Getting down to business

So, I don't have any pictures to post today,which is too bad because I feel as though pictures are the best parts of blogs . But I know lots of people are wondering how things are going and with that in mind, this post is an update on my treatment status more than anything.

On friday, I had a CT scan, an EKG, and consultation regarding managing the side effects associated with chemo. The EKG was just to make sure that my heart is healthy. The CT scan taken, is the baseline imagery showing the current stage of cancer in my body following a month of no treatment, post-surgery, and will be compared to another scan in a couple months following chemo. It showed that I now have 4 lesions on my liver, and a couple additional lymph nodes with signs of cancer. Although , I wasn't thrilled to hear this progression in just a month's time, the doctor, Tony Back, said that this was pretty normal and to be expected. He also noted that there continues to be no signs of cancer elsewhere in my chest and abdomen.

So we are moving forward with the insertion of my portacatheter on wednesday next week, followed by my first session of chemo on thursday. Fortunately, the weekly schedule that was set for me will allow me to travel to Hawaii in september for our friends' wedding without missing a treatment.

Other than all the logistics, I am feeling good. I'm adding some weight back on and am only a little scared of the upcoming chemo. Probably the worse thing to happen recently was that I had to drink this barium solution for my CT scan and it was disgusting. I only managed to get the taste out of my mouth hours later when Sally and I got some hot wings at the Hooters across the street from the treatment center.

One of the recent good things that happened over the past two days occured on Friday morning before I went to the SCCA. I took Pirate to the dog park in the morning and on the way back, we stopped by the lake cause he loves to swim. Normally he likes to swim out and retrieve a stick, but this time he wandered out to the end of one of the docks. So, naturally I encouraged him to jump in off the edge of the dock and he was totally game. But he didn't jump rather, he hunkered down on the edge and pawed at the water with his front paws, expecting to feel the bottom. Well, he leaned over far enough and fell in, completely submerged and came up freaking out. I tried to direct him to swim for shore, but he was scared and focused on climbing back on the dock, which he had no chance of. So I grabbed him by the neck and yanked him on the dock. I thought it was hysterical, but someone watching may have thought about calling animal cruelty.

That is all for now.

- Nick