Day Plus 1

So I made it. It was actually a lot more anti-climactic than I thought. I just slept through infusion. Today I'm feeling weak, my stomach hurts from time to time, but I feel relatively good considering everything.

On Monday I get another spinal tap where the docs will inject more chemo to my brain to get rid of the CNS which stands for central nervous system. I think I mentioned in the last post that there's a little leukemia in the brain, which is why I was having those headaches. I'm not saying that I'm going to win 7 Tour Du Frances, but does my story sound like anybody else's???

All in all, I'm feeling good and am thankful for all the support.

Go giants!

Today is the big day

I just finished my first round of radiation and then have one more in the early afternoon. After that, it's the stem cell transfusion. I am so nervous. I want this to go flawlessly. I actually want to be better than I was before. I am not a prayer guy, have never felt religious, but if you're praying for me, thank you!

An update

So since I last posted, there have been a few developments. I'm not if I'd mentioned that I was having headaches, but three days ago I had a CAT scan to see if there were any irregularities in my brain. From the CAT scan the answer was no, unless you thought I was lacking in that department (ha!). But the headaches kept persisting. So I urged my doctor to give me an MRI. First off, let me say that an MRI is a claustrophobic persons nightmare. It took many muscle relaxing pills to get me into that machine. Yesterday, one of the doctors on my team came by to say that they did find an abnormality in the brain and that it's either an infection or CNS which is where the leukemia makes its way into the central nervous system. To determine this I had to do a spinal tap. So last night I had the pineal tap done...it was painful. When the needle gets stuck in the spine, it can snag a nerve and that's what happened a couple of times. So during this procedure, the doc removed 20 cc's of brain fluid and injected 5 cc's of chemo. This morning I was told that it is CNS. Rest assured though. This is very treatable and I'm working with the best team in the country. Just in case you weren't aware, years ago most to all bone marrow transplants never survived. But there was a doctor in Seattle who kept at it and revolutionized this practice. The team of doctors that are working with my fight have all studied under this doctor.

In short, I'm not changing my timeline and look to be better than ever soon enough.

Thank you for all the support. And I will continue to provide updates.

Much love!

Z

Day 1 of radiation is done

So I've gotten through the first day of radiation. Not the most pleasant experience. And it's not because of the radiation but instead because I have to sit still on a bicycle for close to 30 mins.

My main struggle right now are all the headaches. I keep getting them and at night they become more and more intense. Hopefully they'll soon go away. Not sure if it's stress or not, but the staff is monitoring.

On a brighter note, I ran a mile today and did a bit of the insanity work out from memory. While doing this I came up with an idea for all of us. My idea is to achieve my goals but also see if there's a way I can help you achieve yours. So you know my goals from my first post. But of course my main goal is to get healthy and enjoy my life with my wife, family and friends. What I ask is, what are your goals? If you care to share them with me, I will do what I can help you get there.

Chemo's done

Just finished the chemo today and then start radiation on Tuesday. Thankfully I have energy through this and rode 30 mins on the stationary bike. I'm going to have the physical therapists work with me everyday so that I have extra motivation to get back into shape. Pretty wiped now so I'm signing off.

The new norm

Now that I'm back in the hospital and have had about 10 hrs to get acclimated a lot of my feelings from my last hospital stay are coming back. The big feeling is helplessness. And what I mean by that is I'm a control freak. I want to be in control of whatever situation I'm in. I also want to help affect family and friends in a positive way. But when I can't be home to help my wife out, that takes a lot away from me. Or if I can't be there for a friend or someone in my family it drives me nuts. I know, I always seem so even keel. Ha ha.

There hasn't been a time when I couldn't control or at least have the ability to control a situation. This is going to be the new normal for a while.

Back in the hospital

So, I'm back. I just got admitted the presbyterian st lukes (PSL) today. As much as I was a fan of porter hospital, this place has got some great amenities, such as a flat screen tv, a stationary bike, access to a gym and I can eat fruit and vegetables. it's amazing how little things like this make such a big difference. I start chemo in about 2 hrs. I'll let you know tomorrow how I feel.

It's on!