Ups and downs

Stairs. They are my enemy. I can walk a good distance as long as the terrain is fairly flat. But stairs leave me out of breath. My house, of course, is a split-level. So stairs are a part of my everyday life. My next house will be free of stairs. ...
I watched the race at AMS on TV today. Yes, I'm a closet NASCAR fan. It goes back to my childhood in the '60s when my Dad was a big race fan. We went to races together in the 1960s and '70s. In the '80s and '90s I became a closet fan. I'd follow the sport in the newspaper, but didn't watch or attend any races. In the new century, however, I'm coming out of the closet. The No. 8 car, my favorite, finished third, so things went well at the track. ...
My son and his girlfriend are coming by for a visit tomorrow. It also is my Mother's birthday. I'm looking forward to the first full day of spring being a good one. ...

Visitors welcome

For whatever it's worth, this blog has received more than 5,600 page views since going up Jan. 1. That's about 72 views a day. ...
I start chemotherapy again March 27. This week will be spent resting and hopefully getting stronger before starting the therapy. For those of you who keep up with such things, I'll be getting three cycles of Taxotere. The cycles are 29 days apart. ...
No treatments this week, just blood work Thursday. Last week my white blood cell count was good, but I'm still a bit low on the red cell count. ...
Thanks to everyone who has visited here. Please continue to pray for me. God bless.

Happy St. Paddy's Day

I had a Corona in celebration of St. Patrick's Day (OK, I had two). The lime in my beer served as my green thing for the day. ...
While I am celebrating the news that the monster in my chest is shrinking, I'm trying to not get too excited until I have a PET scan after my chemo is complete. Many of you will remember back in December I was first told I didn't have cancer, just a mass of dead tissue in my lung. Don't get me wrong, my attitude is great. I'm just playing it cautiously. ...
I'll leave you tonight with a portion of the Prayer of St. Patrick:
I arise today
Through God's strength to pilot me;
God's might to uphold me,
God's wisdom to guide me,
God's eye to look before me,
God's ear to hear me,
God's word to speak for me,
God's hand to guard me,
God's way to lie before me,
God's shield to protect me,
God's hosts to save me
Afar and anear,
Alone or in a multitude.

The incredible shrinking tumor

The word for today: progress. My CT scan shows the monster in my chest is shrinking. It is about 40 percent smaller than when this ordeal began. My oncologists are pleased. Me too. ...
My radiology oncologist says it appears most of the remaining tumor is dead tissue. The only way of knowing for sure, however, is through a PET scan. I have three more cycles of chemotherapy and then I'll have another PET scan. My next dose of chemo is March 27. The last dose should be May 8. ...
These past three months have seemed like forever, and I'm sure the next couple of months will drag by as well. But it does seem as if there's light at the end of the tunnel. Thanks to all who have been with me so far on this journey. It is not over, and I hope you'll stick with me while I go through more chemo and the radiation continues to do its thing. Let's hope we'll kill this monster for good. ...
Thank you for your prayers, and God bless you all.

On a roll

Today was another good day. I had a little trouble dragging myself out of bed this morning, but once I was up, I felt almost great for most of the day. ...
I am hoping for fantastic news from the oncologist tomorrow when I find out how much damage the radiation has done to this monster in my chest. But realistically, I'll be happy with moderate improvement. ...
Here's hoping my blood work shows my counts are up. It would be nice to do something toward celebrating St. Patrick's Day on Friday. ...
May you be in heaven a half hour before the devil knows your dead.

A very good day

Today was a good day. A very good day. I felt fine physically, and I received a wonderful gift from my co-workers. The FedEx guy delivered a DVD today from my office. Lots of well-wishers, laughs and the biggest Georgia Bulldog fan in the world donned a Tennessee sweatshirt, albeit briefly I'm sure. A couple of versions of "Rocky Top" and much more made me laugh and cry. It's a great bunch of folks I work with. I look forward to rejoining them. ...
I'm interested in what my blood work reveals Thursday because I feel so much better than I did last week. My appetite is good (I no longer have to take medicine in order to eat), I've gained a couple of pounds and I'm not as lethargic as I've been. It also will be interesting to find out how much smaller this monster in my chest is due to the 40 blasts of radiation I've received. ...
I'm blessed to have so many friends, and I'm blessed so many people are praying for me. Thanks!

Artwork a blessing

One of my wife's co-workers faithfully reads this blog. Lynn sent a Livestrong bracelet to her little girl. Today, we received a thank-you picture from the little angel. "Tenk you for the braslit," it said. The crayon drawing was of a lovely rainbow caressing a single yellow flower. We cherish it. Just goes to show you never know whose heart you'll touch, who'll touch yours, or how. ...
The weekend went well. I ate well, got plenty of rest and was able to go to church. On a sad note, the 73-year-old uncle of a friend of mine died Saturday. His family is in our prayers. ...
Had an appointment today with my lung specialist, though I'm not sure why. He asked a few questions, listened to my heart and lungs and sent me on my way for another two months. ...
The next two days should be lazy, then I see my oncologist on Thursday. That's when I'll know how much progress we've made toward shrinking this monster in my chest. I should also get a schedule for my next chemo treatments. ...
A few random thoughts: I've about forgotten what beer tastes like. ... I still carry a comb in my pocket. Why? ... My Vols and Lady Vols are in the NCAA basketball tournaments. Bet the Lady Vols advance further. ...
Thanks for your prayers, and God bless.

What's wrong with my blood?

I'm sorry it's been hit or miss lately as to whether or not the blog gets updated. Believe me, I wish I had the energy to write everyday. But some days, I just don't have the strength. My blood counts have been down ~ red cells, white cells, platelets. Because my blood oxygen level is low, I'm on the verge of having a blood transfusion. Hopefully that can be avoided. ...
Today I had another shot of Neupogen. It was my third shot in five days. At $883.50 a shot, I'm thankful for insurance. The shots are supposed to give my blood a boost. Why is my blood so screwed up? It's not the cancer, it's the chemo. Apparently the expression "If it doesn't kill you it'll cure you" applies to chemo. ...
I'm thankful for everyone who sends me an e-mail. Please forgive me if it takes a day or two for me to reply. And thanks for your prayers. You keep me in yours, I'll keep you in mine. God bless.

A word about statistics

Had my chest CT scan today. Let's hope for great improvement when I get the results next week. ...
Most of today was spent sleeping. I think I'm trying to catch up from the loss of sleep overnight Monday when I was at the ER. ...
Listening to the coverage of Dana Reeve's death, you'd think I might as well give up. I'm a dead man walking. Only 15 percent of lung cancer victims survive. Those stats may be true (if so, they're true from five years ago because that's how long the studies last) for some lung cancer victims, but not all. There's more than one type of cancer. My doctors have given me a 27 percent to 30 percent chance of survival. Much better odds than you'll see in the media these days. ...
No matter the odds, I can always use your prayers. Thanks.

Hanging out in the ER

Spent overnight Monday in the ER. Arrived about 9 p.m. Monday and didn't leave until about 7 a.m. Tuesday. Fun, fun. ...
Monday was another yucky day with no strength or appetite. My wife, Lynn, suggested I check my temperature. It was 101. Anytime my temp is 100.5 or greater I'm supposed to call my doctor. I did. After dealing with a rude answering service, I was sent to the ER. Seems a fever means you have an infection somewhere, so the doctors didn't want to take any chances. Bottom line for my 10 hours of captivity: I was given an antibiotic and some fluids. Of course I had to give pee and blood and have an EKG and a chest X-ray before getting the treatment I needed. ...
The good news Monday was I had my final radiation treatment. It came at a good time. My back is feeling like it has a pretty bad sunburn. ...
I have a CT scan tomorrow. We're taking pictures of my chest to see how much smaller the monster is. I won't know the results until next week, at which time we'll set a time frame for my next three cycles of chemotherapy. Please pray for good results.