Here Goes Nothing!

In a few minutes I’ll be heading out for my first long grueling day of ABVD chemotherapy.  I’ll be getting treatment for about eight hours today.  I just hope with all of the many drugs they will be giving me that none of them react badly to me or each other and I make it through such a long day.  Sara is coming with me to keep me company.

All or nothing, Round 1 FIGHT!

Update: I’m home and happy to be here.  We spent a loooooong day getting chemo.  They started the first drugs around 8:30am this morning and we finished up the last at 3pm. I was hooked up the whole time and had to cart my little drip bag around with me to the bathroom, of which I frequented.  Sara got me lunch around 12:30pm, Wendy’s to the rescue!

They started the Rituxan drip last, which took about three hours alone.  While Sara was out getting lunch I started getting itchy on my scalp. A Cortisone drip had to be added while I was finishing the Rituxan. We made it! 1 down, only 11 more treatments to go!!!

We stopped at Giant Eagle’s pharmacy on the way home to pick up some prescriptions for nausea and other stuff associated with the drugs. They are precautionary, hopefully I won’t have to use them.

Thank you everyone for thinking of us and praying for us for today. It was nerve racking in anticipation, but I feel as though it went very well. I’m not looking forward to next time, but at least I know what to expect.  Check out all of the photos below.

p.s. – When I got home I check my emails of course. But I also checked a package I’m tracking for a new iPod battery I ordered online. Well check out where it showed up today! Not funny UPS, not funny…okay maybe a little.

Last Day of Freedom

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Sara and I went out to Ruth’s Chris last night for a big date.  We both got some juicy steaks to celebrate the rough upcoming months. She even went to the Pittsbugh Comicon yesterday just to show me how much she loves me. Seriously, that IS LOVE! She got to see the sights, smell the stinky smells, and even hang out with Darth.  She patiently waited with me for about three hours while I flipped through all of the $1 bins looking for those elusive few issues I haven’t been able to find.  Luckily I got nine issue of my want list a few extra for fun and only spent $25.  We had a good time and some good people watching, heck we even saw 86 year old Stan Lee!  Well, from about 75 yards we saw him.

Tearing Down the Castle

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As many know I’ve worked hard over the past two years at the gym almost everyday.  My friend Tim has shown me that I can achieve any goal with my body that I have set out.  Before I switched jobs in March of 2007 I was a 155-160lb wuss, since then I’m a steady 185lb beefcake. At least that’s what a few have deemed me.  I finally feel like my size had caught up to my height.  I say that like it just happened one day, but in reality it took eating like a maniac and lifting seriously heavy weights that scare the crap out of me.  My ultimate goal was to hit and maintain the mid 190’s and have an awesome Tony Horton Beachbody™ for Myrtle Beach next week.  However August’s news and crazy amounts of surgery and tests have squashed that plan.

I’m not going to let it all go though. Depending on how I feel on Monday will really determine my mindset for these next six months.  I’m hoping to bounce right back from it and hit the gym on Tuesday.

Thank you for everyone that has sent me an email, sent me a card, wished me well, and more.  I really appreciate all of the support.  I’m going to need a lot more for the next half of the year.

p.s. – The port that you see in my chest was inserted yesterday and it is sore and kinda hurts like a b1*ch!  I couldn’t raise my arms and flex even if I wanted to.