not that kind of disease! It was concerning the MRSA that I got in hospital. He is going to keep me on an antibiotic for a while to make sure that I do not get any recurrences.

The rest of the week I was pretty fatigued which is unusual since it was 2 weeks since my last chemo. But Friday we went to see "Bruno". There are some very funny scenes but also some pretty gross sh*t. See it at a cheap matinee or wait for the DVD.

The weekend weather was wonderful but once again, I just couldn't do much. Larry and Danica (my lunch with Larry friend) came over Sunday night for an informal and spontaneous dinner. It was good for me as when I'm not tired I enjoy the company. But when I'm knackered It's really tough.

Carpe Diem.

Short video tribute

This life don't last forever (hold my hand)
So tell me what we're waitin for (hold my hand)
Better off being together (hold my hand)
Than being miserable alone (hold my hand)
Cause I've been there before
And you've been there before
But together we can be alright
Cause when it gets dark and when it gets cold
We can just hold each other till we see the sunlight
So if you just hold my hand
Baby I promise that I'll do all I can
Things will get better if you just hold my hand
Nothing can come in between us if you just
hold, hold my, hold my, hold my hand.
The nights are getting darker (hold my hand)
And there's no peace inside (hold my hand)
So why make our lives harder (hold my hand)
By fighting love, tonight
Cause I've been there before
And you've been there before
But together we can be alright.
Cause when it gets dark and when it gets cold
We can just hold each other till we see the sunlight
So if you just hold my hand
Baby I promise that I'll do all I can
Things will get better if you just hold my hand
Nothing can come in between us if you just hold my hand

Thanks Akon and Michael J. (R.I.P.) I'm not a huge fan but he was an incredible entertainer. Sadly, a very f*cked up individual. Just my opinion!

Carpe Diem.

The "MouseSkin" family update

Sorry if anyone finds this cruel or offensive. Just don't look!!!

This excerpt is from someone who is taking care of the "MouseSkin" family:

Above is a photo of what the mice look like. The lump on the side of the chest is pretty obvious. The smaller one on the hip is a little difficult to really see. Each of the mice have a metal clip on their ear – this is an identification tag.

All 12 of your mice are doing very well. It has been 8 weeks since implantation and 4 of the mice now have measurable tumors. There are 5 more that have started to show some signs of growth but nothing measurable. The remaining 3 have not had any signs of growth. Now that they have started to grow, I will keep you posted on the progress every week or so.

Carpe Diem.

My daughter's blog

Just like any proud father, I have to plug my daughter's blog. She writes for the Washington Freedom who are part of the WPS (Women's Professional Soccer). She goes to all the home games with her press credentials and takes pictures and interviews the players. How cool! Check out the web site at:

http://www.oleole.com/blogs/washingtonfreedom

Carpe Diem.

ZimKids

Please check out our web site to see what we are doing in Zimbabwe.

http://www.zimkids.com/new/

Carpe Diem.

Ollyn with her "old" friends

Carpe Diem.

Our visitor

This afternoon we picked up an old friend from BWI airport. She will be staying with us until Saturday. Ollyn (Nyatanga) is a Zimbabwean who came to work for us when Michael was born in 1991. Robyn, at the time, was only a year and a half old so we needed all the help we could get. Especially with my travelling and being away. She was a G_dsend. It was very weird how we came to meet. Maybe we will save that story for some other time.

Ollyn stayed with us for a couple of years in Dallas and was amazing with the kids. In true African fashion she gave them all the love, affection and protection a mother could give even though they weren't her kids. She still lives in Dallas with her two older daughters.

Well, fast forward eighteen and a half years and we are still good friends with her and are forever grateful for what she did for us. We asked her to come and visit to see how the kids have grown up and to see us. Ironically, she is now trying to take care of me for the few days she is here.

Carpe Diem.

Meds and massage

What a combo. I visited with Dr. Ward (my psychiatrist) today just to chat and check on my meds. I'm still feeling a bit low even with the encouraging news but my sleeping (or lack of) has been bloody awful. It's wearing me down. The eating is going ok but it seems that it will be a while til I'm able to get back to hamster cheek stage!

As usual, the massage was awesome. It's a big help in my overall recovery and well being. I love it.

Well now that the chest tube hole has finally closed I was able to have my first swim of the season. It was great to be able to do this again.

Carpe Diem.

Chemo 1 (Round 6)

Yes indeed. I've started up again. My blood work was fine and my PET/CT was good news. Overall Dr. Schraeder was pleased with the scan results as there was no evidence of any spreading of the cancer. Whoopee. Today I started back on Alimta which will be given every 3 weeks. Next cycle they will add Avastin. Both these drugs were shown to be favorable on the genetic and molecular testing.

Dr. Sidransky called today to inform me that one of the "MouseSkins" is showing signs of tumor development. This is encouraging for future testing. Keep on plugging my little "MouseSkin" family and thank you for your rather expensive contribution!!!

Carpe Diem.