After 3 Thursdays of Chemo, yesterday was a short day since I only had to give blood and have no chemo. My fingers are more sensitive, fatigue continues, and my head is still without hair! My white cell count continues to be somewhat low which means my immune system isn't what it should be, but that is to be expected with chemo. Praise the Lord that I haven't caught anyone's viruses!
The desert flowers are beginning to bloom, which is really beautiful since we don't have the opportunity to watch the sunrise as it takes place now before we are on the road. Another interesting sign, south of Florence, reads, "Tom Mix Memorial." I remember seeing Tom Mix cowboy movies on TV as a kid in the early 1950s. He made over 300 films, but only 9 were not silent films. So what was the sign on the Florence highway about ? That is near where he died in an automobile accident in 1940. A rather interesting fellow that you might want to Goggle search.
Have a great week and I hope to do the same.
Friday, March 25, 2011
Friday, March 18, 2011
St. Patrick's Day
I did wear my green shirt to the Cancer Center yesterday to keep from being pinched! It worked, but It didn't deter the nurses who manned the needles. It was interesting to see how many folks wore green on the Day of the Irish, whether out of some inner conviction or just to following the crowd. The old, "everyone's doing it," thing seems to drag many of us into areas that we don't really know anything about.
My latest side effect from the chemo are sensitive fingernails! I was told that this was normal and that it may get worse. Other than the fingernail thing and fatigue, I'm doing okay. God is faithful, and Mary and I look to Him daily for strength and hope.
We continue to relish your concern and prayers as we continue this new journey.
My latest side effect from the chemo are sensitive fingernails! I was told that this was normal and that it may get worse. Other than the fingernail thing and fatigue, I'm doing okay. God is faithful, and Mary and I look to Him daily for strength and hope.
We continue to relish your concern and prayers as we continue this new journey.
Friday, March 11, 2011
Hifalutin
Hifalutin is where we ate after an uneventful day doing chemo in Tucson. All of last week was fairly good except for the fatigue. My white cell count was down, which was expected, but that is what chemo is all about~killing cells and hoping that more cancer cells are killed than good ones!
Since I had an early afternoon appointment at the Arizona Cancer Center, we arrived at the Hifalutin about 3pm. Never been there before, but wouldn't you be curious of a restaurant with a name like that? The country music was playing as we entered. Our table was beside an old saddle as part of the decor~a real western eater., Our server even wore a cowboy hat! The sandwiches were monster sized, and we were certain we'd be sick if we ate the whole thing. But they were so good we left hardly a thing. We'll definitely chalk up Hifalutin for a return visit.
While continuing our drive back to Mesa, we looked for the "desert" cows that greeted us last week. However, the only wildlife we saw were several birds and one lone chipmunk running for the other side of the road before it became roadkill. He made it, and I'm sure he had an exciting story to share with his family that night.
Have a good week, and we'll try and do the same.
Since I had an early afternoon appointment at the Arizona Cancer Center, we arrived at the Hifalutin about 3pm. Never been there before, but wouldn't you be curious of a restaurant with a name like that? The country music was playing as we entered. Our table was beside an old saddle as part of the decor~a real western eater., Our server even wore a cowboy hat! The sandwiches were monster sized, and we were certain we'd be sick if we ate the whole thing. But they were so good we left hardly a thing. We'll definitely chalk up Hifalutin for a return visit.
While continuing our drive back to Mesa, we looked for the "desert" cows that greeted us last week. However, the only wildlife we saw were several birds and one lone chipmunk running for the other side of the road before it became roadkill. He made it, and I'm sure he had an exciting story to share with his family that night.
Have a good week, and we'll try and do the same.
Friday, March 4, 2011
Good news, bad news
Yesterday was my 8 week CT scan to see if the cancer is growing, shrinking, or remaining the same. That was at 10:30am, then at 12:30 I had lab work to find out if my blood count was up enough for my regular chemo treatment. I saw the oncologist at 1:30 and continued with my chemo infusion about 3:00. The blood work indicated that I'm basically healthy, and the oncologist said that the good news from the CT scan showed that the cancerous lymph nodes had shrunk. The other side of the coin showed that the tumor in my back had grown about 10%, but not enough to be concerned at this point.
While receiving my 30 minute infusion, I talked with a lady who was having a 2-1/2 hour treatment for lung cancer which had reoccured after 7 years. She had one lung removed earlier, and the cancer that she now had was incurable. She was in good spirits. Is the grass always greener on the other side? Maybe we should look at how blessed we are in spite of our circumstances!
After a long day in Tucson, we spent a relaxing night there using up some Marriott points and returned to Mesa this morning. If you have ever seen the land between Mesa and Tucson by way of Florence, you know that it is a barren desert for the most part. On our leisurely drive home what do we see but cows! That must be what the sign was referring to that read, "Watch for animals next 4 miles." And we were looking for desert creatures like road runners, coyotes, etc.! It was another adventuresome trip, enhanced by the added attraction of "desert cows!" God is good and He humors us with His sense of humor.
While receiving my 30 minute infusion, I talked with a lady who was having a 2-1/2 hour treatment for lung cancer which had reoccured after 7 years. She had one lung removed earlier, and the cancer that she now had was incurable. She was in good spirits. Is the grass always greener on the other side? Maybe we should look at how blessed we are in spite of our circumstances!
After a long day in Tucson, we spent a relaxing night there using up some Marriott points and returned to Mesa this morning. If you have ever seen the land between Mesa and Tucson by way of Florence, you know that it is a barren desert for the most part. On our leisurely drive home what do we see but cows! That must be what the sign was referring to that read, "Watch for animals next 4 miles." And we were looking for desert creatures like road runners, coyotes, etc.! It was another adventuresome trip, enhanced by the added attraction of "desert cows!" God is good and He humors us with His sense of humor.
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