New chemo - lardassathol

Monday - It’s been a pretty boring last few days, thankfully. I just came from the dermatologist; you’d think all the chemo would kill any kind of cancer anywhere, but they removed some suspicious looking things from my back and face. No jokes. I went for a hike along the beach north of Cayucos earlier today, and had enough energy to go about 3 miles round trip, I’d guess, with some small uphills thrown in. I am not a big bundle of energy lately, though. I basically sat and watched basketball and napped all weekend, with a movie or some TV golf thrown in here and there for variety.

This will be the big challenge; not falling into a pattern of lethargy that lasts after the leukemia is beaten down. I am sure a lot of this energy level is caused by the chemo, but some of it is laziness, using the excuse of the chemo to just sit on my ass. I better have a talk with myself, straighten me out.

I started back in on editing the old videotapes into DVDs. I have made it past all the old VHS and 8mm, and now I am starting the newer stuff on digital tape. Time consuming stuff, but there are some real nuggets in there. I am making one copy of everything that is on the tape, and then I will make some more interesting and more edited versions. One idea is to make some actual skits where 15 year old John is talking to 8 year old John and 12 year old Mike. That could take some time.

Mac was kind enough to send me this picture of the deer stand they’re going to use down Alabamy way; this sucker comes complete with smoker, Ho-Spice stove, bar, shower and toilet, and has 8-track of all your C&W stars.



Just for comparison, here is the tree stand we use here in CA, totally handicapped accessible. This sucker can go from 0-60 in 7.8 seconds, tops out at 75 mph, gets 18 mpg and can track a deer for miles. This baby comes with a 100-CD changer, DVD, refrigerator, bar, heated seats and bulletproof windows.


I took some pics of the cards, letters and photos famous celebrities have been sending me. Dana sent out piles of cards to various people, to see who would respond, and these are some of the responses. The Michael Jordan stuff came yesterday, and he threw in a nice t-shirt. Vanna and I are going out to breakfast this weekend, when she will be in the neighborhood. Man, she really hardens my consonants and turns my vowels!








Wednesday - I went over my chemo routine with the Oncology nurse at the Doctor’s yesterday, with an eye for which chemo treatments are requiring a PICC line. It turns out, at least in her opinion, that all other treatments can go regular IV. I need to ask the doctor on next Tuesday if we can remove the PICC line. I think the tradeoff of some IV pain for the mobility of my left arm will be well worth it. I would be able to golf, maybe even surf the small stuff if the blood counts were all high. The fact is I feel better now than in January, except for the lethargy from chemo, and that can be ignored with some extra caffeine. I certainly would have less excuse to turn into the giant lardass I am becoming.

Let’s see, what did we think would happen when you quit smoking and lose that nicotine metabolism boost, eat twice as much as normal while locked in an isolation ward, restrict motion with a PICC line, dump lethargarinase and lardassathol into the system, and then have your friends bring you meals for twelve people, including three desserts, a couple of times a week? No pictures, but this is getting ugly.

Mac, don't shoot me, those deer on my forehead are just pictures!