The Bell Tolls for Thee!!!

Well, Campers, on Friday, May 16, 2014, at about 9 AM, I got to ring the bell after the completion of my last radiation treatment!!  The object in my left had is the mask that they used to attach me to the table to hold me in place while the radiation was occurring.  And, yes, is was as comfortable as it looks. . .  ;-)

Thoughts??  I got a million and I've got nothin'.  Relief to be done, to move ahead, to explore the next level. In an interesting adaptation of Charles Dickens, the next few days of the process will be the best of times and the worst of times.  The worst of times in that this will truly be the lowest point - 35 radiation treatments and 3 weeks of chemo have been administered.  My body has taken on the full load of poisons that it can bear. And it doesn't realize yet that it's not going to get any more.  For the past few days, I've probably slept about 20 hours a day.  When I'm not asleep, I'm feeding and/or feeling nauseous.  BUT. . .  Somewhere in the next couple days, the old bod will realize that it's not got to be asked to ingest anymore vile substances and will begin the arduous process of healing and recovering.

Then, the waiting game begins. . .   Over the next few weeks and months, I will make periodic trips to Moffitt for check-ups and evaluation.  I'm not sure when yet, but somewhere out there will be another PET Scan.  That, my friends, will tell the tell the tale.  If medical science has performed the magic that I think is has, I will be pronounced to be clean, or in remission, or some such, and will start the five year journey required to be officially called a  'cancer survivor'.  Note that at this point, we're not even entertaining any other possibilities.

Given my habits of the past few days, I'd normally be asleep by now, so the rest of this will most likely meander. . .   But I want to share the stories of a couple of my fellow cancer patients.  There's Dan that just finished his third week of radiation for some sort of throat cancer.  He's only having radiation, but no chemo. I spoke to him for the first time the first week he was there and he was having the same anxieties as I had had.  So, he was the first person that I was in any way able to reassure that it will all work out.  And, I do believe he will make it through.  He's a really good person whose heart is in the right place.  And Dan is the one other patient I will keep in touch with.  He's a year or two older than I am and seems to be by himself.  Unfortunately, he lives in Lutz (substantially north of Sarasota) so there's really no way I can drive up to visit him as I don't know when I'm going to feel safe driving again.  But I will definitely find the time to call now and then..

Finally, life truly is a circle.  On Thursday, which was my last day of chemo fluid infusion, I met a guy from Englewood who was there with his seeming girlfriend/significant other. Again, a couple of years older than me, but then who in Englewood isn't??  (Local joke. . .)  Anyway, he was finishing his chemo infusion for his first week of chemo.  He has the exact same strain of the disease as me, with a difference being that he was also a smoker.  So, he has the same team of oncologists but he will be doing four chemo treatments instead of the three that I did.  He was a little bit scared, I could tell, and it was good to be able to share with him.  What's funny is that the doctors must be telling him the same things they told me, 'cause I would say something and his girlfriend would say something like;, 'See, that is what happens.'  It was kind of funny and reassuring at the same time.

Well, gang, I'm on borrowed time.  I'm hoping that this week turns things around and I have my first follow-up appointment on Tuesday.  I will share more then.

Peace and love to all!!
Joe