Tim's Blog

Erica on the swings

2009-08-02T14:05:00.001-07:00

Goodbye to a Mellon Thumper

2009-06-08T18:13:00.001-07:00

I was just watching the news and I saw a story about a website called "Thumping My Mellon". It was done by a man named Terry Harper. He had a form of cancer and posted a blog. He put the good and the bad in it. He recently died and his final blog post was dated June 2nd. I can relate to some of the sentiments that he expressed. For those who are extra sensitive, it's probably not a good idea to read the next paragraph. But, if you can handle it, I really can relate and reading his posting will probably give you a good insight to where my mind is usually at. Of course, being his final post, death comes into play. I'm not planning on dying anytime soon, but the notion of cancer and death is never far from my mind. I guess it's just the nature of the illness that it's impossible to ignore these things. Part of his final blog post is quoted below. Best wishes and big hugs to all,

Tim

A quote from Terry's final blog post:

"I never viewed this disease as a “gift” or that I was on some kind of “journey.” It just was. There was no way of knowing how this thing appeared in my brain so I tried not to waste any time or energy wondering what I should have or could have done differently. That would have been an exercise in futility. I think I recall one of my doctors telling me early on that there was no way to determine the cause of 98 percent of primary brain tumors. I was probably in the other two percent that didn’t forward one of those damn chain E-mails to my eight closest friends. I can’t deny there were times when I felt down about the whole situation. Hell, who wants to die in their mid-40s? Not me. All things considered, I would rather just be going about my life with Lee Ann at my side, watching Dale and Jace grow up and live their lives…and hopefully getting our tile roof replaced one day. I have no idea what lies beyond. I do know that if love transcends the boundaries of life and space and time, I have amassed more than enough to carry me safely to my next destination. And I hope that I have left enough behind to help light a path so that we may one day meet again. And especially to Lee Ann, Dale and Jace…wherever you go and whatever you do, be happy and know that my love will always be with you. Forever. I cannot imagine what my life would have been like without the three of you in it. It was a great ride."

Happy June

2009-06-04T19:54:00.001-07:00

Hi all,

I'm happy to report that my mouth is much better. For the last month or so, it's been really bad. Finally, last week, things started to turn around. I can now go back to beef jerky and lemonade. :)

What else? Well, on the health front, I met with my oncologist this week. Things are looking very good. Still no new cancers showing up. He put me in for my next CT scan. It's been a few months, so it's time to get scanned again. Also, it looks like Robin and I will be doing the Chino Relay for Life. Look for more details on that one as the event gets closer.

As for the family, everyone is doing well. Rumor has it that some kids were teasing Erica at school saying that if you touch her you'll get skin cancer. From what I hear, she calmly and coolly told them that you can't get skin cancer from touching someone and that her father has colon cancer--not skin cancer. When we asked her about this whole thing, she was very nonchalant about it and seemed to have taken the whole thing in stride. She constantly amazes me.

Last weekend we went to see Steve and Nancy in Idyllwild. Erica, Robin, and I took a hike up the South Ridge Trail. I'm guessing that we hiked about a mile or so (each way). We took some great pictures along the way. I'll post them to FB.

Best wishes to all,

Tim

Happy June,

2009-06-04T19:41:00.001-07:00

Painful Week...

2009-05-17T09:35:00.001-07:00

It turns out that this was a pretty bad cancer week. I big the inside of my lip on Monday night. It was probably the worst that I've ever done that. On top of that, I got some pretty bad mouth sores. Both the mouth sores and the lip bite were on the same side of my mouth, so that whole side of my mouth was just one raw pain magnet. Ouch!

On a good note, I had a great time at The River. My in-laws have been inviting me to join them there for years. I finally took them up on it. We fished and camped in their motorhome. I was able to donate some of my extra money to the local Indian casino.

On Friday, I was fortunate to help with an event at Erica's school. I handled the tech end of things. The event was called the Wickman World Summit. Sixth grade students have partnered with a company called Kiva (www.kiva.org). Kiva is a non-profit that provides micro finance loans to individuals. For example, a goat farmer in Eastern Europe may need a small loan (hence the term micro finance) for more goats. This person can go to Kiva for that loan. Often loans are delivered by a courier on the back of a motorcycle to the recipient. It really neat stuff.

At this event, we connected via Skype to other countries. We spoke with Ghana, Azerbaijan, San Francisco, and a foreign embassy in Washington, DC. We used Skype for video chat and audio chat. Also, Jane Goodall and a woman in Thailand sent in videos that they recorded.

It was a truly fantastic experience.

The Mystery is Over

2009-05-10T21:14:00.001-07:00

The first time I went on the Erbitux, I had a wicked face rash (just ask anyone who was at my 20 year high school reunion). I was red and my face felt crispy. The second time I went on it, my scalp was affected. It was yucky. Basically, my head was in a continual state of scabbiness. When the scabs came off, so did patches of hair. It wasn't much fun. I should note that it was NEVER painful--it was just irritating.

I've been wondering how this round of Erbitux will manifest it's side effects. I started back on it on Wednesday. I woke up today with a big nose-pimple (not a pimple with a big nose, but a big pimple on my regular nose). I also have little tiny pimples all over my bald head. So, it looks like this time it will be a head and face rash. Woohoo! There is a good side to this--they say that the rash is a sign that the medicine (Erbitux) is working. I'm not quite sure how this will play out with being bald and needing to shave my head. I anticipate that there will be a bit of an awkward phase (whether bald or with hair). Hmm--I like being bald, but maybe it's time for some funny hats or a rainbow wig. I wonder if I can find one of those Gallager hats that have the hair built in...

Long Time No Post

2009-05-05T21:44:00.001-07:00

Hi All,

I've been busy lately. I hope you're all doing well. For the last month or two, I've scaled back one chemo drug. It's Erbitux--the one that causes the rotten face and scalp rash. I also switched to working only 1 day per week. The idea was to rest up a bit and get a little recovery time.

I meet with my doctor tomorrow and I plan to ask him to put me back on my Erbitux. It may be rotten, but it kills cancer and keeps me alive. So, Erbitux goes back on the menu.

All is good here. Robin and Erica are doing well, I'm enjoying work, and life is good.

More exciting blog post and Facebook posts to come.

Big hugs to all,

Tim

Another Uneventful Chemo

2009-04-22T14:19:00.000-07:00

I had a nice morning at chemo. The nurses were great, the IV was slowly dripping, and I got to have my Benadryl nap. Now, time to go lay down and get some rest.

Just for Fun

2009-04-15T18:41:00.000-07:00

Who says that guns and video cameras don't mix? It's like the hunting channel on TV, except a little less fancy. No animals were harmed in the filming of this video.

Double (Quadruple Actually) Vision

2009-04-14T12:32:00.000-07:00

In case anyone thought they were having quadruple vision when looking at my blog, it wasn't you. It's a glitch that is a known error when I post to this blog directly from Facebook. I really only meant to have my last posting displayed once.

Chemo and Doctor Appointment This Week

2009-04-10T08:54:00.003-07:00

Hi All,

I had a great doctor appointment this week. We went over several medical tests that I've recently had. My CT scan was unremarkable, which is a very good thing. It's like a "Gno gnews is good gnews" type of thing. Unremarkable means no new cancer showing up. My colonoscopy (about a month ago) came out great--no new cancer in that one either. My doctor submitted me for a test of something called a KRAS mutation. Apparently, if you have a KRAS mutation, some awesome cancer-fighting drugs won't work. One of those drugs is Erbitux. He submitted 3 people for this test. Out of the three I am the only one who came back negative for the KRAS mutation. I don't know who the other two people are. But the good news for me is that Erbitux should work nicely for me. That's great to hear, especially since I've been on it for nearly a year (with a few breaks here and there). For now, I'm still off of my Erbitux (the face rash causing medicine) and I'll probably be off of that one for one more month. This way my scalp will have a chance to heal. I'm down to one scab on my scalp (there were like a dozen before). Because of that, and because it will probably come back when I start the medicine again, I'm probably going to cut all of my hair off. I've never gone bald before. I hear that bald is beautiful.

I had a great day yesterday, celebrating my one year chemo-versary. I rode my bike to my local Metrolink station and took the train into LA. I nearly missed the train and could literally feel the over-exertion looming. Once I got onto the train, I rested and took a nausea pill. I also snuck in few bites of fruit. By the time I got to LA and met my cousin there, I was feeling much better. and we spent some time shopping at Olvera Street. Having a bike in that part of LA was great. We wandered around to Little Tokyo and my dad met us at a Shabu-Shabu restaurant for lunch. After that, Jef and I visited Starbucks and enjoyed LA some more. I took the train back home and had a nice, slow paced bike ride back home. It was great to spend some much time on a bicycle again. I literally didn't operate a car yesterday--very refreshing.

As for today, I need to pop into work for a bit (unofficially of course since I don't work on Fridays). Then we're off to Lake Arrowhead tonight. We'll spend the night with my parents and will go on an Easter Egg hunt with Erica and her adorable cousins. After that, we'll be going to see the tulips garden up there. Good stuff. I'll post pictures on FB afterwards.

Best wishes and big hugs to all,

Tim

This Site is So 2008...

2009-03-30T20:03:00.000-07:00

Hi All,

I love that everyone has been so great about keeping up with me. Thank you all so much for that.

I've been thinking a lot about this site and how I could increase my use of it, without adding too much time to keep it up. I'd also like to be able to put up updates, without needing to make a full website posting. I keep thinking about moving this site to Facebook.

For those who haven't used Facebook yet, it's free and really easy to update. Once you try it, you'll find that you get addicted quickly. The only drawback that I can think of is that people will need to make Facebook accounts. I think that the benefits significantly outweigh the one drawback, so I'm officially moving this to Facebook. The URL for Facebook is http://www.facebook.com. It will be easy to find me once you get there--just search for me by name. If anyone needs any help with FB, please let me know. I'd be happy to help.

See you on FB,

Tim

Whale of a Time

2009-03-22T16:02:00.000-07:00

You're invited to check out our whale watching pictures and video. Just click on the title to see them.

Happenings This Week

2009-03-16T20:19:00.000-07:00

Update for the Week,

I figured that I'd follow my good colonoscopy news with some good eye doctor news. It's odd--the last time that was at the eye doctor (which wasn't that long ago), I didn't know that I had cancer. Looking back, it really has been a surreal year. Anyway, I got a good bill of health from my eye doctor. He said that my prescription really hasn't changed much. Since there was nothing noticeably different, it appears that the chemo hasn't affected my vision. Armed with good news from both ends of my body (from colon to eyeballs), I thought it was time for some good news from my abdomen. To that end, I think that I'll have a CT Scan this week. I have one scheduled for Thursday. I'm sure it will be more of the same news--unremarkable.

What else? The Erbitux rash that was on my face is now on my scalp. It's gotten pretty bad. It doesn't hurt, but it itches like crazy. Basically, my scalp is a scabby mess. I have blood on my pillow case each and every morning. It's not horrible, but it's not the most fun thing either. Also, I've been pretty tired lately. I worked for 1/2 of a day today and went home to rest. It has gotten to the point where I'm going to suggest to my doctor that it's time for a break from that particular chemo drug.

I think that I'll end this blog post with some more good news. My uncle's girlfriend, Cheryl, has officially beat her cancer. She has a couple more rounds of chemo, but she just received a clean bill of health. Congrats Cheryl! Way to kick some cancer butt!

A Little Good News

2009-03-07T18:03:00.000-08:00

Yesterday was an exciting morning of fishing, followed by an evening of colonoscopy prep. While fishing, Erica caught a 7 lb trout. Her friend Derek caught a 5 lb trout. Both are bigger than any trout that I'll probably every catch. They were both thrilled.

After drinking my fill of colonoscopy prep beverage last night (3/4 of a gallon), I started my day at 4 am by drinking the remainder (1/4 of a gallon). By 6:30 am, we were on our way to Kaiser. We parked at 6:47 am and I checked in at 7:02. 15 minutes later, they had me in a gown, laying around, with an IV poking out of the back of my hand. It went like clockwork. I woke up from the procedure and heard good news. No polyps and no evidence of any new cancer or tumors in my colon. The drive home was a blur--I hardly remember it at all. I spent most of the day on the couch and finally got up and moving around 4 pm. Now, I'm just tired and plan to spend the rest of the evening relaxing, happy with the good news of the day.

By the way, click here for a link to a great news story about children with cancer and some very cool construction workers. It's worth having a look at. There's a video on the page. Enjoy.

Tim

It's About Time

2009-03-04T22:00:00.000-08:00

Looks like I'm overdue for a blog post! I guess we have some catching up to do. To start with, I got a new cat on February 22nd. We adopted her from a shelter. Her name is Tara and she's approximately 2 years old. She was already declawed and was immediately friendly when I met her. All the shelter knew about her was that she was an "owner surrendered" cat and that the previous owner said that she was fixed. We brought her home and my office became her bedroom. She has been busy getting acquainted. She now likes to wander down the hall and check out the other rooms. Ziggy (our other cat) has not become her friend yet, but that will come with time. We're still establishing who's the alpha cat, but it looks like she's going to fit into our family nicely.

I went to another raw food meetup last weekend. The food was great and the people were very nice. However, they had a guest speaker who was totally nuts. She was very nice and very fascinating and has led an interesting life. Interestingly, she viewed all living things as equals. This includes trees, mosquitos, etc. She liked to "ask" trees if she could take a piece of fruit and the trees "answered" her. She also felt that the worst thing that she ever did was to squash a handfull of mosquitos off of a friend's head. She likened that to mass killings at Auschwitz. That was tough to take and we left shortly afterwards. I will certainly go back to the raw food group, but definitly not if they have the same guest speaker!

What else? Hmm--I'm taking Erica and her friend Derek fishing on Friday. Derek's dad is going along too. I'm really looking forward to that. I have a colonoscopy scheduled for Saturday and have to do the colonoscopy prep Friday after fishing. The last time that I woke up from a colonoscopy, the doctor told me that I had a big tumor that looked like it was cancerous. I can't wait to wake up from the procedure and have the doctor NOT say that.

Work is going well. However the California and national budget issues are starting to hit home. There was a school board meeting last night and they presented budget cut information. The district will have a 44 million dollar shortfall next year and the Board of Education was trying to put a plan into place. Cuts will be deep and difficult. I was surprised to see my job title on the chopping block. They were talking about cutting costs by getting rid of one of the three of us. They were also talking about getting rid of the extra days that we work (I currently work 20 extra days per year and get paid a daily rate for them). The superintendent then presented his suggestions to the Board. He did not suggest eliminating one of our positions, but he did suggest getting rid of our extra days. It means that it's very likely that I'll still have a job next year but that I will probably be taking a little bit of a cut in pay. I can live with that. We'll have trim our budget down, but we'll be fine. A lot of people aren't so fortunate.

Wow--this was a crazy, random blog post! That probably comes with me writing it at 10 at night. Must be past my bedtime.

Goodnight and big hugs to all,

Tim

I've Got Good Blood

2009-02-24T18:31:00.000-08:00

Great news--I went in for my day-before-chemo blood test on the way home from work. Kaiser is so quick! By the time I got home, I had results waiting in my email's in box. Good news--both of the elevated liver enzymes are back in the normal range. So, I'm a little more relaxed tonight. I'm going to go and load a movie onto my iPhone, make dinner for the family, and prepare for an exciting day of chemo tomorrow.

Best wishes and big hugs to all of you,

Tim

Feeling Better and My First Raw Foods Demo Meetup

2009-02-22T09:05:00.000-08:00

I woke up this morning and realized that my mouth sores are finally on the mend. They'll be gone in a day or two and the constant pain is gone today. Woohoo!

I had a great day yesterday. I started my day by going to pick up my organic veggies. This time it was apples, kale, avocados, pears, spinach, lettuce, Swiss chard, celery, tomatoes, radishes, and more. My dad was nice enough to go along and pick up the veggies with me. He was impressed by my haul of fruit and veggies. As always, he was very difficult to spend time with. Just kidding--it was really nice to spend some time with him. We have a lot of fun together.

After going home for a couple of hours, I was off to my first Raw Foods Demo meetup. Because this one had a presentation on organic gardening, I brought Uncle Frank along. That's a photo of him with this post. For me, the best part of the meetup was seeing and tasting the different raw foods that people had prepared. The event started with a demonstration of how to make a raw soup. Among other things, it called for almond milk, salad flakes, spices, and a few other ingredients. It was served over fresh avocado and was room temperature. It was fantastic. I'll post the recipe when I get it. Then there was the chocolate pudding pie. It was made with raw cacao, avocado, agave nectar, and some things that I can't remember. However, I did find a recipe that sounds very similar. It's at http://www.rawfoodsupport.com/read.php?4,93819. Then there was a super-yummy "Thai Coleslaw" that I loved. It hurt my mouth, but I ate it anyway. It can be found at http://www.rawfreedomcommunity.info/forum/showthread.php?t=1405.

There is another raw foods meetup next Saturday at 6:00 pm. It's in Rialto and details are at http://www.meetup.com/rawfood-happy-health/calendar/9483905/.

Happy Sunday,

Tim

Raw Food Setbacks

2009-02-18T20:27:00.000-08:00

I had an awesome dinner at my parents' last night. Joanne went to the trouble of making fruit salad, regular salad, and other fresh raw veggies so that I'd have plenty of things to eat. It was great. I brought my raw salad dressings and a few other raw foods for everyone to try. It really was very nice.

Even with how nice it was, I could feel and see the mouth sores coming on. Today, my mouth is worse than yesterday, with tomorrow probably being worse yet. I'll probably be starting to get better Saturday. I've come to the conclusion that it's going to really be a challenge to change my diet to raw. It seems that I get the mouth sores every other week or so, and they last for several days. During that time, my main food is cream based soups. Anything else is just too acidic or too irritating on a sore mouth. On top of the mouth sores, I have a colonoscopy scheduled for March 7. I was looking at the prep information and there are dietary rules that start the week before the procedure. The rules call for no corn, no beans, no seeds, etc. Guess what?!?!? Raw foods often have things like seeds or raw corn in them. They also often have sprouted beans (like sprouted garbanzo bean hummus).

It's going to be a slow journey to going raw with lots of setbacks. But I know that it'll get there by taking one step at a time. On top of all of the challenges with going raw, I do have some good news about it. My organic produce co-op that I joined is going great. I had a yummy basket of fresh fruits and veggies last week and I'll get another one on Saturday. Also, several members of that group are in some raw foods group. Those groups meet up to share raw foods and raw recipes with each other. So that should help.

I also have some good news about the boy with cancer at Erica's school. The father emailed and said that they think that the chemo is going well. He is impressed with how strong his 10 year old son in regards to tolerating the chemo while keeping up a good attitude. Good stuff.

Best wishes and big hugs,

Tim

"May We Have Your Liver?"

2009-02-11T18:47:00.001-08:00

Contrary to the ill-humored video below (which I love), I'm not going to be parting with my liver anytime soon. However, at my doctor appointment today, we did discuss my liver. 3 of my blood tests for liver function indicated increased liver enzymes. While this is something to watch, it is to be expected from chemo. Basically, my understanding is that chemo can cause a condition that is described by the liver getting fattier. Somehow, this condition is linked to the increased liver enzymes. It's nothing to get worried about at this point. Our plan is to recheck the levels on my next blood test in 2 weeks. We already took action today by cutting the dosage of one chemo-helper drug. If the tests come out high again next week, my doctor will schedule a new CT scan and will have a better look at my beautiful liver.

The video below may have some objectionable images and should be previewed by adults before showing to kids. I'm precisely immature enough to enjoy the humor in the video. Now that I've placed my disclaimer, here's it is:

What a Week!?!!?

2009-02-07T23:24:00.000-08:00

I have to admit, this was an interesting week. It started off with lots of work. Unfortunately, I worked a little too much and had a co-worker that was having a tough day and shared the difficulty of the day with me. Basically, I got dumped on. Oh well--they didn't do it on purpose and they really are a nice person.
After that challenging start, I was off to California Adventure with the family for a 1/2 day visit. Between working a little too much and having challenging inter-personal issues at work, I was exhausted. I found myself walking around California Adventure feeling like someone with cancer (I was just really drained and tired). This was a first for me. We still had a nice family time, but it took a significant effort on my part to maintain enough energy to keep up with my family and enjoy the park.

As if that weren't enough of a challenge, I've felt mouth-sores coming on for the last few days. They finally started to really hurt yesterday. They're kind of funny--I first feel them coming on, then I can see them, and then they really start to hurt. It seems to be a fairly predictable cycle. When I was feeling them coming on, I took a flashlight and looked closely at my tongue. I had 6 small sores one the left side, one on the bottom of my tongue, and one big one on the right side of my tongue. Ouch!

Fortunately, my week has also had some high points. I ventured out to Culver City to try a raw vegan restaurant called "Leaf". Not only did I have a fantastic lunch, but I learned that raw food can really be very good. I had a sandwich and salad while I was there. I also bought several things to take home (salad dressing, dessert, powdered chocolate, croutons, crackers, etc.). I'll definitely be going back there. It was well worth the hour and a half drive.

Also, I joined the Inland Empire Organic Produce Buying Club. It's a co-op that takes money from the members and purchases organic produce (in bulk) from local farmers. The produce is then divided up among the people who contributed money. The whole thing looks great. I saw the produce baskets today and it looks like a great deal. I'll get my first basket of produce from them next Saturday. You can learn about the IEOPBC at http://www.meetup.com/organicproduce/

I posted some of my basic information on their website earlier today and already had some helpful messages. 1 person messaged me and told me that they also are eating raw foods and offered to help answer any questions that I may have. They told me about a cancer-fighting movie that another member has and offered to email that person to see if I can borrow it. Another person messaged me and told me that they also eat raw foods. This second person told me about a raw food demo group and a raw food potluck group. Both of those groups are from around here and are fairly close by (within a half-hour or so). Since this new way of eating is so different for me, I really need the help and support. I can't wait to see where this leads me.

One more highlight of the week. I got to see my cousin in a play. He is in Zoot Suit and the Pomona College. It was great to see him acting. :)

Night all,

Tim

Nearly 2 Weeks Already!?!?!

2009-02-02T18:21:00.001-08:00

Has it been nearly 2 weeks since my last posting? Wow. Time flies when you're having fun. I'm still feeling very good and have had a minor (but significant) milestone recently. I was able to untie double knots on my shoes. This is because feeling is beginning to come back to my fingertips. I'd say that the feeling is 1/2 or 1/4 way better than it was. This morning I was able to work the buttons on the collar of my shirt. OK, I'll admit that it took me 5 minutes to unbutton the collar and another 5 minutes to re-button it, but that's a step in the right direction.

Relatedly, I tried to play Guitar Hero, but I don't yet have enough feeling in my fingers to work the guitar. After that failure, I decided that it was time to learn the drums in Rock Band. Erica is beginning to learn the guitar in Rock Band and I played drums. I'm still trying to get Robin to sing. I did pretty well for a guy with no rhythm. I played a few songs and was doing well, when I broke a drum stick. I felt like a real drummer--broken drum stick and all! I had to play some of the songs with 1 1/2 drum sticks instead of the standard set of 2.

Other than that, I've had no changes in my health. I am getting the urge to go hunting or fishing, but that is probably not health related. :)

I went to Idyllwild this weekend to celebrate my father in-law's 66th birthday. It was a great weekend with Robin's family. I'm really lucky--I get along very well with them. However, it was very difficult to eat my raw foods while away from home. I went to their local natural food store and got one very small grocery bag of raw items:
--A Strange Sweet Spread made of coconut and some assorted berries (all raw of course)
--Raw Crackers
--3 Raw Snack Bars (granola-ish)
--2 Green Smoothie Drinks (juice and algae)
--2 Kinds of Raw Cereal (one good and one yucky)
--4 Pack of Chocolate Almond Milk Drink Boxes (made from soaking almonds in water)
Wanna guess what fancy raw foods cost? How about $56? Eesh! I'm going to have to learn more about making my own raw foods and then pack them carefully for my next trip away from home.

I'm going to end this message with an inspirational video that I found on another website. Check this out:

Best wishes and big hugs to all,

Tim

The Good Side of Having Cancer!?!?!?

2009-01-21T10:56:00.000-08:00

OK, we all know that having cancer sucks. I've had conversations with doctors that I would never wish on any of you. Not fun. IV's--not fun. Hospital stays--not fun. Scabby head and pimply face--not fun. I could go on and on, but that's not the point of this blog post.

The point of this post is that there are also some REALLY GOOD things that come from having cancer and I think that I'll share them with you. In no particular order, here's what comes to my mind:

You get preferential treatment at doctor's offices and hospitals. Generally speaking, you get to go to the front of the line.
You get the best pharmaceuticals. I had a reaction once during chemo and they gave me some sort of happy medicine. Wow--good stuff. :)
Catching up with old friends. It's great to re-establish old friendships and see what your old friends are up to.
Material Things--How can a person be expected to heal from surgery without a Playstation 3?!?! Also, spouses don't even blink an eye when you tell them that you need new kitchen equipment to support your new diet (I just got a new food processor, dehydrator, and I'm going blender shopping soon).
Family--You really realize just how important your family is. Quality time with them takes on a whole new meaning. You no longer take them for granted.
A caring wife massages your hands and feet each and every night.
You can try radical new hairstyles that you've never had the courage to try before (spikey blue hair comes to mind!).
When you're out in the woods with the guys, and you get too tired and have to lay down in the dirt for a break, the rest of the guys will carry you (the words to Lean on Me are echoing through my head right now).
Your community, workplace, and place of worship reach out to you and offer you support in ways that you never dreamed possible. It renews your faith in the goodness in people's hearts.
People cook for you and bring you food to fatten you up.
People from around the world read your blog.
You can go to the spa to relax and it counts as therapy.

There's so much more, but the point is that I know that I'm truly blessed. I've often told that to Robin even before cancer. We have a very good life and we're very lucky.

Best wishes,

Tim

Music Video:
Lean On Me by (Bill Withers)

Music Video Code by Video Code Zone

Learning to Eat Raw

2009-01-18T19:18:00.001-08:00

Update 1/19/09 - I found a new yummy recipe It involves blending raw cashews, vanilla, water, dates, and cinnamon. Once it's blended, it become similar to yogurt or cream. Then you mix in berries. Good stuff. Here's a link. There's a video on the website.

--------

This raw foods diet is really challenging. For the last week, I've had a healthy fruit/veggie juice for breakfast. It's usually 1 or 2 oranges, an apple, a handful of spinach, a zucchini, blueberries and blackberries, and a cucumber. Then I add some Mona Vie and some liquid vitamins. Actually, the juice drink is pretty good, but the added veggies took some getting used to. It's definitely healthy and gets me off to a good start for the day. Erica and Robin love the fresh OJ (they skip the rest of the veggies in theirs).

For lunch and dinner, I've been having nice big salads and/or veggie pieces (like broccoli with a little ranch).

After a week of that, I was ready to start preparing raw foods. To help with this process, I bought a new food processor and a new dehydrator. I spent several hours yesterday getting ready to prepare some food. I made 3 recipes--1 was good. The other 2 were horrible. I made a fantastic raw apple pie (recipe linked here). The 2 horrible ones were tasty tacos and raw pasta with basil cream.

So, I'm going back to my favorite cancer website to find out what other people have made. I'll also be looking for more yummy recipes online. If any of you have good raw veggie recipes, please let me know. Good ideas would be greatly appreciated.

Best wishes,

Tim

I'm Unremarkable and Proud of It

2009-01-14T09:06:00.000-08:00

Good news--My recent CT scan says that I'm unremarkable, meaning no
new cancer. It appears that the chemo is keeping the cancer at bay.

Tim
Personal: mr_rosenbloom@mac.com
(Sent from my phone)

Lots to Talk About

2009-01-09T07:46:00.000-08:00

Happy New Year to you and your families. I am happy to have finished 2008 and am ready for a new year. 2008 was tough. I got cancer, we thought that my father in law might have cancer (we've since learned that he does not have cancer), my uncle's girlfriend came down with cancer...Need I say more?

I started the year off with a resolution of sorts. I've decided to change me eating habits to a more cancer-hostile diet. Basically, this means lots of veggies and fruit, with the hopes of eliminating most (if not all) sugar, eliminating meat, eliminating fungus (yeasts, mushrooms, etc.), and changing the body's pH to a more cancer-hostile environment. It starts by trying to eat 70 to 80 percent raw foods and gets tougher from there. For the last few days, I've been trying to eat tons of veggies. It's going well, but is very tough. The idea of adding years to my life makes the process easier. The idea came from many sources, but especially the pH Miracle and Kris Car. She has written a book and made a video called Crazy Sexy Cancer and has appeared on Oprah with Dr. Oz. Good stuff. This diet should also help me to get rid of the 20 lbs that I've put on since last April (I attribute them mostly to my ice cream and see food diet).

I had a CT scan a week ago and am waiting for results (the results should be available during my oncologist appoitment visit next week). I'll post a new blog entry after that appointment. I'm getting to be a pro at CT scans. I came prepared for the it--empty stomach and LIDOCAINE W/PRILOCAINE rubbed on my arm to numb it up for the IV that goes with the scan. The technician/nurse who was doing the scan was impressed and had never seen anyone come with a numb spot on their arm. I think that it was my 4th scan in the last year, but who's counting.

Fun fact--I realized last week that chemo has not only thinned my hair, but it's made my armpit hair fall out. Robin is jealous.

Have I said thank you to you lately? Thank you to all of you. I appreciate everything that everyone has done to help me out over the last year. My friends, family, and community have been great in so many ways. We're truly very blessed.

Our Israel trip is on hold due to the instability in the region. That's ok. I can't see a reason to fight for my life against cancer only to go to Israel and get shot or blown up.

Back to the topic of cancer, I saw the Patrick Swayze feature done by Barbara Walters earlier this week. I really enjoyed watching it. He's inspirational. I can appreciate when he said that he wants to last until they find a cure. Here's a link to the story.

Also on the topic of cancer, I recently learned of a 4th grade boy at a local school, who recently learned that he has bone cancer. It started behind his knee and they just found 2 spots on his pancreas. His family is waiting for results of a test to see if those spots are cancerous. Chemo will start after the test results. I mentioned him in this email for a couple of reasons. First, please keep him and his family in your thoughts and prayers. Second, a group of families are signing up to bring them food and help out. We're going to send them a gift card for a restaurant or bring them some food. I have yet to contact them but I may try today. If you would like information about how you can help out, please contact me via email. I'll share the details that I have. Obviously, I won't publish specific information about them here for privacy reasons.

How about some good news? My cousin and his wife just had a baby. I have a new second cousin named Benjamin. I can't wait to meet him.

Well, I've said a mouthfull. Best wishes and big hugs to all of you,

Tim

Nice Day for a Scan -- Or Radioactive Man Strikes Again

2008-12-29T07:19:00.002-08:00

Update--I had a very nice scan experience. I was able to use some of the lidocain that they give me in Oncology on my arm approximately where I thought the IV would go for the CT scan. It's a numbing lotion that I use prior to chemo. The CT technician was surprised to see that I had a numb spot on my arm all ready for the IV. After he gave me the IV, he asked if it hurt. I said that I didn't feel a thing. He thought that was really cool. I also asked why the CT scan machine tells you to hold your breath during parts of the scan. He told me that when you breathe, your diaphram caused your liver, lungs, and parts of the intestine to move. So, holding your breath caused your inner organs to be more still and therefore results in a clearer CT scan picture. Neat stuff. I think that was my 4th CT in the last year. They have something like 50X the radiation of an X-Ray, so I'm something like 200X more radiated than a person would be from an X-Ray. Stand back--I'm probably radioactive. Does anyone have a geiger counter?

Original Post--I'm off to work today and will then go for a new CT Scan. Looking for no new cancer...

Another Good Week...No News...

2008-12-09T15:58:00.001-08:00

Send your own ElfYourself eCards

Uneventful Day at Chemo

2008-12-03T20:49:00.001-08:00

I had a relaxing day at chemo. My dad and brother brought lunch and
ate with me. It was Steve's first time there and I think that he was
pleasantly surprised that it wasn't a horrible process. We got to talk
a bit about our upcoming trip to Isreal. Overall, it was a nice day.

Tim Rosenbloom
Work: tim_rosenbloom@chino.k12.ca.us
Personal: mr_rosenbloom@mac.com
(Sent from my phone)

Happy Thansgiving to All (Greetings from Lake Arrowhead)

2008-11-27T08:41:00.000-08:00

Doctor Visit and Chemo

2008-11-19T21:05:00.000-08:00

I visited with my oncologist today (he's not the doctor in the photo--that's Doctor Erica). He said that we're doing great. He's cleared me for a possible trip to Israel early next year.

After a visit with him, I went for a very relaxing day of chemo (relaxing because I slept all morning in an I.V. induced Benadryl stupor). After that, I've assumed the official after-chemo position the couch in front of the TV.

Best wishes to all,

Tim

Lake Fulmor

2008-11-12T16:01:00.000-08:00

Today we took my mom up to Oak Glen. It was nice there, but it's
towards the end of their apple season and things were winding down.
So, rather than go home, we headed up to Idyllwild. The attached pic
is from Lake Fulmor (minutes from Idyllwild).

I'm doing well. I have some wicked mouth sores today (side effect of
chemo) and have sore forearms (probably chemo too). Other than that
I'm doing very well.

Best wishes to all,

Tim

Great Weekend

2008-11-03T07:13:00.000-08:00

After a great Halloween weekend, I'm off to work this morning. This great pic is all our Halloween Star Wars crew. I'm working the camera in this pic.

Date with a Hair Salon

2008-10-28T07:10:00.000-07:00

Looks like it's time to get a haircut (but probably not the one in the picture). By far, my easiest and hardest cancer-related decision was to resume my Erbitux. It's the medicine that causes the face rash. While it is a targeted medicine (goes right to the cancer cells), it has the unpleasant side effect of giving me a wicked face rash. I resumed that medicine on Wednesday. Starting yesterday, I saw the first signs of the rash. Today, my electric razor drew blood from my cheek for no apparent reason (the rash tends to make me bleed from my face for very minor bumps and touches). Eesh--I have to admit, it really bums me out. But, at least it's killing cancer. The rash doesn't hurt, it's just really unpleasant. When it gets bad, it makes my face feel dry and yucky.

Good news--Steve encouraged me to go with him to a book talk at his temple last week. We met a Rabbi who wrote a book about cancer. He had rabbis (mostly) who have been touched by cancer write chapters about their experiences. It's a great book and is called "Life, Faith, and Cancer" (by Rabbi Douglas J. Kohn). I read the 1st 2 chapters last night--good stuff.

My finger neuropathy is really being a pain, so my boss was kind enough to order me voice recognition software for my computer. If you see me talking to my computer, I'm not going crazy--I'm just using an alternative to the keyboard. My typing has gotten really bad due to me being unable to feel my fingertips properly. I can't wait to try the new software out. I should have it in a couple of weeks.

Of other news--Robin is getting over her cold, I'm working today, my dog is doing well, and I'm going out to eat sushi with an old friend today.

Best wishes to all,

Tim

Tough Week

2008-10-24T06:49:00.000-07:00

Hi All,

Well, it's been a long week. I'm doing well and Cleo is doing great. She doesn't even seem to know that she had throat surgery. She does seem to like being a house dog instead of an outside dog.

It's been a tough week for Robin. Not only is she dealing with a husband with cancer and a dog who had throat surgery, but we also found out that her dad has early stage throat cancer (I think esophageal cancer). It's stage 1 or 2, and we're sure that he'll kick it's butt. She also had a tragedy hit home this week. Her friend Kirstie was at church on Sunday and had a massive stroke in her brain stem. She was 39 years old and seemingly healthy. Kirstie passed away on Wednesday shortly after her family remove her life support.

That's quite a combination of things to have to deal with. Needless to say, Robin has a lot on her plate. She's been amazing and strong, but please keep her, Kirstie, and her family in your thoughts and prayers. It's very much appreciated.

Who, Me?!?! And Dog Surgery...

2008-10-20T07:07:00.000-07:00

Cleo had her surgery on Saturday night and is doing very well. I'm fine too and have chemo this week. :)

Spot Remover

2008-10-11T11:17:00.000-07:00

Happy Saturday to all of my friends, family, and blog readers. This post has taken me a little time--I had to decide whether to post and if so, how to do it. I got my most recent CT Scan results. They were not exactly what I was hoping to see, but they did have some happy results.

They said that I have an "unremarkable...pancreas, gallbladder and adrenals...as well as the bilateral kidneys. When dealing with cancer, unremarkable is a good thing. They also said that I have "a 3-4 mm low density lesion in the dome of the liver" which hopefully is just the previous spot that was on my liver (we thought that it was gone, but perhaps it was just hiding during the last scan). They also found a "3 mm lung nodule seen in the right lower lobe" and that they question the "significance" of it. Hopefully, it's nothing.

So, here's the plan--we wait until my next CT Scan to see if there are any changes (growth, shrinkage, or disappearance) in the areas indicated above. Waiting's not fun, but a person can only have so many CT Scans without having enough radiation to glow in the dark and set off Geiger counters.

Of other news, my dog, Cleo will be having her surgery on Saturday Oct. 18. She'll be in the doggie hospital for a day and a half. Bowie (our Boston Terrier) has promised to do his best to be a good nurse while Cleo is healing. Also, I'm getting older (it beats the option of not getting older!). I'm turning 38 on Sunday and plan to celebrate with some family. Cheers to all and please pass the spot remover...

Tim

Don't Put Your Electronics in the Washing Machine

2008-10-05T18:33:00.000-07:00

While I was doing my laundry today I discovered my personalized flash drive in the dryer. It went through a wash cycle and a nice hot drying. Much to my surprise, I plugged it into my computer and it worked perfectly. The only noticeable difference was a nice clean exterior and an air of Downy freshness.

I'm doing well and have chemo this week. I have a vet appointment for Cleo for another consultation. I see my doctor next week. My final note for the night--I set up a Facebook account. It's totally cool and is much better than I expected. Really neat stuff.

Trip to the Vet - Updated 10/1/08

2008-09-27T20:21:00.000-07:00

UPDATE--It's a fatty tumor (not cancer), but because it's on her throat, she will probably have to go to a specialist for the surgery. The surgery will probably be her Hanukkah present this year.

--------------------------------------
Robin realized this morning that Cleo (my 6 year old black lab) was coughing. Fearing that something was caught in her throat, I took her to the vet. The vet looked down her throat and it was clear. While feeling Cleo's throat, she felt a mass somewhere by her thyroid. That was enough to prompt some x-rays. The x-rays revealed a mass that is beginning to choke off her trachea and is therefore causing the coughing. They did a biopsy and the results should arrive in a few days.

The vet said that it could be one of 2 things--a fatty mass (a growth of sorts) or doggie cancer. Fortunately, the x-rays didn't show that it has spread anywhere. We won't know anything until the tests come back.

I have to say that it was particularly tough for me to hear. It's bad enough that I have cancer--but to hear that my dog may have it too was really hard to hear. I was an emotional mess after the vet visit. This dog has been my buddy and companion. She was an absolute terror when she was young and my father in law warned me that a lab doesn't get "good" until they're 2 or 3 years old. He was so right. Fortunately she and I both survived her early doggie childhood. Now she's older and mellowed out a lot. She's a great dog and has really developed a great personality with age.

I'll post to the blog after I hear from her vet. Also, I'm doing great and have a CT scan schedule for Monday. It's a routine cancer-patient thing. We'll be looking for no new cancer. It's a no-news-is-good-news kind of thing.

Luxury of Getting a Haircut

2008-09-26T15:15:00.000-07:00

After several months of having a wicked face (and head and shoulders and chest and arm and leg) rash, I was finally able to get a haircut! Woohoo! It is so nice to be able to do that. However, the chemo has thinned my hair bigtime, so it was time to get it cut really short. Here's me with my new cool short haircut.

Business as Usual

2008-09-22T07:13:00.000-07:00

It's Monday and I'm working today. I'm looking forward to a nice day at the office. We spent the weekend in Idyllwild with Steve and Nancy. We really enjoyed watching the squirrels and blue jays play.

I'm back to chemo this week and meet with the doctor prior to that. I suspect that he'll put me back on a weekly chemo schedule. We'll see what he says and go from there. While the break has been nice (every other week for the last month or so), going back to killing cancer weekly is a good thing too. :)

Best wishes to all,

Tim

Mr. Magoo

2008-09-15T21:56:00.001-07:00

What can I say, I've had a craving for some vintage Mr. Magoo cartoons lately. Maybe it's from all of those movie nights at Susan and Frank's house when I was a kid.

In my search for Mr. Magoo, I found a great video where Mr. Magoo gets checked out for cancer. It's fantastic. Click here to see it. It's from 1960, but is still very relevant (and worth having a peek at).

As for me, I'm doing very well. With the lighter chemo schedule, I have more energy and feel more like myself. I'll go back for chemo next week and will meet with the doctor then. I expect that he'll restore my weekly chemo schedule, but still without the drug that causes the neuropathy and susceptibility to cold. I'll keep you posted.

One more thing. I just learned about a little boy with cancer. We've been asked to keep him in our thoughts and prayers. With all of the people who have done the same for me, how could I say no to that. Here's a link to his website: http://www.caringbridge.org/visit/coleruotsala

Best wishes to all,

Tim

Man in the Mirror

2008-09-09T07:04:00.000-07:00

It's so nice to be off of the Erbitux. My face rash is going away quickly. I've actually been able to shave and I'm just about ready to get a haircut. Both of which haven't been possible with the face rash that I've had.

I'm back for chemo this week on Wednesday. I had a great week off of chemo last week. Work is great and is keeping me very busy, and my family is doing fantastic.

I'll put another update up next Monday or so. Best wishes to all.

Tim

Tour of the Kaiser ER

2008-09-01T18:53:00.000-07:00

Erica picked up a small cough (probably due to congestion) on Thursday. By Friday, I had a mild fever. Unfortunately, it lasted until Sunday. I suspect that it was either the same illness that Erica had or it was due to the inflammation/rash on my face (due to the Erbitux that I no longer take). My chemotherapy guidelines say that if you have a low grade fever for 2 days, you have to call in and probably go to the ER to be seen. So, we called the Kaiser nurses and they cordially invited me to come tour the ER.

The nurses and doctor were fantastic. I've come to expect nothing less when I visit Kaiser. During my 6 1/2 hour visit, they took a chest x-ray, tested my blood, and looked for everything. I came out just fine. Just to be safe they gave me 2 antibiotics via IV (one of them was one of those super-duper antibiotics) and one antibiotic prescription to take home. I figure with that many antibiotics, I should probably go eat some sushi or something that could possibly have bacteria. With all of those antibiotics, bacteria doesn't stand a chance in my system now. Maybe this is the time to eat at a restaurant that has less than an A rating! Just kidding--no unsafe food for me.

I'm feeling very well and am doing great. My fever is gone and it's back to life as usual, except that I'll give myself some extra time to rest.

Best wishes to all,

Tim

Chemo Changes

2008-08-27T18:48:00.000-07:00

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

20 Year Reunion

2008-08-25T07:09:00.000-07:00

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

Loving the Olympics and Doing Well

2008-08-18T19:11:00.000-07:00

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--

Tired Week

2008-08-08T13:34:00.000-07:00

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

A Little Less Chemo

2008-07-30T09:20:00.001-07:00

Hi All,

After my oncologist visit today, the doctor saw my Erbitux rash (face,
scalp, shoulders, arms, and legs). Because the rash is really going
strong, he's decided to give me a little break from Chemo. Instead of
going every week, I'll go every other week for the next month. It will
be a very nice break for me. :)

Tim Rosenbloom
Work: tim_rosenbloom@chino.k12.ca.us
Personal: mr_rosenbloom@mac.com
(Sent from my phone)

A Few Favorite Randy Pausch Quotes

2008-07-27T09:09:00.000-07:00

Nearly every Sunday morning, I wake up before Erica and Robin. I drink coffee, usually cut some coupons, often make breakfast for the ladies, and watch CBS News Sunday Morning. Today, they had a feature on Randy Pausch. He really seemed to have a way of putting things in perspective and of shining a new light on everyday events. I thought I'd share a few favorite quotes:

It is not about achieving your dreams but living your life. If you lead your life the right way, the karma will take care of itself, the dreams will come to you.
Never underestimate the importance of having fun. I’m dying and I’m having fun. And I’m going to keep having fun every day, because there’s no other way to play it….Having fun for me is like a fish talking about the importance of water. I don’t know how it is like not to have fun…
Never lose the child-like wonder. It’s just too important. It’s what drives us. Help others.
I’ve never understood pity and self-pity as an emotion. We have a finite amount of time. Whether short or long, it doesn’t matter. Life is to be lived.

Happy Sunday. Best wishes for keeping your karma clean, having fun, living life, and walking around with some child-like wonder.

-Tim-

Lunch, Meeting with a Surgeon, and Dinner - UPDATED 7/25/08

2008-07-24T16:50:00.000-07:00

We had a great trip to LA today. We had a nice lunch at NBC (the dim sum restaurant, not the studio). After that, we met with a veteran surgical oncologist. He was very helpful. He said that the current plan of chemotherapy is the right plan. He said that I should do it for at least 6 months, but a year would be best. He re-iterated that we assume that the chemotherapy is working until we see proof otherwise. He said that a surgery now would be unwise because it would just result in more chemo (more if they find cancer and more if they don't so that we can kill what they don't see). So, the plan is more chemotherapy and to keep killing cancer. I'm really happy to finally be able to put an end date on the chemo. As much fun as it is, getting to the end of it would be nice too. I probably won't miss the face rash and other amusing side effects. Now I can say that we're planning to do chemo for a year and we'll go from there.

After that we stopped by Phillipe to grab a French dip to bring home for a celebratory dinner. If you haven't been there, you definitely should. It's nearly across the street from Union Station in downtown LA. Supposedly, it's the birth place of the French dip. The restaurant turns 100 years old in October and they still have 9-cent coffee. My grandparents literally used to go on dates there. Also, Huell Howser visited there and did a TV thing about them.

Bad news--I read this morning (7/25) that Randy Pausch passed away. He was the guy who was on Oprah and who wrote "The Final Lecture". He truly was an inspiration. Thanks to the internet, you can see his Final Lecture here.

Also, just a reminder to everyone--be sure to back up your computers often. It would be horrible to lose pictures and music that you store on them. They all break--both PC and Mac. I say that because my work laptop died yesterday. Thanks to being completely anal about backups, I lost only 3 things that I purchased from iTunes the day before. All of my work files, family photos, work photos, music, videos, etc. were just fine. If anyone needs information about backups and backup drives, I'd be happy to answer questions or make recommendations. External backup drives cost around $100 (give or take) and can really keep you from losing important things.

Sunday Morning

2008-07-20T10:07:00.000-07:00

Good morning everyone,

I've had a very good week. My work project (big and ongoing) really started to come together this week. On Tuesday, I worked until 11 pm and emailed gradebooks to 36 teachers. It's just the beginning of the project. That was most of one school and I have 30+ more schools to go. This project will really get big around the first week of September when all of our schools start for the year.

I've been very tired this week and spent most of Thursday, Friday, and Saturday relaxing on the couch. Other than being tired, I still feel great. I also took a little time out on Wednesday to visit a few tattoo parlors with my cousin Jef. Did you know that Corey Miller from LA Ink (TV show) has a tattoo parlor in Upland? Coincidentally, they're across the street from what used to be the bar and grill that Bill Kinison had. Bill is Sam Kinison's brother and was the person who performed my wedding ceremony.

I didn't end up picking that particular tattoo parlor, but did find a nice one very close by my house. They met all of my requirements for safety and cleanliness, and were very nice. My only complaint is that it was very warm in their shop. I ended up getting a Superman Logo tattoo (very similar to the photo that I put on this page) on my arm as a physical reminder that I can handle all of this chemo stuff (man of steel reference). I got a little light-headed due to the heat, still air, and chemo-therapy combination. After a break or two and a cooling fan brought in, I was able to get the tattoo finished.

Next week should be business as usual. I work on Monday and Tuesday. I have a short chemo on Wednesday. On Thursday, I meet with a surgeon to determine if and when it might be necessary to have a peek inside of my body to see how my cancer fight is going. I'll post details sometime shortly afterward.

Have a wonderful rest of the weekend,

Tim

Good Morning

2008-07-16T07:42:00.000-07:00

Hi Everyone,

Today is Wednesday July 16, 2008. I'm doing very well and have chemo scheduled today. This is my full day treatment where I get to bring the portable IV pump home. Also, I'm hoping to talk with my doctor about my recent CAT scan results. I'll post more information to the blog tomorrow or later today.

Best wishes to all,

Tim

News from the Surgeon

2008-07-09T22:37:00.000-07:00

I received a call from my surgeon today. He is the one who first read my original CAT scan and said that he thought that he saw a small cancer spot on my liver. He looked at my latest CAT scan and said that the spot on my liver is gone. I interpret this to mean that the chemo is working. It truly is great news.

This does not rule out the possibility of another surgery. I need to discuss it with my oncologist and see what he thinks. The surgeon did tell me that if he does do a future surgery that it will not be laparoscopic--it would be a full blown surgery. This is because he would like to remove any cancer that he sees. It's his opinion that taking aggressive surgical action would give me more time. He also cautioned me that with such a surgery, I just may wake up with a colostomy.

We'll consult with my oncologist and ask for a second opinion and will then weight our options. I suspect that my oncologist will infer that the chemo is working and that we should continue doing it until I'm not able to take more of it. I also think that we'll probably end up waiting on a surgery. Regardless, I'm thrilled with the good news and will sleep well tonight.

One more thing--I asked the chemo nurses about dying my hair today. It's starting to really thin on top and Robin would like for me to cut it short and style it or something. The nurses said no dye. Also, I asked them about getting a superman tattoo (I feel pretty super when I feel good). They also nixed the idea of a tattoo. Perhaps that part is open for negotiation. I'll have to talk with the doctor about that one. Is anyone up for a trip to the tattoo parlor?

New Car and Today's Update

2008-07-09T15:05:00.000-07:00

Thanks to lots of help and suggestions from my family, I found a great car. Steve suggested that I look at the Chevrolet HHR and I finally did on Monday. It turns out that it was the last day of their 0% financing offer. Mark Christopher Chevrolet's Internet and Fleet departments were great to work with--no games or BS. It really was a sharp contrast to the treatment that I had at Shaver Jeep. They were total shysters. I love my new red HHR. It reminds me of my PT Cruiser that I had a couple of years ago.

As for my treatment, I haven't heard any results from my CAT scan last week. I'm sure that they're coming soon.

I worked Monday & Tuesday, and woke up early to mow my lawns this morning (before the heat of the day). After that I hit the couch until chemo. I'm currently in the chemo chair waiting for my benadryl to kick in. It always gives me a good nap. I still feel great except that I get tired easily.

No Offense to Car Dealers...

2008-07-06T21:09:00.000-07:00

For anyone who hasn't gone with my brother Steve to buy a car, I highly recommend it. He's a much better salesman than I ever was. He seems to understand the car dealer games and really enjoys playing them right back. Quite honestly, those things are not my strong point. I can teach a child to read, but I certainly can't haggle like Steve can. One of the highlights of my weekend was going car haggling with Steve. I learned some valuable car buying information that I'm going to share with all of you. You never know when you'll need it.

When a car is on one of those ads for a ridiculous price, it's important to first make sure that it's there. Then can go in, test drive it, and start the haggling process. However, the car dealer will inevitably try to add a markup for something. In my case this weekend, it was a markup of $3,000 for an auto alarm, Auto Armor (or something similar), and lifetime oil changes. Since my brother installs alarms and I used to detail cars at Crown Toyota (years ago), neither the alarm nor the Auto Armor were worth a penny to me. As for the lifetime oil changes, the car dealer was in San Bernardino (and was a Jeep dealer). There's no way that I'm going to San Bernardino for an oil change--even for free. So, the $3,000 markup was pretty much worth nothing to me. While the salesman and finance guys were nice, I'd prefer to keep that money.
But, guess what? If you want to finance a car through a Jeep dealership in San Bernardino, they won't sell it to you without that markup. Doesn't that seem shady? It does to me. However, we found a loop-hole that was shared by an inside source.
The loop hole is that if you get them started haggling and then tell them that you want to pay cash for the advertised price, they have to sell you the advertised car at the advertised price (no markup). Otherwise it would be false advertising. The trick here seems to be to get them interested in you AND make sure that they actually have the car in stock. Then switch to cash (come pre-financed and with a check) and buy the car.
I should point out that besides wasting a tremendous amount of my time, they did give my wife and daughter soda and a free hot dog.

Good luck. If you already knew about this, then you are a step ahead of me. If you are a car dealer or car salesperson, I wish you happiness and prosperity--just not at my expense.

Good News (Genetics)

2008-07-03T09:32:00.000-07:00

We just met with Dr. Ahmed in Genetics. Based on current science and
medicine, there is no gene that I have (related to cancer) that will
be passed to Erica. She will still have to get a colonoscopy at 27
years old. The meeting was very good and I have been dismissed from
any further genetic testing.

Tim Rosenbloom
Work: tim_rosenbloom@chino.k12.ca.us
Personal: mr_rosenbloom@mac.com
(Sent from my phone)

Back from a Week Off

2008-06-29T16:52:00.000-07:00

In case you haven't noticed, I've had a week off from nearly everything (except chemo of course!). The reason that I haven't posted any blogs is because I thought that the Inspiration posting and the Who Are You postings needed a little time. They were just so cool that I wanted to keep them at the top of the list for a while.

Also, we spent the week at Silver Strand State Beach. We did some motor home camping with Robin's parents. It was great. One one side of the campground is the beach and the other side is the harbor. The beach provides the usual beach entertainment (boogie boarding, sand, surf, etc.) and the harbor side is very calm water (great for Erica to swim in). Erica learned to boogie board and has become quite the shell collector. She also has a knack for "rescuing" live sand dollars ("Daddy, I'm rescuing them!"). We just arrived back in beautiful Riverside about 3 hours ago.

As for this week, I have quite a schedule. Monday is a work day for me. I'm happy about that. I really enjoy my job. I also have Angels tickets for Monday's evening game courtesy of Sam and Mona. Thank you Sam and Mona (and Cindy too)! I can't wait to go. They're great seats. On Tuesday I have a full day of chemo (8ish to 2ish). Wednesday I'll be tired. Thursday is a Genetics appointment and a CAT scan in the morning, followed by a visit back to Kaiser to remove my portable chemo pump. The Genetics appointment is a follow up from a previous appointment. We're hoping to hear that it's not possible for Erica to inherit cancer problems from me (to the extent of modern medical knowledge). The CAT scan is to hopefully "see" my cancer so that we can tell whether or not chemo is working. If we can't see anything, then I will schedule a laparoscopic surgery to let my surgeon peek inside and see how it's going. I'd prefer the scan. Friday is the 4th and I'll be tired from the week.

Have a good week,

Tim

Inspiration Strikes Where I Least Expected It

2008-06-21T18:43:00.000-07:00

To everyone who commented on the last blog post--thank you. It was great to see some of you getting your names posted. I know that you get a lot out of reading the blog and I have to tell you that I get a lot out of your comments and emails.

This has been one heck of a week for inspirational stories. I have 3 inspirational stories to share. The first one came when I was tired from Chemo. I sat down on the couch and was channel surfing. Nothing was on, so I had to settle on Oprah (nothing bad meant about Oprah). Well, she had a show about people with cancer. Unfortunately, I missed her first guest so I went to her website. She had Kris Carr on the show. Kris Carr is an actress/model who was diagnosed with liver cancer. She had something like 24 tumors on her liver. She made a documentary of her cancer struggle, starting with day 1. The movie was aired on TLC and was called "Crazy Sexy Cancer". It's very positive and uplifting. She also wrote a book called "Crazy Sexy Cancer Tips". I've rented the DVD and bought the book. She has even gone on to create a really cool website community. She seem to be winning her cancer through diet and lifestyle. It's a direction that I've said all along that I'll switch to. I'm not quite ready yet, but major diet changes are certainly in my future. Also, Oprah also had Professor Randy Pausch who was talking about his "Final Lecture". Wow--more inspiration, but I won't talk about that one here or now.

Story 2 comes straight from Craig's List. Who would know that I would find inspiration there?!?! I was looking for a bicycle for myself and wanted a nice, used mountain bike. I used to ride a lot in college (you would too if you had a Yugo!) and was ready to get back on 2 wheels. Also, Robin and Erica have new bikes and I wanted to be able to cycle with them. I found a bike on Craig's List and arranged to meet "David" to see his bike. While we were haggling about his bike, I mentioned chemotherapy. He asked about what type of cancer I had. It turns out that his mother has been battling colon cancer for 5 years. She spent 1 year at stage 3 and 4 years at stage 4. Erica and I were invited into their house and got to meet his inspirational mother. I can't even begin to tell you how amazing it was to meet someone who's survived 5 years when the doctors have told me things about the "textbook average" of 2 years. As if that weren't enough, David told me that the bike came with lifetime tune-ups. It was in need of one, so I took it into Sports Chalet. Unfortunately, Sports Chalet told me that they didn't do lifetime tune-ups. I called David and asked him about it. I had no doubts about his honesty--I just wanted to see if I had missed something. He surprised us by catching up to us while we were shopping. He gave me a $20 refund on the bike (presumably for the tune-up that I had to pay for). Much to my surprise, when I went to pick the bike up from the shop a few days later, it turns out that he payed for the tune-up too! I truly got more than the bike from David and his family. Not only were they inspirational, but showed me kindness that most people don't show to strangers.

My final note of inspiration this week came at Erica's school. I stopped in for a few minutes as I often do. I was given an envelope and opened it. It turns out that it was a gift card from the promoting 6th grade class. The card said that they had recycled cans and bottles and used the money for our gift card. I am always impressed at the kind things that kids will do if given the chance. Also, there were several years that I had my 4th grade and 6th grade classes recycle and we donated the money to charities (mostly tsunami aid and hurricane aid). If I'm not mistaken, some of these graduating 6th graders were my 4th graders in one of the classes were we donated to charity. It makes me feel impressed by their kindness and proud that I may have influenced them positively.

That's it for now. Oh, I'm doing well too. My heart has been warmed by this inspirational week. My body is tired from the chemo, but I still feel very good. Also, I nearly forgot to mention that Erica came to chemo with me last week (for the first time) and was impressed by the great nurses (who brought her warm blankets, graham crackers, and juice).

Update Coming Soon

2008-06-18T09:01:00.001-07:00

I have a truly inspirational story that will be blogged soon. I'm just
waiting for more comments on the last entry. I'm doing GREAT.

Tim Rosenbloom
Work: tim_rosenbloom@chino.k12.ca.us
Personal: mr_rosenbloom@mac.com
(Sent from my phone)

Who Are You?

2008-06-14T12:03:00.000-07:00

I know that there are a lot of you who read my blog but don't post comments. Can I talk you into just posting your name once (first name and last initial for those of you who want to remain mostly anonymous or are under 18)? I'd like to see just how many people we have on here and I'm curious as to who you are. I've made it very easy to post a comment--you don't even need an account now. Just click on the "0 Comments" button and leave you comment. Don't forget to include your name as part of the comment. For example, "Hi from Tim R." would be a perfect comment. Even better would be to include what part of the world you're in (for example, "Hi. This is Tim R. from California."). You get the idea. After you type your comment, you can check the box that says "Anonymous", which only means that you don't have an account. I'll approve your posting and you'll see it appear within a day or so.

Thank you,

Tim

Hunting Photos

2008-06-14T08:29:00.000-07:00

Our hunt was for feral pigs and some exotic animals (Rambouillet and Barbado). The pictures are for those who like hunting photos. They're not particularly graphic, but if you don't like hunting photos, don't click on the link below. For what it's worth, I consider hunting the same as eating free range animals. I don't buy into complaints about hunting from meat, fish, and chicken eaters. Make no mistake about it, any meat that we eat had to be killed at some time. With that said, on to the Hunting Photos.

The Worst Sunburn!

2008-06-13T07:10:00.000-07:00

At Robin's beach party last weekend, I got out of the car and put sunblock on Erica. Then I put sunblock on myself. Well, I missed my sandaled feet. I can honestly say that I have the worst sunburn that I've had since I had sun poisoning as a kid. It's a funny sandal pattern and hurts! I won't make that mistake again. The chemo made me extra sensitive to the sun and it combined with a beautiful sunny day and very white skin. Ouch!

I went out hunting yesterday, but it was not a really hard hunt. I did realize the effect that chemo has had on me. I went scrambling up a hill chasing after an animal, only to find exhaustion once my adrenalin stopped at the top of the hill. I literally had to sit down for about 20 minutes to wait for my head to stop spinning. After that, I took it much easier. It was an eye opener for me, because the only problems that I've had so far are just fatigue. This was my first time with dizziness and feeling that I just may pass out from doing too much.

Between this and the sunburn, it seems to be a good lesson about listening to my body and being a little more respectful of the chemo. However, I'll keep living life as normally as possible, just being mindful of my situation.

Dad's Posting

2008-06-11T21:24:00.000-07:00

Tonight it is my turn to make the posting in the blog while Tim is resting after a busy day including a visit to the range to sight in his gun, his normal parenting responsibilities with Erica and his day of Chemo.
Tim should be fast asleep right as I enter this posting to his blog as he will be up in the wee hours of the morning to fill his roll as the hunter in the family. He will be bringing home the bacon as well as other parts of the wild boar that he hopes to bag.
We will plan to serve wild sausage and wild pork chops and ribs at the Fathers day BBQ. Thanks to my loving son the hunter.

We are very proud of Tim and the way he is setting such a great example for all of us to follow as he stays committed to beating the cancer and still keeping the rest of his life in the proper prospective

From Tim’s Dad

Happy Feet

2008-06-09T06:39:00.000-07:00

I had a great weekend. We went to the beach to celebrate Robin's birthday. I did make one big mistake though. Somehow, I forgot to put sunblock on the tops of my feet. Because of that, I have very unhappy feet. They're sunburnt and sore! If you see me at work with sandals on, now you know the reason!

Other than that, I feel great. I'm still getting tired easily, but am feeling well.

Steve's Colonoscopy

2008-06-04T13:31:00.001-07:00

Good news! Steve's colonoscopy came out clear--no cancer or problems.

Tim Rosenbloom
Work: tim_rosenbloom@chino.k12.ca.us
Personal: mr_rosenbloom@mac.com
(Sent from my phone)

Steve

2008-06-04T09:22:00.001-07:00

I just spoke with Steve. I was wrong --they are giving him a
colonoscopy and not a sigmoidoscopy. That's a good thing because it
looks deeper inside.
Tim Rosenbloom
Work: tim_rosenbloom@chino.k12.ca.us
Personal: mr_rosenbloom@mac.com
(Sent from my phone)

Go Steve Go

2008-06-04T09:09:00.000-07:00

My brother, Steve, is having a sigmoidoscopy today. Unfortunately,
this is the procedure that they don't knock you out for. I'm not sure
why they didn't give him the full colonoscopy where he gets completely
knocked out. I just can't wait to hear that he has clean results.

About me, I just met with my doctor. We joked about the difficulty of
my particular cancer. He suggested that I should have picked an easier-
to-see variety. He's great to work with.

Because my cancer is invisible, we have to schedule a laproscopic
surgery to literally look inside. We're going to contact the surgeon
to get that scheduled. I'll have to go off of chemo for a little while
before and after the surgery.

Tim Rosenbloom
Work: tim_rosenbloom@chino.k12.ca.us
Personal: mr_rosenbloom@mac.com
(Sent from my phone)

How Am I?

2008-06-02T10:47:00.000-07:00

People keep asking me about how I'm doing and how much more chemo I have. They also ask how I know whether or not the chemo is working.

I'm doing great, but am getting more and more tired. For example, after my last big treatment, I spent Friday and Saturday on the couch.
As for the rest of the questions, I have a doctor appointment on Wednesday. I'll ask him all of those questions. What I know now is that I have chemo scheduled weekly through August 20. They seem to keep adding to the list all the time. Since my cancer seems to be invisible, it's hard to say whether it's working. Right now, we assume that it's working as long as nothing new shows up on my reports. However, early conversations with the doctor were about doing a laparoscopic surgery to actually look inside of me and to really see what's happening.

Now you know what I know.

Guess Who Went to the Vet Today...

2008-05-29T19:42:00.001-07:00

Bowie had quite a day today. He spent the day at the vet. He started off with a special bath for his mites that he's been battling. Then he went under anesthesia and had the following done:

He was neutered.
He received his rabies shot.
He was micro-chipped.

He's still pretty disoriented due to the anesthesia but he's doing well. While he was there, he was kind enough to poop on the floor, so I scooped up the evidence and had them test it for Coccidia. To his benefit, it came out negative. So, he has now beat Giardia and Coccidia. All he has left is to beat his mites and to heal from being neutered. For now, he'll sleep well tonight and will have some pain meds tomorrow if he needs them.

Tuesday - Work Day

2008-05-27T09:29:00.001-07:00

I'm feeling well and back to work today.

Feeling Better

2008-05-25T09:03:00.000-07:00

I woke up with thoughts of work projects racing through my brain. I literally felt compelled to get up and start emailing a few things. It was such a nice change from the last 2 days of waking up feeling exhausted. It looks to be a nice day.

We went out last night and had dinner at California Pizza Kitchen and then saw the new Indiana Jones movie. Both were very enjoyable and both came courtesy of the wonderful staff at Wickman. Thank you. We really needed the outing and it was great to just grab gift cards to do it. Happy Memorial Day everyone. Don't forget to put those flags out...

Another Sleepy Friday

2008-05-24T08:51:00.000-07:00

Friday was another sleepy day for me. I think that the Fridays where I have the fanny pack just tire me out. It's Saturday now and I'm feeling great--although still very tired. I think that the tiredness is similar to the day after doing a marathon (except without the black and blue toes!).

Thursday's Plans

2008-05-22T09:04:00.000-07:00

Hi Everyone,

My plans for today are to go meet with a STRS retirement counsellor to inquire about the disability things that the offer. It sounds like if I'm disabled (or partially) for a year, I might quality for some disability benefits from them. Then afterwards, I'll be going to Open Enrollment. It's especially important for me this year because I'm going to change a couple of things and maintain my Kaiser. I want to make sure that all of the necessary T's are crossed and I's dotted. I'll be wearing my chemotherapy fanny pack and my iChemo t-shirt, doing chemo in style the whole time (by the way, in case anyone is confused, the picture isn't me--it's actually just the body double that I used for my professional wrestling career a few years ago).

I'm doing great today. I had chemo yesterday and then had a great dinner at my dad and Joanne's house. It was nice to just relax over there. As an added bonus, some of Joanne's family were there (John, Tom and Marcia, and Irene). It was really good to see them.
Have a good day.

Tim

No Gnews is Good Gnews and Bowie Beats Giardia

2008-05-20T18:15:00.000-07:00

I spoke with Bowie's vet today. He has officially beat Giardia. He appears to be quite happy with the results. Also of news is that I completed a full work day today. I'm tired and am going to plant my bottom on the couch and watch some tv now, but it was really nice to have a full work day. I have chemo tomorrow. It should be business as usual:

Take Erica to school.
Arrive for chemo by 9 and start my benadryl IV by 9:30.
Asleep by 10 due to the benadryl. I'll have a nice nap.
Wake up by noon and work on my laptop.
Have lunch with my wife.
Finish by 5 and go pick up Erica.

I'm feeling good and have no changes to report. Like Gary Gnu used to say, "No Gnews Is Good Gnews."

MMMMM - Ice Cream

2008-05-19T11:05:00.000-07:00

Since I often am unable to have cold foods, I took a trip to Cold Stone yesterday. Fortunately, I'm hoping to maintain my weight or even gain a few pounds, so I got to go with a nice big scoop. Yummy!

PS--I'm feeling very good. Still tired, but still not getting sick.

Beach Camping Photos

2008-05-16T21:08:00.000-07:00

Our beach camping photos can be seen at http://web.mac.com/mr_rosenbloom/Tims_Site/Beach_Camping.html

Be sure to see the 3 movie clips on the page.

Bowie Having A Net Nap

2008-05-16T09:30:00.001-07:00

Starting the Fire

2008-05-16T06:52:00.001-07:00

Our Campsite at 6:30 a.m.

2008-05-15T06:31:00.000-07:00

We're Here

2008-05-14T20:02:00.000-07:00

We made it to the beach. Chemo went well and we're still setting up
camp. The spot is beautiful.

Tired and Going Camping

2008-05-14T06:53:00.000-07:00

Since I'm feeling good (just a general tired feeling), we're going beach camping at Doheny today. Robin will leave after Erica gets out of school and I'll leave after chemo. This photo is a shot of our actual campsite. We can't wait to get away. This one was planned way back in January. We'll have our guard dog Bowie with us to protect us from aggressive seagulls and pelicans.

Rip Van Winkle

2008-05-10T07:55:00.000-07:00

I must have had a very successful treatment this week. I say that because I was exhausted all day Friday. I literally spent all of yesterday resting on my couch. During my last doctor visit, he said that it's normal to be tired and said something about blood cells being sucked out of bone marrow (or something like that). I also read something early on that said that it's quite normal to be tired and just to recognize it as part of the process of the treatment. So, hopefully I'll have more energy today. If not, then I'll just relax and enjoy knowing that I'm tired because my body is busy killing cancer.

Ribbon Colors for Cancer

2008-05-08T10:48:00.000-07:00

I was looking at some cancer shirts and found that a lot of them have ribbons on them. I did a little looking and found the following:

Blue Ribbon is for Colon Cancer (this would be my color).
Black Ribbon is for Melanoma (my dad's color).
Pink Ribbon is for Breast Cancer (Irene beat this one!).

For a more detailed set of descriptions you can click here.

Invisible Cancer

2008-05-07T09:56:00.001-07:00

The results of my PET scan are in. Just like the CAT scan, it shows no
cancer. There is also a blood test for cancer that I get weekly. Like
the other two tests, it shows no cancer. Unfortunately, this does not
mean that I don't have cancer. It just means that my cancer is very
hard to detect.

The results of the PET scan reinforce our previous plan of continuing
treatment and then having a small laproscopic surgery to literally
"look" for cancer. Until then we will assume that the treatment is
working well and that all of the thoughts and prayers are working
wonders.

Tim Rosenbloom
Work: tim_rosenbloom@chino.k12.ca.us
Personal: mr_rosenbloom@mac.com
(Sent from my phone)

How About Me?

2008-05-06T21:47:00.000-07:00

I want to let everyone know that I'm doing great. Chemo is treating me well so far. Basically, I get a little more tired that usual. I have another big chemo treatment tomorrow. After the big treatments, I find that my fingers get a little tingly and I'm very sensitive to cold. Starting tomorrow I'll be avoiding cold things for about a week. In preparation for a week without cold things, I've been on a daily dietary regimen of eating ice cream and enjoying ice-cold beverages.

Sick as a Dog

2008-05-06T10:01:00.000-07:00

Erica and I took Bowie to the vet yesterday. It turns out that he still has Giardia. He also has Coccidia and some sort of mite (not contagious to humans). Each ailment is relatively minor and none is life threatening. He's begun treatment for each one. He has a great personality and we like him so much that we've made the decision not to return him to the seller. So, like any other member of the family, he'll take his medicine and go to the doctor as needed. :)

Bowie Arrives

2008-05-04T13:37:00.000-07:00

"Bowie" arrived today. Erica and I picked him up in San Diego this morning. He seems to be quite happy (I'm not sure why he wasn't smiling in the picture!). We took him to Petco and bought him lots of goodies. He appears to be very new to a leash and collar, so training started the moment I put the collar on him. He's adorable and has a wonderful personality.

UPDATE--He also seems to like to poop on the carpet. Hmmmm--we'll have to work on that!

GREAT Results Are In For 1st Genetic Tests

2008-05-01T14:09:00.001-07:00

We just met with Dr. Ahmed (Genetics). He's awesome. He told us that
my HNPCC screening was negative, indicating that I don't have one form
of genetically sharable cancer. The other test they'll do now is an
FAP screening. It's the other form that can be passed genetically. A
negative result on that will indicate that there is no known genetic
link (to the extent of modern genetic scientific knowledge).

UPDATE--I almost forgot to explain the photo. It seems that the Genetics department moves around a bit. Last time we met with Dr. Ahmed, he was in the OB department. This time they had him stationed in Pediatrics. So, I got to watch part of a cartoon and then go into a hospital room that had a bed painted like a sleeping lion. :)

Business as Usual

2008-04-29T08:35:00.001-07:00

So far this week seems pretty routine. I'll work 1/2 day Monday and 1/2 day Tuesday. I'm thrilled to be back to work. I love seeing my coworkers and really enjoy my job. Beyond my light work schedule, I have the usual this week (blood draw on Tuesday and chemo on Wednesday). We're looking forward to Sunday when we pick up our new dog. We appreciate all of the name suggestions. I think that Robin is leaning toward Bowie because she's a big David Bowie fan and she's been dying to name something after him.

Radioactive Man

2008-04-24T17:40:00.001-07:00

After my PET scan today, I'm radioactive. I'm supposed to try to stay 3 feet away from people that I'll have a lot of contact with for 24 hours. Other than a setting off geiger counters, I feel quite normal.

PET Scan

2008-04-24T06:57:00.000-07:00

My chemo went very well yesterday. I had no problems. I did notice an increase in the neuropathy (my fingers are tingling as I type). It started when I touched a cool door knob on the way out of the doctor's office. This is expected and is a normal side effect of the medicine. If you see me with gloves on, it's because I'm avoiding touching cold things.

I have a PET scan scheduled for this afternoon. I'm excited about it. So far, my cancer has been undetectable except through very invasive means. The only way they've seen it is through biopsies, a colonoscopy, and actually seeing my insides during my tumor removal surgery. It doesn't appear in a CT scan or in the typical cancer detecting blood work. The doctors do keep watching the CT scans and blood work to make sure that they don't start showing cancer (which would indicate cancer growth). My hope for the PET scan is that it does show existing cancer but no new cancer. If it shows up, it would be a good way to measure the success of treatment, which is very important for my chemo.

Chemo Day

2008-04-23T07:31:00.000-07:00

Today is a chemo day. I'm looking forward to an uneventful and relaxing day in the Oncology Department. I'll be there from 9 am until somewhere around 5 pm. Also, the graphic next to this posting is from a shirt that I ordered. I put in for some really cool cancer shirts (and even a hat). I can't wait until they get here. If you'd like to see some of the cool cancer-wear, you can see the website that I went to here.

Also, please keep the names coming for our new puppy. We should have him a week from Sunday.

All Work and No Play / Name the Puppy

2008-04-22T09:08:00.001-07:00

Monday was a very important day for me. My doctor put me on disability for the rest of the calendar year, but stipulated that I can work 1 - 2 days per week if I'm feeling well. I was able to work about a 1/2 day Monday before getting tired and needing to go home. I'm back at work again today for another 1/2 day. My plan is to work most Mondays and Tuesdays (hopefully full days). The rest of the days will be sick and disability days.

Also, after a nice long after-work nap, we drove down to San Diego to visit a puppy who needed adopting. We'll be bringing him home about a week and half from now. He currently has giardia and we're waiting for his anti-biotics to work their magic. He has a wonderful personality and we're looking forward to seeing him play with Cleo. If anyone can think of a great name for this little guy, we would appreciate your ideas. He's a pure bred Boston Terrier.

First Night of Passover

2008-04-19T09:14:00.000-07:00

For the last few days, I've been struggling with an acne-like rash (looks like TONS of pimples on my neck, back, face, ears, scalp, and chest). I have to admit, it's pretty frustrating. The doctor and nurses assure me that it means that my Erbitux is working. They tell me that it's a good sign. I found a link that explains why. Click here to see it.

Regardless of whether it's a good sign or not, I find it strangely significant that I wake up on the morning of the first night of Passover covered in what easily could be called boils. I guess it's a good reminder for me to remember Passover this year.

Feeling Bionic

2008-04-18T06:44:00.000-07:00

This whole thing about having a port-a-cath installed makes me feel rather bionic. I'm waiting for the bionic parts to kick in and make my left arm and shoulder really, really strong. If anyone sees me lift a car with my left arm, you know that it's started working.

All kidding aside, I still feel very good. My upper left chest (a little under my shoulder) is really bruised up and pretty sore still. It is kind of funny to know that there's an extra part in there. I guess it makes up for having less of my sigmoid colon (one part lost plus one part gained equals the same number of parts).

I woke up this morning curiously wondering what stage 4 colon cancer costs for the first 2 months. I know that it can't be cheap. Due to health insurance, disability insurance, a great job with lots of sick days, and a supply of gift cards that have come in the mail, I've gotten off pretty cheap and have had no major change in our lifestyle. However, I was thinking of some of the things that I would have had to pay for or have had to pay for and thought that I would compile a list. I'd love to find prices for some of these things:

Nearly 2 months off of work. Thank goodness for my disability insurance and my sick days. Also, teachers--look for my catastrophic leave papers soon. I just need to have my doctor sign the forms and then turn them in to the district for approval. Also, I'm hoping to be back to work part time, but any donated sick days will come in very handy for the days that I'm not working.
Colonoscopy and blood tests.
2 CT scans.
Hospital stay for a week, including having part of my sigmoid colon removed.
Being stubborn and wanting to change the oil in your own car after a hospital stay. Then scratching the heck out of the car by driving it into the jeep project in your garage.
Meetings with 4 different oncologists.
Meeting with a geneticist.
Cryo-storage just in case we want to have another baby. I figure we did pretty good with the first one! I wonder what a second one would be like.
PICC line installation, including an x-ray to be sure of it's correct placement.
PICC line removal.
Port-A-Cath installation surgery and necessary doctor meetings (2 before the surgery and 1 after).
Chemotherapy. I believe that my first course is 12 two-week treatments. This can't be cheap.

If anyone has hospital prices on these things I'd love to see--just for curiosity. I wonder if I'm up to $50,000? More? Wow--I'll say it again--thank goodness for health insurance and disability insurance (and gift cards too!).

What's Up This Week...

2008-04-14T20:36:00.000-07:00

Hi Everyone,

I had a great weekend and was off and running with a doctor's appointment at 9am this morning. It was a pre-op for my port-a-cath surgery. I was expecting to have an EKG and blood work, but I've had both of those recently so they weren't required. Consequently, my 3 hour appointment was less than an hour. :)

Tomorrow I have a quick visit to give blood. I'll do this every Tuesday during chemotherapy. This way my doctors and nurses can monitor key components in my blood. Fortunately, with my PICC line, they don't have to poke me to get blood out. All in all, it's pretty cool.

On Wednesday, I'll have a surgery in the morning to install the port-a-cath. It's a quick surgery but I'm hoping that they'll knock me out for it. The doctor already said that it's ok with him and that I just need to let the anesthesiologist know that I want to be knocked out. I am definitely happier not being awake for that sort of thing. Besides, I can use a good nap.

After the surgery they'll leave a needle sicking out of the port-a-cath (I'm sure it will be all taped up). The chemotherapy nurses will use the new port-a-cath to administer my chemotherapy. This week's chemo is what I call an "off week," meaning that I get only 1 drug during a very short visit. Also I had to take home a portable pump last week--this week I don't have to do that. Next week it will be back to the full routine.

For a little good news--my facial acne started. The nurses assure me that this is a good thing, indicating that one of the chemo drugs is working nicely. If you run into me, I assure you that it's chemotherapy and not a second round at puberty. LOL.

Feeling Good and a Major Accomplishment

2008-04-12T08:07:00.000-07:00

I had my portable IV pump disconnected yesterday. I'll have to wear it for 2 days every other week. It allows a medicine to trickle in over a period of 46 hours. I feel great to not have to carry about a fanny pack with an IV in it.

As for my major accomplishment, I've been working on a project for my job for the last few days. Fortunately, this project is something that I can do from home while working on my laptop. It's the result of an idea that I had about a year ago. I can't say much about it, except to say that it's something that really should be good for Chino teachers. I have the first draft of it completed and am awaiting feedback. It feels great to get back to some work things and get some of the cobwebs out of my brain. :)

Feeling Good Today and Port-A-Cath Installation Scheduled

2008-04-10T16:20:00.000-07:00

I feel great today. I don't know if it's related to the chemotherapy, but I've had some wicked hiccups today (twice). I haven't had hiccups in months, so it's been strange. But I can live with a few hiccups. I was able to get some good work done today for job things, so I feel really good about that. Also, I met with the surgeon who will install my port-a-cath. He was great and he has me scheduled for next Wednesday morning. He says that it's just fine to install it and then have chemo right after. Also, he said that they can knock me out when they put it in if I'd like. Since I get squeamish with things like that, I definitely plan to take him up on his offer. I can always use a good nap. :)

Chemo Went Well

2008-04-09T17:54:00.000-07:00

Hi Everyone,

Chemo went well today. We did have a small glitch where I got the chills while they were giving me one of the medications. This added an extra hour or so to the treatment while they took care of making me feel better. They ended up giving me Demerol to counteract the chills. They only gave me a little, but it went right to my head. I don't think that I've ever had it before, but it certainly stopped the chills (and made my head feel pleasantly goofy).

Other than that, it was just a long day. I arrived at 9:00 and stayed until 5:00. The nurses were great. I didn't get sick today, but it certainly could happen. I would likely get sick in the next few days. Also, I have to watch for neuropathy which is where my fingers may go numb. Also, one of the medications makes me very susceptible to cold (I have to wear gloves to get things out of the refrigerator and need to even drink beverages at room temperature). Cold things make the neuropathy worse. The other major side effect that I'll have to watch for is acne (shoulders up to the top of the head). While this one is unpleasant, they say that it's a good sign that the medicine is working.

I met a very nice guy named John. He's 71 and also has Stage 4 Colon Cancer. I think that he had been doing treatment for a year or more and he was going great. He said that he only got sick from the treatment once and they attributed that to Arby's Spicy Fries.

I'm going to get some rest--it's been a long (but not bad) day.

--Tim--