almost ready to start treatment

Today I go for my final pictures.  They make sure that the tattoos on my butt are still there and in the right place.  I slept most of the night except getting up few times to go to bathroom.  Golly it will be nice to do that with a little less frequency when  this is done.  At least that's my hope.

Monday I start in earnest and we'll see what goes.

treatment starts to come together

"Right now over me"

Well my doctors are talking to each other.  Everybody is making sure I'm getting the appropriate treatment and I'm being kept in the loop.  For the first time I feel if not good at least less anxious about this process.

I got my chemo meds yesterday.  I was a little concerned they were going to be these relatively huge cylinders the size of  desiccant containers that they put in pill bottles.  But no they are regular size pills for me to take every 12 hours five days a week while I do radiation.

Still a little anxious but I'm feeling better about the situation.

Christmas and it's aftermath

Actually Christmas was pretty good for me.  Christmas eve dinner and after was a bit tough as I was kinda tired and not feeling tip top.  But my daughter was in Christmas Cove along with my girlfriend, Carole, my brother had come up from NC with his fam so it was pretty cool otherwise.  I did manage a movement during the night so I was feeling much better Christmas morning.

I've been told that my discussion of my bowel movements really should be kept to minimum, but they are important to me and kinda significant when they happen, right now.  So I apologize but that's why I say Colon Cancer, more correctly rectal cancer, is a pain in the butt.  Colon Cancer just slides off the tongue better.

I'm still quite tired.  It is difficult to stay awake sometimes.  Looks like that isn't going to improve with radiation and chemo.  I'm told it shouldn't get any worse tho.

People are being really supportive.  That's really cool.  Those that can't send money are sending good thoughts.    I really appreciate it folks.

My sister in-law did a kinda mini nutritional intervention on me.  I guess she's right.  I'm gonna need to figure out how to eat better.  No more drinking the bacon grease out of the catch on the grill I guess.  I am eating more fruit.  Oranges esp seem to help.

One more consult with the rad people on Friday to make sure they have the device lined up correctly.  I start my treatments on Monday.  I get zapped every weekday for five and a half weeks along with chemo.  I do get the weekends off to heal though.  Then a waiting period then surgery.  then more chemo.  Or maybe it's the other way around.

If you haven't already check out my book.  I think it turned out pretty well.  You can preview it without buying it.  Feel free to buy it though.

BTW They finally told me.  I'm at stage 3 rectal cancer.  Geeze.

I find out about my treatment

So I went to the radiation oncologist at the Cancer Center at Central Maine Med.  I was very impressed BTW.  Anyway they mapped me for where they want to zap me.  It will be 5 and a half weeks of radiation and chemo every week day.  They say I will be quite tired which isn't all that new.  That may be the cancer doing that to me and the treatment may just replace what has become my normal fatigue.

I also spoke to their social worker who set me up with a whole bunch of stuff I didn't know about and quite frankly would have been to over whelmed to do otherwise.  She is also one of the most cheerful people I have ever met.

So I start first Monday of January.  Really appreciate your good thoughts and support.

tcahf

sky

I'm tired a lot

I guess that's normal.  When I start chemo and radiation together sometime in the next two weeks,  I'll be even more tired.  I'm told I'll still be fairly functional though.  I hope so.

Not much to report.  Met with the oncologist yesterday.  Things are moving quickly meet with the radiation oncologist Friday.  Find out when I get mapped for radiation.  Essentially they tattoo registration marks on my pelvis and abdomen so they know where to put me each time they zap me.  Then start radiation soon after.

Meeting with Oncologist again today

Well had a few more regular, albeit thin, movements yesterday.  I see that as a good sign.

Not quite sure what's gonna happen with the oncologist.  Hopefully, he has coordinated with the rest of the team.  There is no I in team but there is a me and this me would like to be included on the goings on.  I don't see myself as the coach but I do see myself as the owner so I'd like to be kept in the loop, copied on emails that sort of thing.

Friday may be a bit weird when I meet with the radiation oncologist, again, just don't know what's happening.

Today should be a quiet one

I think I have all my doctor appointments lined up for the week.  I do have a few calls to make and of course I'm looking after the dogs at Pet Works and selling some soap for Human Nature.  Those are the people with whom I live so I don't really get paid for that.

I cannot believe that the cancer pic got 5 views.  Maybe that was all me.  I hope so don't go there it's yucky.  That said, I wrote about letting go of my anger yesterday.  I've been doing some fairly basic EFT as I understand it, which is not well.  I've also been visualizing the cancer receding.  I've also been eating a bit more fruit.  This morning I had a very nice movement which only seems to happen once or twice a week. Now that sounds gross I know but when one's colon is almost completely blocked little things like that are to be celebrated.

The interesting thing is that it was wider than it has been.  Which would seem to suggest that the blockage may be shrinking a bit.  Or maybe my rectum is stretching.  If it happens again today or tomorrow I'll know for sure.  It will be something to mention to the docs.

Anyway thanks for reading.  Comment if you want, tell your friends.  find me on facebook.  I tweet a little @skartdo but not much.

It's happening really fast

I guess that's a good thing. I have an appointment with the radiation oncologist on Friday. I don't know when I thought that was gonna happen but I thought it would be after Christmas.

I'm a little concerned that my doctors aren't talking as much as they should. I guess there have been some emails but I would feel better if I thought there was some face time involved, just to be sure everyone is on the same page.

So I've heard everything from this is gonna make me really sick to don't worry about it you'll be fine. Well I'm a wimp. I'd really like to know for sure what is happening.


I know I said I wasn't gonna do this but I'm curious to see how many folk are really into the grotesque. I've posted a picture of my cancer. Before I tell you where to find it, an anecdote. When I first looked at it, I thought it looked like an angry mass. Later a friend of mine told me that colon cancers are brought about by stored anger and that I really needed to learn to chill. Well I do chill fairly well but there are some dark corners to my soul. I'm working to let the anger out and forgive those who wronged me whether real or imagined. You know who you are so you can stop looking over your shoulder now :). Anyway I thought it was interesting that angry mass was the first thing that popped into my head when I looked at it.

That said, it is gross; Saw gross; Texas Chainsaw gross. So I don't recommend looking at it. If you want to though you can find it at http://cancerpic.schuylermeyers.com/

I find out about my cancer

Early December of 2011, I was having some issues with my gut and I was sent for a colonoscopy. I'm only 49 so this was a little unusual but not unprecedented. While chatting with the intake nurse, she mentioned that there were usually three outcomes to this procedure. They would find nothing and tell me to come back in ten years. They would find a few polyps, snip them off, and tell me to come back in five years. They would find a lot of polyps and tell me to come back in three years.

They told me to come back in a week. Within a week I had had a cat scan, met with an oncologist, and a surgeon. I'll spare you the pictures of the colonoscopy, but they were icky, I mean scary gross. That said early reports are that if all goes well I should be OK within a year, albeit with a much shorter colon.

When my ex told my kids that daddy was sick, my daughter said, "It's not cancer is it?"

Geeze what are you gonna do? Anyway it's been a couple of weeks and looks like treatment will begin in January. Waiting kinda sucks but I'm glad I get to do Christmas first.