Pocono Mountains, Ah Yes!

It's 7:30 AM and I'm sitting here at the computer, enjoying the morning quiet. Lots of people around but not too many up at this hour. It's hazy and cool, thermometer reads 59 degrees. Zach is in for the Memorial Day weekend and we decided to beat the warm weather and retreat up to the hills. Ben and Emma came along as well. Since Zach was not here for the holidays Ellen made a brisket last night with kasha, delish.

I love getting up early, making a pot of coffee, and relaxing until everyone else gets up, usually a fair amount later. On previous visits it still looked like winter up here, but now the trees are leafed out and all we can see is green. It's like - well it actually is - living in the middle of a forest. We can see one house from the screen porch and one from the driveway, that's all. And fortunately, those neighbors are almost never here.

Not much to report on the cancer front. Only a few tolerable reactions to the last chemo treatment. My hair is falling out, still have enough left to cover. I went on a fairly strenuous fishing trip last week - lots of wading, walking, climbing up and down steep banks, etc. and I had pretty much normal energy. Attached are pictures of a nice brown trout from the Lehigh river and my fishing pal Dan. Dan has been doing all the driving on these trips so I can reserve my energy for the fishing! He even lets me catch some trout!

Live From Fox Chase

Today I am at Fox Chase Hospital, getting my second dose of chemotherapy. I'm sitting in a comfy recliner in a large room with around 20 other patients. Right now I'm getting Rituxin (a monoclonal antibody) through an IV drip. This is the longest part of the treatment, it will take a few hours for the 600 CCs to drip in. Since you can have a strong allergic reaction to this drug they start it slowly and then speed it up. Then I get 3 more chemo drugs but that does not take as long. Since the first thing I got was 50 mls of benadryl, I'm moving a little slowly.

Ellen is here to keep an eye on me - nothing gets past her! She is grading papers to pass the time, watching an IV drip is not too exciting.

Everyone who works here is very nice, I am glad we selected this hospital. I feel better getting this treatment in a hospital as opposed to a doctor's office, and the staff really know their stuff. Of course, I'd rather be fishing!

Speaking of moving slowly, I think I'll stop here and take a nap!

3AM - Sleepless in Jenkintown

More a result of too much coffee than anything else, not sure if blogging is an aid to sleep or not. I guess I will find out.

Good news from the doctor - had a blood test Monday and he called on Tuesday to say that my white blood cell count had gone up b about 50%. This meant that I could go fishing again, also that the treatment appears to be going well. Notice the order I put those two thing in. At any rate, Ben and I got out on Thursday for some trout fishing in the Poconos. It was a beautiful spring day. The trees were just starting to leaf out - about two weeks behind Jenkintown where spring is in full swing. It was bright and sunny in the AM so the fishing was not too good, but it clouded up in the afternoon and then we caught some nice trout. All released to be caught again.

I was happy to be able to fish for an entire day, I'm starting to feel like my old self again - lots of energy and desire to get things done. This in contrast to February and March when all I could do was sit around the house or take naps. I hope I continue to feel this well as the chemotherapy continues. It's hard to beleive that you can fell so well and still be sick.

Ben has been working away at the gardens. He planted the butterfly garden today, tomorow the tomatoes and the peppers go in along with a variety of other vegeables. A large groundhog came by and ate the tops off all the young pea plants, so now there is a large cage trap waitng for him. If we capture him he will be transported to a state park a few miles away.

Otherwise, all is about as well as it can be expected to be. Next chemo session is this coming Friday. I'll be out fishing a few times before that!

One week and counting

Well, it's been one week since the chemo and I'm still cruising along. Last day for the prednisone was Wednesday - maybe there is still some floating around in the system. That's amazing stuff, all your little aches and pains go away, you have lots of energy (and appetite!!) and you feel good. That being said, support from friends and family seems even more vital - their love keeps your spirits up and your attitude positive. I'm feeling better than I have in months. I've also found that overloading my day with activities makes me a lot happier - I have too much to do to sit around and mope!
Ben has started my garden, since I can't play in the mud he is helping out. We're also planting a butterfly garden in a corner of the yard, we bought some native plants which are supposed to attract butterflies - pictures to come later in the summer. Since photographing butterflies is one of my hobbies, I'm hoping to get some shots right here at home.
We're going up to the Poconos this weekend - I can't fish due to possible contact with micro-organisms - but I'll go with Ben Saturday and friends Sunday, as long as I'm outside I'll be happy. Ben and Emma are coming too, maybe some pix of that too.

Post Chemo Update

It's been 3+ days since the chemo and things have been going very smoothly. Knock on wood!!! Aside from some swelling from liquid retention, which has pretty much gone away, I have not had any real reactions. Of course, right now I'm taking a huge daily dose of prednisone (100 mg) which has me buzzed with energy and flying along. The last dose is tomorrow, so Thursday or Friday I may crash big time. After hearing about all the horrible reactions you can have, it turns out that most people go through it fairly smoothly these days. You hear about all of the terrible stuff, which still can happen at any time, but usually it's not too bad. One day at a time.
Ben came over yesterday, he is done with school now and free till his summer job starts. He is a big help, cut the lawn, spread mulch and compost, did stuff I'm forbidden to do right now. He promised Emma (his girlfriend) that he'd trim his gigantic beard when school was done - we're waiting to see this happen. Emma and Ben are going to take over the garden this summer for me. Zach calls almost every day from Montana, I don't need to hear about the huge fish he is catching (and I'm not!). He is coming in Memorial Day. Ellen is relaxing a tiny bit, gets her glass of wine every evening whether she needs it or not! Florence Ellengale is her new name.
So that's all for now, stay in touch!