Trip to the Vet - Updated 10/1/08

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.

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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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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...

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)

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

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