Saturday, October 29, 2011

Another round of chemo....Done

I survived the 5 days of chemo. I took the oral chemo called temodar.

It was no where as bad as the chemo that wiped me out for 2+ weeks.

This chemo was much more pleasant. (if chemo can even be pleasant.)

I go in for a doctor appointment on Monday to have my counts done and plan for what the next move is.

At this stage in my treatment there is no roadmap or precedent for what to do for treatment. We are just playing it by ear and taking it one treatment at a time.

Until next time enjoy Halloween. I am not sure what I am going to dress up as yet. Suggestions are welcome. (if you can incorporate my bald head all the better!)

Friday, October 21, 2011

Last Weekend of feeling good

So this weekend is my last hurray, before I start chemo again on Monday. I hope to go out with a bang. Maybe some dancing, good food, friends, pillow talk, and some good movies.

Well if you read this during this weekend...hit me up, because I want to party with you.

Also, Liz Redd I will have a new theme song for starting chemo again. I will reveal it once I start on Monday!

I am also taking suggestions if anyone has a song they feel appropriate.


Friday, October 14, 2011

Chemo starts Oct 24

I had my first doctor appointment since returning to Utah and my blood counts were all terrific. My platelets were in the 100s. (This is awesome because about a month ago they were at zero.)

So I will give me body a week longer to repair and mend itself before I start beating it up with chemo again.

I am surviving school and hope to be caught up by the end of the month so that I am allowed to go trick-or-treating.

Thanks everyone for your kind words, prayers, and super thoughts during the last month or so. t was a rough road but I think I am back on cruise control of kicking cancer in the BUTT.


Monday, October 3, 2011

Getting back in the habit

I am back in Utah trying to figure out how to get back into the groove of being a graduate student after missing two weeks of classroom instruction. Moreover, during those two weeks my health was so unpleasant that I was not able to do ANY school work.

I will now spend many many hours in the Library reading, writing, reading, writing, reading, wasting time on Internet, and then more reading and writing.

After 10 blood, platelet transfusions I am slowly starting to feel somewhat normal. I would say I am about 75% back to "normal." Now for me normal was never feeling awesome. The reality is that I am a cancer patient, but at this point I would take how I felt about 3 weeks ago and call it good. I have accepted that I will never feel 100% normal. I will never be able to run more than a few yards before I am completely out of energy, but I would love to feel 100% "normal" for me.

With time it will all come back and my white blood cell, platelet, and hemoglobin counts are climbing and improving a little every time I go in. Hopefully in the next week or so I will be back to my normal energy level.

Luckily studying in the library does not require much physical energy. However, I would not mind if they got cushions for their hardwood chair, but I will make due.

Well, there is a little update on the life of Dave Chalk. Feel free to email me, comment, text, facebook, or any other form with questions you may have. I enjoy playing words with friends and my name on their is cansirboi, so challenge me and ask me questions that way.

In the last two and a half weeks,

Needle pokes: 30

Pills: 60

Movies: Too many

Weight loss due to inability to eat: 15 pounds

Travels: Provo, Orem, Vista, San Diego, American Fork

Words with friends winning percentage: only about 55% (I need to improve in this department)

Well Happy Monday to you all. Updates to follow as I have more Doctors Appointments