November News

Me again! Still here...still motoring along. Treatments have been continuing every two weeks, and I had my latest scan on October 29th. Man, it covered everything...pretty comprehensive scan. Reports on like every organ in my body, which for the most part are "unremarkable", lol. That's doctor talk for "nothing bad there". But as far as the areas where there is trouble in organville, the reports show a mix bag of response to treatments. Some of the cancerous masses have shrunk a mm or two. A couple have grown a mm or two, but nothing severely alarming. My oncologist said that there was nothing in the scans and reports that were concerning. Steady as she goes.

The good news is that he feels comfortable enough to take me off the Oxaliplatin for a bit. That's the really harsh, heavy-hitting chemo drug that leaves me feeling pretty bad for 3-4 days, besides severe cold sensitivity and bad tastes in my mouth, etc, etc. Instead, we'll do immunotherapy and the lighter chemo cocktail that I take home in this pump gadget for 48 hours. This routine began Monday and I came home feeling much better, just a bit tired. I was able to rake leaves yesterday and go to the gym and generally not feel like something you might have scraped off of the bottom of your shoe. We head out to get the pump disconnected this afternoon. Then it's two weeks off (well, a week and a half I guess) until I go back for treatment again. The plan right now is to give me a break from the Oxali until I see the doctor again, in mid-December. What a relief! My oncologist said that I have definitely had more Oxali treatments than most people are given, or can tolerate. The effect it has on the body is really harsh and can even lead to permanent neuropathy if taken for too long. I've had at least double the amount of Oxali treatments that most people get/can tolerate.

My weight is at a good spot and steady. I'm much stronger and been hitting the gym pretty much five days a week (I lose a day or two when I have to go to treatment, or get the pump removed - it's pretty much a whole day to drive out to Winchester, VA, treatment time, then drive back). My appetite is good. I've been writing and gaming and keeping up with house and yard work, chopping and stacking wood for the winter, tackling the massive amount of leaves.

I've got some new writing projects going on, and my next book is out next month (The Incredible, Shrinking Grump - Book 9 in the Junior Monster Scouts series). I'll have a new book series announcement soon. On Halloween, I did an event at Wordplay, in Wardensville, WV. Wordplay was giving out candy and one free book per child (courtesy of Wordplay Connects, their non-profit arm). The line stretched around the building and most of the kids wanted my books (which were highlighted/featured). Some of the kids claimed they didn't even want candy, just a book signed by me! I signed almost 130 books in about an hour, lol. It was crazy!

The weather has been unnaturally warm for November (but climate change is a hoax, right?). I was outside in a t-shirt yesterday, raking and leaf blowing. But Jess and I are doing okay, for the most part. We live every day with the reality of what is lurking inside of me and future uncertainty, but we live...and we navigate it together. To quote a lyric from Social Distortion (which is actually tattooed on my arm): Reach for the sky, because tomorrow may never come. Yesterday is history, tomorrow is a mystery.

Thanks for reading and for keeping up with my journey!