The C Word

 Yesterday marked 1 full week of Chemo.  I am ecstatic to report that I have not had any real side effects.   I appreciate all the Facebook comments, texts, and in-person words of encouragement.   As of right now, I would say that I have 95% of my pre-surgery energy level back.  I have played golf 4 days in a row, and have not had any sense of being tired. I have jumped right back in to playing golf 4 – 5 times a week.  I need to do the things I can, while I have the energy.  I do not know if any chemo side effects will come along as I get deeper into my treatment. I now realize that God is not done with his plan for me yet.  So, I take each day as a blessing and try to live it to its fullest. To keep everyone updated, I have started a google sheet,  Daily Tracking where I am tracking when I take my meds and will note if I have any side effects.

 I will be tracking everyday on how my experience with Chemo is going.   I do not want to post here every day.  I will try to do a Sunday night update with a summary of the week.  I have a google spread sheet I am using.    Daily update No idea if that link will work, but I will be updating it as often as I remember.  So far nothing bad after 8 hours.

 We met with Dr Hussein (my local oncologist) and he put in the order for me to start Chemo.  I do not have a date yet, since they will be sending the pills to me via FedEx.  As soon as I get the pills, he would like me to start on a Monday.  The regimen will be 2 weeks of taking the pills, then 1 week off, for a total of 6 months. Due to my “size” I will be taking 5 pills in the morning and 5 pills in the evening.   He prescribed me some medicine for nausea.  He did not think I should be impacted, but better to have it, just in case.  He also mentioned that I may develop a rash on the palms of my hands and the bottoms of my feet.  He suggested I use Udder cream.  Apparently, this is cream they use on cow udders to prevent soreness from milking.  MOO!!!! Part of the plan for seeing if the chemo is working is to do frequent blood draws to test the blood for tumor markers.   The company provides a service where they come out to...