Happy Thansgiving to All (Greetings from Lake Arrowhead)

Doctor Visit and Chemo

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

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

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

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

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...

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

Spot Remover

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

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

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

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)