There is no sign of Alien life on this planet.

We, as in Kim and I, went back last weekend to Chicago for my post treatment 6 weekend checkup.

Had PET Scan and CT scan and blood work done on Saturday with doctors consult

on Monday.  Saturday's not the day to have testing done at a Mon-Fri normal operation kind of place.

They had a skeleton crew on and they were all on the "odd" side of life, not to mention lacking in a little bedside manners and skill. 

But I got my testing completed and now had to wait until Monday for the results. Needless to say, things were a little tense for 48 hours.

Sunday went to see my mom in Milwaukee, who is slowly loosing the battle with dementia.

She is 82 and has hallucinations and memory loss and it is getting progressively worse, although slowly.  She still lives by herself in her house of 50 years and motors around pretty well, although minus her car and we started having help coming in twice a day to oversee her eating and taking her meds.

My sister, who's a saint in my book, has taken on overseeing not only her day to day activity but her financial as well.

Mom curses her out and treats my Sis like dirt, but Sis carries on.  She gets hurt occasionally, but just sort of blows off the pain and continues to forge on.  At the rate of my mom's decay, in 2013 we may have to make the big decision of taking her out of her house for a "home" or bringing in a full time nurse to care for her.  She's already had her driving taken away, which really torks her off, but she got lost one day for hours (she was only 1/2 mile from her house) and Sis had to call the cops.  I feel for her not being able to drive but it's the best decision to keep her and the world safe!

So that was a short and mixed emotional visit.  Back to the hospital for my results.

Saw both my Oncologists and they both confirmed from the tests/scans that I had no visible signs of cancerous growth left in my body.  Apparently, the 70 radiation treatments, 8 Chemo's, and the rest of the crap that happened over the summer did the job.  

I was declared a free man!  There was a great grey funk that lifted that afternoon and it was very difficult to hide our joy as we passed the many not so lucky other patients as we left the hospital.

I now have to finish my recoup and in February go back up for a follow up with testing again to see if the all clear is indeed all clear.

I am still recouping from the radiation.  I'm just starting to eat solid foods.  This weekend I ate 1/2 of a pancake with lots of butter and syrup and about  2/3's of a large cup of coffee with lots of creamer.  Took a while; my throat still doesn't swallow properly yet, but it's a start.  Things I used to like, garlic for one, still taste bad.  But it's baby steps at this point.  It's only been 7 weeks since my last radiation.  Some patients take up to a year before they start eating solid foods.  

Timely for the week of Thanksgiving, I am feeling very thankful and relieved.  There has been a huge stress that has lifted off our household.  Kim and I can jump start our lives from what looked like, 6 months ago, to be a dead '75 Gremlin sitting in the driveway.

I will continue to post as I recoup and that life for everyone is moving in a positive direction.

I feel that if you are in a low point in your life, have a little faith and patience.  Life will turn for the better if you focus on the positive and eliminate the negative from your surroundings. 

I have a renewed faith in that statement.

November and the leaves are gone

It's November 7. The leaves changing colors is over and thank the heavens the election is over as well.  Now we, as in the U.S.of A., can get back to non partisan bickering again and accomplishing nothing in way of rebuilding our country!  There has to be a better way for our democracy and people to come together better than a natural disaster.  It baffles me as I sit at home and slowly recover from treatments.
And I am recovering!  Slowly, ever so slowly, but moving forward in a positive direction.
This morning I am actually enjoying a 50/50 blend of coffee and hot chocolate.  I really miss that morning coffee so much that I'm making myself drink past my semi sore and semi clogged throat.
I am also very nervous.  On Friday I go back to CTCA for my 6 week follow up since my last treatment.  I will have blood work, CT scan, Pet scan, and Dr's consultation as to how I stand in the fight beating my cancer.  Kim and I are both very anxious and the anticipation is grinding on us.
I haven't been very open and chatty for the past 4 months.  That's not something that is new, I have always been withdrawn emotionally at time of difficulty, it's how my right brain logic works.
Withdraw, process, proceed!  In the words of Spock,  "It's all very logical".  Not very emotional, which is where Kim is on the Brain vs Heart Life line.  Here's a diagram:

Emotion___Kirk________Kim_____________________________Jay___________Spock____Logic

So, off we fly Friday morning, all pensive and wound up tighter than a drum.  I will post next week
what the findings are and what is to be the next direction in my journey.

November, it's such a "brown" month.