Round 2 Update

Last week was delightfully uneventful.  The effects of the chemo faded and I continued to fight off a lingering cough.  Nobody threw up on anything and there were no stabbings by either objects or people.

Anna & Lydia being uneventful

Now begins the second round of four in the first phase of chemo.  Six weeks from now this type of chemotherapy will be behind me and I will be getting ready to start the second phase which includes radiation (finally.... Superpowers!)

Today I'm getting the FOLFOX regimen.  Side effects include cold sensitivity, peripheral neuropathy and a metallic taste.

Tastes "slightly metallic"

Monday is the Big Deal.  I spend 5 hours at the Cancer Center while they give me boluses (concentrated doses) of both chemo and medications to counteract the side-effects of the chemo.  Once the boluses are done, they connect me to a pump and I get 48 hours.  Unfortunately, neither Eddie nor Nick have shown up so you're stuck with me and my jokes.  I could be convinced to sing Roxanne.

I got home from chemotherapy and Amazon had delivered a basketball hoop.  My game is rusty at best, but Anna has really taken to it.  Putting it together was 2 1/2 hours of blissful distraction.  This morning Anna and Lydia ran out to play hoops but instead wound up rescuing dozens of worms and one slug* who had come onto the driveway in the rain.  Priorities!

* : Slug rescued by me because picking up worms by hand is ok, but slugs cross the line.

Our family room has become my cave and if you see me online, it's where I am.  While I'm getting poisoned biweekly I'm keeping myself occupied.  The room is stocked with books and games and has always been my favorite room in our house.  There are music playlists provided by friends and family and a long list of movies that people say I absolutely have to watch.  March Madness continues (Go Heels!)

Speaking of games, if you're a gamer of almost any variant, look me up on any of the following platforms:

The Chess website and phone app are where I routinely get my butt kicked by Joe Berger and Tom Hall.  John Brown just began playing and so I get to beat him up for a little while longer.  User name is ctmalloy.  If you pick 'daily chess' it'll let you create a turn-based game where you have a day or more to make a move.  Perfect for when you've got other things going on (work, kids, chemo...)

Shiphro is my user name on the PlayStation network and XBox Live.

... or just come on over.  We'll figure something out.

I want to remind everyone that one of the worst parts of ColoRectal Cancer is that it is almost completely preventable.  A small polyp that would've become cancer gets taken out then and there.

No port, no chemo, no surgery, no sadistic devices taped to my body.

Insurance and most doctors don't cover/recommend screening (no symptoms) colonoscopies until age 50, younger for high-risk groups (which I wasn't).  If you're due or if you have any symptoms, get scoped.  Call your doc and let them know you have symptoms and schedule it right away.  Feel free to call me with any questions about the logistics of prep (I worked the day before and wasn't hungry) or if the scope was unpleasant (a delightful nap, my nightmare began when I woke up).