Sunday, November 29, 2009

how low can you go, second try :))

the PSA results are in....drum roll please.....and the results are 0.03!

Woo Hoo, the treatments are doing exactly what we want them to do, stop the cancer cells in their tracks. It's great news and gives me a ton of positive energy.

Thanks to everyone for your continued support.

another post soon, recapping our thanksgiving vacation.

later

how low can you go

Tuesday, November 24, 2009

Another PSA

Hey everyone, hope this post finds you well and getting reading for a big Thanksgiving Feast.
YUM! Holy man, I can't personally wait because my appetite is insatiable right now. Can anyone point me to the nearest Weight Watchers meeting?

today, another visit with the Medical Oncologist and another blood test. Dr. Reza fully expects the number to drop again from 0.94 to an even lower number. We'll find out tomorrow or monday and I'll let you all know the results.

We did talk about side effects and unfortunately there are a few. I already mentioned the appetite and the weight thing but we mainly talked about the hot flashes. Man, do I have a full appreciation for what women go through, amen sisters, you have my full respect. Holy shit, the HF's have been full on lately, especially at night which makes it particularly difficult to sleep. One minute you wake up in a full sweat, sheets are soaking, then next you're freezing. With all the tossing and turning, shedding covers then diving under them for warmth, I'm getting about 3 hours of total rest each night. not good

so, I'm trying some Flaxseed Oil to hopefully tone down the HF's. We'll see.

Okay my friends, go have yourselves an AWESOME Thanksgiving, me and the fam are heading down to cocoa beach/cape canaveral which should be very cool. Oh, wish us luck on the weather, if it's good, the space shuttle will land in FL on friday and we hope to watch.

All the best

Friday, November 20, 2009

Stephanie Spielman

unfortunately this post is a sad one, I just learned that Stephanie Spielman died yesterday at the young age of 42 after a 12 year battle with breast cancer. Having lived in Columbus, OH for 12 years, it was during that time she was diagnosed and waged her battle publicly, she was an inspiration. Stephanie was the wife of Chris Spielman, former Buckeye, Detroit Lion and current announcer on ESPN.

You can read more at this link.

http://www.dispatch.com/live/content/local_news/stories/2009/11/20/0_SPIELMAN_--_paper_story.ART_ART_11-20-09_A1_JGFO3TQ.html?sid=101

another post coming soon

Wednesday, November 11, 2009

A salute to all Veterans

Here is a salute to all Veterans who have served our country and protected our freedom. I am grateful to live in this great country where our freedom is envied by others.

I ask that you reach out to 3 or more veterans and thank them for their dedication, commitment and sacrifices they have made so that the 300M+ people in the USA can go to sleep each night knowing we are protected, guarded by our troops.

Also find your own way to honor the fallen heros, those who have perished defending our freedom, may their families be blessed with peace.

I wonder why Veterans Day isn't celebrated more often? Why just once per year? Why not 4 times, once per quarter. If our freedom is so important to us and the sacrifices our veterans make is so great, why not honor them more often.

When I travel, there is always someone on my flight who is in uniform either coming home or heading out to serve and protect. I make it a point to thank them for their commitment and service, we all should.

That's it for today, reach out to the Veterans you know and thank them.

later,

Tuesday, November 10, 2009

more side effects

hi everyone, it's been a little more than 3 months since my surgery but seems a lot longer than that to be honest. Did I mention some of the side effects of the hormone treatments? They are kicking in....the latest, weight gain.

Exiting the hospital I was 192 lbs, high for me and then within a month that included a daily dose of walking, I was down to 175 lbs, a much more comfortable 'fighting weight'.

Now that I've been on the hormone treatments, it's starting to climb again, up to 182. The cravings seem to last all day and I'm never satisfied. The thought of a diet has crossed my mind but I actually am already on one...a see-food diet, I see food and eat it! (yeah, lame humor). It's tough, I've never been known to shy away from food and over the years it's been a pretty easy to lose 5-10, even up to 15 lbs in pretty short order. Not any more.

Guess I need to get focused.

Switching gears....the kids had a concert last weekend and it was awesome. For those of you who don't know, Rachel and Bradley are in the Charlotte Children's Choir and love it. It's amazing how well the kids come together, learn the new songs, some of which are sung partly in swahili or hebrew and they nail the performance. I'm incredibly proud of them.

Gotta go and I promise to post more often.