2011 has worked out to be a good year! No more chemo for now. I am just on Herseption (not spelled correctly) which is a drug mostly used to treat breast cancer. My cancer showed the same "markers" so we will see, in about 3 months, how it's doing. I get the drug every 3 weeks and I will probably be scanned after about 6 treatments. Good thing there are no side effects! All is well with my care giver, Lynda, and she continues to keep me on the "straight and narrow." And God keeps giving me the strength to weather all these storms so what more could I ask for except, prayers? You Prayer Warriors that have held me up all these months I ask that you don't quit now. You know that me and my cancer pals rely on your communications with the Lord! Love you all.

What a glorious New Year! Woke up 1/1/11 ready to eat, and I did. Breakfast was an egg, but lunch was pork chop (1/2) squash, black eyed peas, corn bread, wilted spinach salad and candied jalapenos. Could not have tasted better! Almost ate like a regular person and it did feel good. 1/2/11 was the same! Boy did that feel good. Go the chemo doc tomorrow and we plan what to do about the rest of the cancer that's lurking around in my gut. If it were not for that I might just pull that feeding tube today. I do get it stitched back in tomorrow AM, just in case!
God in Good and His mercy defies understanding. My Bible tells me that He doesn't cure all illness but He give's you the strength to handle whatever life throws in your face. Back to working out this AM. Got that race to run in April! Please keep up the prayers for my pals. What would I do without Lynda? Always there with the right suggestion. Life is Good! Love you all.

Well, here we are on the last day of the year. Time to reflect. Even with it's challenges 2010 has been a good one. (Actually, any year you are alive at it's very end is GOOD.) This last week (actually 9 days) Lynda and I spent with all our family in New Mexico. What a wonderful time. Next year I will ski.
Had some sombering news today. My friend, Jim W has been diagnosed with esophageal cancer, also. I would ask you all to add him to your prayer list.
The last few weeks have brought good news. As you all know I've finished my second series of chemo and had a Cat Scan on Dec. 20. Results are in. "Significantly Reduced." Great words to hear now I've got to get to eating and get this feeding tube out! Have not talked with my chemo Doc yet to know what his plan is in "getting after" the rest.
Was a bit aprohensive in being in NM for 10 days and being away from all my support base, but all went extremly well. Again, I just don't have enough faith sometimes.
Had a "funny" thing happen today. (Background: One flushes his feeding tube both before and after! Timely.) I woke up this AM when my pump finished it's work getting the "feeding tube food" into my body. (Let me correct that last statement. I can't hear the "warning buzzer. Too high a frequency for me, but Lynda hears it and lets me know.) Well, when the buzzer went off and Lynda woke me I turned off the pump and went back to sleep. What one should do in that case is to get up, flush out the pump and then go back to sleep. Guess what, my tube clogged up. Bummer! Try as I might I could not get it "open." Usually that means a trip to the doctor, if he's in, or a trip to the emergency room. And, as luck would have it, the stitch that holds the tubing into my stomach also broke. What a mess! And, then I sneezed. Boom, the tube shot out of it's little hole in my gut!" Hmmm", I said. "Do you think I can clean this tube out now?" "Especially since it New Year's Eve weekend? Well, to make a long story longer, I did clean out my tube, inserted it back in my stomach and tapped it in very securely and now I'm good until the Doc's back in the office Monday. Would I recommend this? Nope, but a man's got to do what a man's got to do!
Please, keep up the prayers and I love you all!

What cancer and sickness cannot do......

It cannot cripple LOVE,

It cannot shatter HOPE,

It cannot corrode FAITH

It cannot destroy PEACE

It cannot kill FRIENDSHIP

It cannot suppress MEMORIES

It cannot silence COURAGE

It cannot invade THE SOUL

It cannot conquer THE SPIRIT

It cannot steal ETERNAL LIFE

from the Senior Times, Montreal

I was swinging very low until I read this in my doctor's office. I needed it!
All has been going well it's just that I had not looking at the glass being 3/4 full. I was bound up in the 1/4 empty (so I was thinking) but after reading the above 10 times, life is good!

Today I start my last round of chemo, that is scheduled. I will then get a scan sometime early 2011 to asses the success of the treatment. We do know there has been progress because my "twist" disappeared and I'm now able to eat. It's been wonderful to get to the point that I can begin to taste foods again. I know that the chemo will modify that again but just knowing it will come back, again, in about a month is encouraging. I was feeling so good that I began to say, "Come the first of the year I'm going to begin my new life!", which would assume that I would be cancer free and I would have all this behind me. But, I realized that I was predetermining what the Lord had in store for me and I realized that my job was to just wait for the scan and see what He had in store for me.
I have gained a little weight and am up to 140. Of course, I had all my pants taken up, so they wouldn't fall off, and now they are a bit tight. I do know that Jan. 1, feeling as good as I do now, I'll start back working out. Another thing that's going to be fun is to begin cutting back on the cans of food that go thru my feeding tube and maintain my weight and strength. I realize it's all in my hands (and God's) as to how that goes. Right now I'm looking forward to Christmas. Will be in New Mexico with all my family. What a blessing. I'm still amazed at people who say they are amazed with me, in how I've fought this disease and I think to myself, "How can you not fight?" but then I know that sometimes you can give up, and I want to cry for those who do. Life is wonderful. Lynda is wonderful. My family is wonderful. My caring friends are wonderful. And God is wonderful. And I've said many times, without the prayers that have held me up and Lynda, I would not be here, but here I am. Love you all.

Eleven days out of chemo and I'm feeling great. My doc was kind enough to grant me an extra week before I start the last round. That week will take me thru Thanksgiving. I will eat some of everything. And, about eating. Going well. Oh yeah, this AM I weighed in at 139! Most in over a year. I am blessed that I get my taste back each time. And my mouth and throat quit being sore. Feel like a regular person, if it was not for this tube in my gut. Again, I'm not complaining just stating the facts.
Here's my plan. 10 days out of the chemo hole, next time, I'm going to be able to eat more and it will taste better and I will start cutting back on what I send thru the tube until, ta de da, I don't need it anymore and I'm planning on making that happen timely. Also, about that same time, I will be getting a scan (pet or cat) that will show the docs what all good they have been doing. And then they are going to pat me on my head and say, "Come on back and see us in six months." At that point I run yelling out of the office.
Hey, that's what all you are praying for and my responsibility to make it happen. Keep all my cancer pals and Lynda in your prayers. Judy W, Gary C, Melissa C and Jimmy D. Until next time --- I love you all.

Some monumental days have passed. First, 11-4-10. One year aniversery of having my surgery! What a journey. Second, last night I went without activating my feeding tube. Which means I've been eating more! Great milestones for me.
Don't ask me how the tube in my gut got "untwisted." Even the doctors are unsure, (Lord's work, don't you know.), but I've been able to eat and keep stuff down.
OK, let's take if from about three weeks ago. I had been feeling pretty good and able to eat a little bit. Went to the doc to set up my next chemo and it turned out that my white blood cells were down so I got a week reprieve. That week turned out great. Got more energy and was able to eat "almost" meals that tasted great.
An aside here. I'm not hungery so I eat because it's "time to eat" and thank God I've got my tastes back so food tastes good, again.
With the strength that I gained I handled my fifth chemo fine. Unhooked yesterday from the 5FU and really had no major problems last week. Today, I'm getting a bit of sore throat but that's to be expected. The fantastic news is that I only have one more round of it and then they do a scan to see the results. With the way I'm feeling I believe it's going to be great.
Please continue to hold up my cancer journey warriors, Jimmy D, Judy W, Gary C and Melissa C. Cancer ain't for sissies!
Caregiver Lynda is my rock. God is Good.