New Year's Rockin' Eve

Regis Philbin?

2005 is cancelled!

Friday, 12/31 -- I can do better than this. I'll come back to it later.

I've been sitting here staring at this black screen for a good 20 minutes. This is the best I can come up with.

Pretty lame.

I think I'll go downstairs and do some cooking. That'll get my creative juices flowing.

yummy juices....

Thursday, 12/30 -- A funny thing happened on my way to the Chemo Suite...

You'd think by now that that I'd have this thing down to an uneventful routine.

Tuesdays are my chemo days.
No surprises there.

The routine is to go in to have the doctors check my blood and general health to make sure I can start my next dose of chemo. They have to access my port that is in my shoulder. It's easier on my veins than having to access my arms each time they draw blood or inject something.

I've never been needle-phobic, however I do get "goosey" when I see my own blood or have a deep cut. If the nurses can't find a vein quickly, or access the port quickly, I start to feel light headed and swimmy.

On Tuesday, we had some problems accessing the port. Long story short, I passed out.

I passed out twice in the office.

Not a good thing to do when you're trying to show the how healthy you are.

So they admitted me into the hospital to make sure that I wasn't fighting off an infection or the flu or something new. Since chemo weakens the immune system, the flu a simple cold or a virus could really be damaging to me.

I spent Tuesday, Wednesday and half of Thursday in the hospital. All because I passed out.

To sum it all up, I did receive my chemo today because they were able to determine that there is nothing otherwise wrong with me except gooseyness and silliness.

I've been laying in the hospital bed contemplating all the wicked and frustrated things I was going to write about this experience, but just being home with Lyn has done wonders in straightening out my blue funk. Spending a few pointless days in the hospital is GREATLY frustrating, as you might expect, but coming home to my wife's arms makes it all quickly fad away.

My Yew Year's Resolution is no more hospital stays.

Monday, 12/27 -- No organic, natural foods were injured in the making of this holiday.

I've been doing pretty good these past few days. Christmas has always been one of my favorites.

Sure the materialism and commercialism can be a bummer, dirtying the "true meaning of Christmas", but I don't let it overwhelm the happiness the day can bring. All you have to do is close your eyes and feel the warmth.

The little conversation with myself I wrote in the beginning of November about The Meaning of Life rings true at this time of year. The decorations, the family, the food, the friends... It is all smile-generating stuff. Especially all the food. (Is that an organic sausage? No? I'll eat it anyway! MORE SAUSAGES!!!)

The steroids have also been generating smiles on my face. But I think I'm getting tired of being on such a powerful drug. I don't know what I would have done without it this past week. I'm very thankful how it helped control the pain and inflammation in my back. I also have to give a shout out to Advil, my brown-coated buddies. Thanks guys.

My back is still sore, probably will be for a good long time. I'm used to the pain a little more, and I now know how to move without using certain muscles. It just takes practice. There's really no magical mystery for dealing with a bad back. It's all good.

Tomorrow I start my next round of chemo. Hopefully it will be a good three weeks.

The spirit just moved me... I'm off to lay down in bed with the cats. With me luck.