I met with my oncologist today (we're very fond of him). He pulled me off of the Oxaliplatin because it causes nerve damage after you've had enough of it. He feels that 11 courses of chemo (22 weeks) is plenty and I'll get no more of that one. That's a good thing because it's the one that makes me unable to eat, drink, or touch cold things. Since I love cold drinks on hot days and I'm a fan of ice cream, I'm happy to see that one go. Also, my fingers and toes have a little less feeling in them, which hopefully isn't permanent.
He has temporarily pulled me off of Erbitux because my face rash has become quite bad. What can I say, I'm ready for a break from that one too.
To replace the Oxaliplatin, he's started me on Irinotecan and has given me some Ambien to help with not sleeping well. I hear that Ambien can cause people to do things at night that they don't remember and daytime amnesia can happen if you get up after sleeping less than 8 hours. So, if I call any of you in the middle of the night or first thing in the morning and then don't remember doing so, please feel free to nicely hassle me about it. No fair making things up! ;)
Best wishes to all,
Tim
Wednesday, August 27, 2008
Monday, August 25, 2008
20 Year Reunion
I went to my 20 year class reunion on Saturday. It was at the Queen Mary (and no, we didn't see any ghosts!). Robin and I stayed overnight, so that we could just relax and enjoy the time. It was a fun getaway. The picture is from breakfast the day after the reunion. It was very nice to see so many of my friends in one place.
I'm feeling great--just tired from time to time. I have a big week at work this week. It's my last week to finish the prep for my big project at work. So, Monday and Tuesday will be very busy for me. After that, I'll have chemo on Wednesday, so I'll probably resume work on Friday or Saturday.
Have a great week,
Tim
Monday, August 18, 2008
Loving the Olympics and Doing Well
Hi Everyone,
I'm doing well and have been really enjoying watching parts of the Olympics. My only complaint is that I continue to be very tired from the chemo. The tired part seems to be getting worse. I assume that the more chemotherapy chemicals that you have inside of you (over time), the more tired you get. I think that I'll start updating my blog weekly (around the beginning of the week) because of being tired. Other than being tired, I feel great. Oh well--I can live with tired. But it does frustrate me sometimes because I'm used to be very active. I have to say that Robin has been really great about helping with household things that I usually do. She's become well acquainted with our lawn mower and string-weeder. Throughout this whole thing, I've learned what a great partner I have.
My brother Steve was kind enough to send me a message that I'll share with you:
We learned about it from a 12 year old that is at our Synagogue. Her Mom and Grandfather had cancer and she wanted to join the fight. Even if anyone can spare a dollar, every bit helps.
If you want to sponsor her the link is http://my.walkintheparks.org/personalPage.aspx?registrationID=485510&LangPref=en-CA.
I think that fighting children's cancer is a very worthy cause cause, so we sponsored her for what we could. I think that it's truly amazing what kids can do. I used to have my students recycle cans and bottles from home and then we would donate their proceeds to various charities. Given the chance, children can accomplish fantastic things.
Best wishes to everyone and I'll post again in about a week.
--Tim--
I'm doing well and have been really enjoying watching parts of the Olympics. My only complaint is that I continue to be very tired from the chemo. The tired part seems to be getting worse. I assume that the more chemotherapy chemicals that you have inside of you (over time), the more tired you get. I think that I'll start updating my blog weekly (around the beginning of the week) because of being tired. Other than being tired, I feel great. Oh well--I can live with tired. But it does frustrate me sometimes because I'm used to be very active. I have to say that Robin has been really great about helping with household things that I usually do. She's become well acquainted with our lawn mower and string-weeder. Throughout this whole thing, I've learned what a great partner I have.
My brother Steve was kind enough to send me a message that I'll share with you:
We learned about it from a 12 year old that is at our Synagogue. Her Mom and Grandfather had cancer and she wanted to join the fight. Even if anyone can spare a dollar, every bit helps.
If you want to sponsor her the link is http://my.walkintheparks.org/personalPage.aspx?registrationID=485510&LangPref=en-CA.
I think that fighting children's cancer is a very worthy cause cause, so we sponsored her for what we could. I think that it's truly amazing what kids can do. I used to have my students recycle cans and bottles from home and then we would donate their proceeds to various charities. Given the chance, children can accomplish fantastic things.
Best wishes to everyone and I'll post again in about a week.
--Tim--
Friday, August 8, 2008
Tired Week
Hi Everyone,
Sorry for being such a ghost and not posting (or calling or coming by or emailing) much. I've been very tired this week. Since I didn't have chemo on Wednesday, I took Erica on a short fishing trip Wednesday evening. It went from 5:30 to 9:30 pm and was her first experience on a fishing charter boat. She absolutely loved playing with the bait tank. She just kept catching sardines and the occasional tiny squid in the bait net. She also found a play-friend who was probably just a bit older than she was. We had a great time but didn't catch any keeper-fish. She also got a bit of an upset tummy towards the end of the trip.
Besides the upset stomach (Erica, not me), we had a great time. It was a great daddy-daughter outing. I paid the price for it the next day--I was so tired! I'm feeling much better today and am unofficially working from home. :)
Next week is a big chemo week followed by another week off of chemo. So far, my face rash is getting a little better (everywhere but my face). Hopefully that will continue to improve.
Best wishes to all,
Tim
Sorry for being such a ghost and not posting (or calling or coming by or emailing) much. I've been very tired this week. Since I didn't have chemo on Wednesday, I took Erica on a short fishing trip Wednesday evening. It went from 5:30 to 9:30 pm and was her first experience on a fishing charter boat. She absolutely loved playing with the bait tank. She just kept catching sardines and the occasional tiny squid in the bait net. She also found a play-friend who was probably just a bit older than she was. We had a great time but didn't catch any keeper-fish. She also got a bit of an upset tummy towards the end of the trip.
Besides the upset stomach (Erica, not me), we had a great time. It was a great daddy-daughter outing. I paid the price for it the next day--I was so tired! I'm feeling much better today and am unofficially working from home. :)
Next week is a big chemo week followed by another week off of chemo. So far, my face rash is getting a little better (everywhere but my face). Hopefully that will continue to improve.
Best wishes to all,
Tim
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