Hi all. Two days away from my next chemo session so I thought I would give you an update. We are expecting my parents this evening and they will be staying in the area through Saturday. I find that I value each visit from them more and more, not only for the impact they have on my kids but also for the conversations and discussions we have as a family. It's a tall order to ask them to come down every month but they are up to the task. Also hoping to catch up with Michelle Biggs who is in town next weekend. I can't believe we all graduated from McGill 22 years ago now...
So lets talk about the chemo first and then same family updates to follow. Day 1 (July 9) started at the clinic. We see a great nurse, Heather, who has been able to manage to cold sweats at the hospital. Unfortunately, they do not go away until the morning of Day 2 so it's pretty miserable that first night. This time, I slept on towels on the couch and changed clothes frequently. I will say that Day 2 and Day 3, on this new regimen, once the sweats are over, is quite manageable. So much so that I was confident that I could handle visitors on the weekend, so Mike Wulfkuhle and Jayne Yelich flew out from Denver and Scott and Pam Hastings drove up from New Jersey. It was a great visit and we even got to eat out at Strega Prime Italian Steakhouse on Saturday night, which was an amazing dinner. And we got to see photos of the owner with pretty much every famous Italian American of whom you could think.
Monday was an OK day but Tuesday (Day 7) was a disaster. I could hardly move, I was so fatigued. I also had this weird feeling in my upper chest that I'd been hit by a puck or a punch. I lay in bed for most of the day and was unable to work. Karla booked a checkup appointment for the next day at the clinic. I was feeling better on Wednesday when I woke up, but maybe 75% of where I should be so we decided to go in. It turned into a long day at the clinic where I was infused with potassium and saline (my levels were extremely low - not sure why). I was also given a prescription for potassium pills that are so big, a horse would have trouble getting them down. I also went for a CT scan (but not one that would look at my cancer levels). Instead the scan focused on my upper chest, as my doctor was worried about blood clots. The tests came back negative but nothing to indicate why I had such a bad Tuesday.
Since then, I've felt pretty good for the most part. I'm a bit slow to start in the morning but after taking my medication, I seem to respond quite positively. A bit of a boost in the afternoon has also paid some dividends. Seriously, if my Day 10 - Day 13 feeling becomes more consistent, then I can start thinking about doing additional things (walking, running errands, appearing on American Ninja Warrior, that kind of stuff).
Still dealing with the neuropathy. It makes me feel like a bit of a dork sometimes. I can't open certain containers, I randomly drop things, I can't really "feel" Graeme and Isla when I touch them. I also got my hair cut short. I don't know if chemo is thinning my hair of 48 years on this planet. However, chemo has definitely changed the texture and consistency of my hair. We got some passport photos taken this weekend, so it should give you an idea of what to expect.
As you can see, the family is all well. Graeme is smiling more, and he usually starts with a wry smile to the left, and then a full on smile. I love getting that feedback from him. I even got him to laugh with me the other night, although his laughs right now consist of coos, exclamations and other noises, and not necessarily what you would call a full-onlaugh.
Isla is awesome. She and our au pair Amarilis spend a lot of time at the pool, and we are now at the point where she gets lessons on Monday at the local YMCA. She has entered a new phase where sometimes she wants to accompany Mommy or Daddy no matter what they are up to. Daddy is learning a lot more patience! She's still into Frozen, but now with a smattering of Brave. I also read her Tintin books some nights, but oh my God, some of the language, violence and treatment of others of different races has to be very carefully edited...
Congrats to Rory McIlroy on his British Open win. Maybe Tiger is not the person we should be focusing on to break Jack's records.
Love to all of you.
Andrew
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