Tuesday, September 28, 2010

.333 (Repeating Of Course)

In baseball if you hit .333 you will get in the hall of fame, in basketball if you shoot 33% from downtown you will be rewarded with an 8 figure salary, and if you do anything at a 1/3 clip in the NFL then you will be out of a job.  In my case 33.33% is how far into my chemo treatment I am after yesterday's discharge from the hospital.  Although I still have 4 treatments (and 20 hospital days), it is really nice to have 2 notches on the old belt, and at this point I know I need to start preparing to make the next 4 go as smooth as possible.

As I mentioned on Sunday, the food was pretty brutal during this last admittance.  I actually thought about the smell of "patient dining" this afternoon while walking to get the mail, and I nearly got sick on the sidewalk.  Either way, it is clear now that I can no longer subside on these meals during my stays, so I am going to have to plan out an intricate mix of takeout for Dad to run out for.  We have Quizinos, Moe's, and Mellow Mushroom all within a mile of the hospital, so I think I might plan a mix of meals that will maximize taste and nutrition for the 5 days.  Any favorites from these respective menus that I should try? 

I was discharged yesterday around lunch, and I have been at home trying to rest up ever since.  Draining is the only word to describe these hospital stays, as it just chips away at you one day at a time.  Thankfully I am out though, and I'm looking forward to hopefully going into the office tomorrow and regaining some sense of normalcy.  I am still awaiting the "valley" that tags along with recovering from chemo, so as with the last time I am just taking it one day at a time, and doing as much with my days as I can depending on how I feel.

Later this week I have my first appointment with the radiologist as we begin to plan for the next stage in treatment after chemo.  I would imagine in my case radiation will begin sometime after the first of the year once I'm finished with chemo treatment.  I admittedly know very little about radiation, so I am hoping to get some information on Thursday that can help understand the process a bit better.  Either way, it is sort of nice to be planning for the 2nd stage of the treatment, it definitely beats discussing the side effects of chemo.

All in all, I'm still upbeat and feeling alright (relatively speaking).  I am entirely bald now, and actually that has brought some challenges I hadn't foreseen.  When they say that hair moderates body temperature they weren't kidding.  I continually find my bald head sweating to the point of sticking to the couch or pillow, so I've had to combat that with wearing some of my fashionable skull caps while I rest. How does Bruce Willis do it?

Thank you again everyone who has been checking in and praying for me during this trial, it means the world to me, please stay in touch!

13 comments:

  1. Chains,

    There probably isn't a Quiznos anywhere near the hospital-- you just like their commercials with all the kittens.

    -Smokes

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  2. Just wanted to let you know that we are thinking of you and wish you the best in this post hospital week. P.S. The Greek salad at the 'Shroom is amazing.

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  3. Great to hear from you Michael! I was getting ready to log into to post something witty to make you laugh in case you were too exhausted to do any posting yourself when I discovered you had a new post! RSS feed is a great thing!

    I took a Zumba class last night for the first time--have you heard of it? It is some crazy latin hip hop class that is supposed to be a super cardio blasting, calorie burning, work out. If I had only taken a video I could have posted it up for you to get a lot of great laughs. If your Mom were still in the hood, I would drag her over and make her do it, too. Can you see your Mom doing hip-hop? Oh yeah, it would make you laugh.

    Keep up the steady progress. I hope your valley is not too low this round. Praying for you and your family. Hang tough! If you can stand waiting for the Bulldogs to win, you can handle round 2 of chemo!

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  4. Don't forget that the .333 could also represent the Dawgs conference record.....oh wait, we lost to Mississippi State. Maybe .333 could represent Mark Richt's success rate on hiring Defensive Coordinators

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  5. The vols barely squeaked out a victory to UAB at home... does that make you feel better? It's going to be a knock down drag out when we play each other to avoid the title "worst in the SEC."

    I am really happy to hear round 2 of chemo is done. I am thinking about you, bud.

    hugs and hope to see ya soon. d

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  6. Yes son, your mom has done Zumba. When you get really down Mrs. Sapp and I will wear our Zumba hip bells and hip hop until you are laughing hysterically! In fact Emory may hire us to bring comedic relief on the chemo floor. mom

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  7. Michael, I haven't sent you any messages lately, but have continued to follow your progress and pray for you and your family daily. Your sense of humor and courage through this have been inspirational. Thank you for that. Also, this is something that has already been addressed, but make sure you are taking care of your teeth during all of these treatments. A good fluoride rinse (Periomed), extra strong Fluoride paste (stronger than you can get at the store, and lots of water. Like I said, this is probably being taken care of, but I have seen too many cases after chemo and radiation where it was not addressed, and then it was too late. Take care and hang in there. Go Rangers!

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  8. Disclaimer: My diet is not the healthiest, and therefore I am recommending on taste and appetite fulfillment. This by no means speaks to the culinary magnitude of any of these fine establishments.

    -Quizno's has something called the Chicken Carbonara which I like(yes to the mushrooms when they ask). It is satisfying, and it will defintely but some proverbial meat on those bones.
    -Moe's has a new spicy burrito that has a good kick to it, if you are in to that kind of thing.
    -Mellow Mushroom...I am a slave to the (insert various meat) pizza.

    Glad the second treatment is done. Hope you are feeling up to watching some Ryder Cup this weekend. Stewart, if you are reading this...good luck.

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  9. YAHOO...TWO DOWN!!! Hope your next imaging shows that pesky mass is 'tucking tail' and shrinking. I love your three restaurant choices near the hospital. If I ate there for five straight days, I'd have a butt as big as Bolivia. Eat, eat, eat to keep up your strenght, and drink, drink, drink to move the meds through your precious bod. Lots of good sports on TV this weekend, so hope you chill with friends and family.
    Prayers and hugs,
    Michelle on Westview

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  10. Michael, if you are starting to feel badly, pretend you are a Cincinnati Redleg. Those Redlegs went through 225 bottles of Kordel and 360 16 ounce Buds during their celebration of clinching the NL Central!

    Uncle Dave

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  11. Mellow Mushroom has pretty good big doughy pretzels. I like those and they are good starches for an upset belly if you have one. And my friend, Spruill, swears by the Hot Beefeater at Quiznos, but it always sounded disgusting to me when she would order it. Tom and I are thinking about you and you are always in our prayers.

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  12. I personally love a good skull cap. Nothing says "I'm awesome" quite like a skull cap. In fact, one Khole Kardashian was sporting a skull cap in the latest "Keeping Up With the Kardashians" episode on E! (Hers was black, with a skull and bones symbol on the forehead.) I'm sure you meant to watch this emmy-deserving show, but were just too busy eating some delicious jell-o from the hospital's lovely cafe'. Anyway, just thought you should know that skull caps are "so Hollywood" these days, at least according to the unfortunate-looking Kardashian sister.

    I'm SO thrilled that you are finished with Round 2!! Hang in there and stay strong!!

    --Maridi

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  13. Dear son,
    There is a McDonalds, Checkers, and the Varsity close by. Why do you choose the "upscale" joints when I am buying???

    Oh well. If it gets you to eat, I'm for it!

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