Recovery Week 2 (RW2)

Recovery Week 2 (RW2) has gone (in comparison to RW1) very well. We fought off the low grade fever during the early part of the week successfully. It reached 100.1 once but otherwise never got over 99.8 (remember that at 100.4 I'm supposed to get in touch with the doctors). We were also able to keep me out of the hospital (not a great feat for the normal population, but we're dealing with the chemo kid here!). It would seem that I started to come out of chemo funk-dom around Weds afternoon, and as of this writing (Friday morning) I'm feeling human again (no nasty remarks from the "peanut gallery" please). I was able to pack in the food yesterday fairly well and actually gained 4 lbs in the course of 1-1/2 days. When you think of the joy that many have expressed to me with that statement today, you then start to realize how absurd this really is. Is there anyone that you know that would be happy to have picked up over 4 lbs of weight in a day?!? Well you may be reading about one of the very few in America!


OK, lessons learned this week:

1. Carnation Instant Breakfast (the powder) in small glasses with a straw is a life saver.

2. Herbal teas really help keeping me hydrated.

3. After 3 days, the side effects of Nuprogen keep me awake at night.

4. My mornings are consistently better than my afternoon & evenings.

5. I love having my friends around me when I'm not feeling well. I really don't have a chance to feel down or sorry form myself. Even if I feel like kaka, the spirit around here help to keep my attitude up and a smile on my face (even when they have a little fun at my expense).

6. I'm told by the ladies that have been here over the last couple of weeks that I now know the effects of pregnancy. Things like the constantly changing taste buds, cravings for a particular food, nausea, tiredness, no alcohol in the diet (even though I did want a glass of wine a couple of times), aversion to the sight of certain things, etc. were some of the things I experience that they tell me are some of the grand fun and beauty of pregnancy. It really make me wonder how any family has more than one child!?!?!

7. Being without hair on your head has advantages. More on this in another blog entry as it has many things that can be discussed.

8. Family & friends really do rise to the occasion. The way these folks have rallied the last couple of weeks has been unbelievable. The care, the concern, and the support have been just phenomenal. I really love these folks (I don't know how or if anyone could get through this by themselves).

Finally, as I've said so many times in past writings, I am a very lucky and blessed man.

LIFE IS GOOD!