A New Year!

Now that the New Year is on the doorstep and the year of checkups, chemo and skin cancer removal are past, I look forward to a time without such worries...at least for a while! Peace to all of you and I wish you a healthy, happy new year!

Removal

Last week I had some Squamous Cell Carcinoma and Basal Cell Carcinoma removed from my chest. It has been said that a person is more susceptible to skin cancers with CLL. Nice to be able to prove that point.....just kidding. Just another bump in the road. Otherwise, all is good.

Good news!

10/8/12 CT scan shows the best possible results from the chemo. All nodes and spleen are back to normal size! Blood work where it should be after 6 rounds of FCR. Phew...now I can get some sleep this week. Onward and Upward! Next appointment, 3 months with another CT scan and a bone marrow biopsy. Gotta keep the good news rolling!

Lest I Forget

When I forget to live a healthy life or when the beast comes again, this photo will remind me of my time in the chair. I don't want to go back anytime soon!

DONE!

Cycle 6 is done! No more chemo.....at least for (hopefully) a very long time! Nurses were psyched as was I. In 4 weeks I get a CT scan and then a Dr. appointment to talk about it. Later on, 4-6 months I'll get a bone marrow biopsy to see how deep the chemo went. That will be the true test. Slowly my blood counts will come back to normal and I'll feel a ton better. I can't complain too much. I've felt pretty good on the off weeks. I await the chemo hangover tomorrow which will last a few days then back to work! More to follow as the days progress.

Cycle 6, day 1 and 2

To sum up days 1 and 2..uneventful! I feel pretty good so far. They had a minor blow out on my vein today. No biggy, they just went up the line! Tomorrow will be my last for a long while...I hope. I am looking forward to it! It may be a bit anticlimatic. Can't really celebrate yet. Just knowing it's done will have to do. The fall out from the chemo usually starts on Friday but adrenaline might make me feel better than usual as I have been full of it in anticipation of the finish. I'll fill you in on tomorrow. Until then....

Head Games

I've had nightmares of going to start my last cycle and having the nurse tell me they did it wrong and will have to do it all again! Wouldn't it be great if all of this was curative? My doctors tell me that there may be a cure by the time I need treatment again. I hope so. After a month or so I'll be tested to see how the chemo did. I'm sure to be anxious, longing to hear what I fear I will not. In the end I will go back to goals. When diagnosed in 2006 @ 46 years old, my goal was to make 50 before treatment and I made it to 52. Now my goal will be 58 or beyond before the need to do something again. "That which we manifest is before us." My mantra from The Art of Racing in the Rain by Garth Stein. Anyway, I blather on with obvious thoughts on the future of my next watch and wait.

Cycle 6 Starts Tuesday, 9/11/12

My 6th and likely final cycle of chemotherapy for CLL starts this Tuesday and ends Thursday. I am really looking forward to getting back to some sense of normal! I'm planning on a long remission. Let's see how the cards play out. I'll let you know how things go this week and then will reveal the schedule and results of my CT scan and bone marrow biopsy. They will be a good predictor of what I'm planning. More later.

The Days After

The days after cycle 5 went like this: Friday and Saturday I had the "chemo hangover." This is a general ill feeling which includes being tired, achy, not hungry and dizzy. I have no desire to do much of anything during this time but read and watch a little TV. On Sunday I woke up and felt about the same. The difference was that I forced myself to go outside and do a project. While working and moving about, I generated a sweat and soon afterward I felt better. Markedly better. Today which is Monday, I did some Cross Country coaching for two hours which did not mean I did the physical activity, just that I spoke to the athletes, directed them and helped prepare for a stretching drill tomorrow. After that, I grabbed some lunch and played 18 holes of golf using a cart, not walking. While I am tired now (evening) I feel good and think it's a "good" tired. I don't know if it's the sweat that did it but that seemed to correspond to the upswing of feeling better. Usually I start feeling better by the Tuesday after treatment, not Sunday. For what ever reason, I'm glad of it and hope to make it happen after my last round next month. Until then, onward and upward!

Cycle 5, DONE!

Not much going on with this last infusion. I have lost a bit of my apatite but will make sure to eat anyway. I am feeling pretty good, just a little weary but all in all...good. I am very excited to note that I only have one more infusion scheduled for September, then a few tests to determine how well things went. The doctors have been very positive about how well I did with the treatment. I am too. There were a few burps and hiccups along the way and there may be more but I don't think there will be any I haven't already experienced. I look forward to finishing up and going back to a somewhat more normal life. It really has not been any time to work out. Most times you just don't have it in you and when you do exert yourself you can get a little dizzy. Once I detoxify I will get back to some long walks and light weights. For now, it's all about healing.

Day 2, cycle 5

Got a fair nights sleep last night and felt good this morning! Day 2 is in the books and it's been uneventful. After 2.5 hours of Fludara and Cytoxin, we went shopping and grabbed a bite to eat at Chipotle. I was hungry! Then we went to calling hours for a friends mom who passed away. Sad. Home to picking cherry tomatoes and fixing to use them in a fresh pasta sauce. I have to take advantage of feeling good. The shoe usually drops on Friday. Anyway that's it for now. Gotta go out and mow the lawn. More tomorrow.

Day 1 Cycle 5

Well day one, cycle 5 went off with out a hitch today. I started with a blood test and urinalysis at about 8:25 am, a meet with my doctor at about 8:50 and sat down in the infusion center with an IV saline drip at 9:30. Meds came up about 10 and I started with Retuxin which took about 4 hours. I finished with the Fludara and Cytoxin after that and was out of there by 3:20 pm. It was my long day but now I only have one long day left and that's in cycle 6. That's great news! I will be so glad to finish up next month. I'm a bit weary and road warn but it is a familiar feeling. I'm just going to rest tonight and get ready for day 2. All in all, not a bad day. More to come.

Round 5

I'm gearing up for round 5! All the fun starts Tuesday. ;) I've been feeling good and my counts are where they should be. I'll keep you up to date as the next chemo session progresses. That's all for now!

Hangover

Today was hangover time. That's pretty much how I felt all day. The issue is that I didn't have the pleasure of enjoying the night before! Tired, dizzy, poor apatite, little aches and pains, a flushed feeling. That pretty much sums it up. I know it gets better, I just hate wasting a nice day. I will chalk it up to part of the price paid for kicking this into remission. I'm looking forward to playing a show with my band on Thursday. I should be out of this funk by then......

Cycle 4 Done!

Well I am pleased to say that cycle 4 is done. No issues w/ the chemo thus far but they did have to root around in my left arm to find an elusive vein to no avail. They just went to the other arm and hit it spot on. That's unusual because the nurses always comment on my large "pipes." One thing I have not suffered this round is the dreaded constipation. What a "load" off my mind, pardon the pun! Two doses of Mira lax per day during treatment does the trick. One in the morning and one in the evening. That's what you call keepin' it loose! Hahaha! I have had a little difficulty sleeping...as usual. It's probably the steroids you have to take pre-treatment. That usually fades by the weekend. All in all no complaints! Two more cycles to go then I hope for a complete remission. Come September I will be a happy man. Send your positive vibes!

Day 1, Cycle 4

Well, day one cycle 4 is in the books! I went to the cancer center at 7 am and left at 3 pm. Not all of that was chemo. It starts with a blood test and then a consult with the team to make sure the CBC was where it needed to be; in my case one of the important ones, the neutrophil count was > than 1 at 1.5. I believe the unit is k/microliter of blood. So the chemo started right on schedule at 9 am and finished at 3 pm. The Retuxan or "big bag" takes the most time. It's about a liter and takes about 4 hours. The other 2 are half hour drips each but there's a few saline flushes in between. A long day but not a bad day. Just feeling a little tired right now. All good at the front so far! More tomorrow!

Infusion Week

I start round 4 this week. Looking forward to moving past the halfway mark! Meanwhile I'm raising funds for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society through the Light the Night campaign. If you're interested in donating you can do it on my page. Here's the website: http://pages.lightthenight.org/wcny/Rochestr12/JLynch
More about cycle 4 as it progresses. More later.

One Week Out From Cycle 3

It's been almost a week since I finished cycle 3 and I feel great! Yesterday, I played 18 holes of golf. Today I took a bike ride down to the farmers market, bought some veggies and watched my friend George entertain the crowd with some fine music. It was hot at 88 degrees but it was less humid than the proverbial dog days. Good to be alive! Tomorrow I have some more bike riding on tap and some swim time. I also have a book to finish...might get to that. At any rate all is well. I'll catch up with you before the start of cycle 4. Over and out.

The Day After

Not a bad day today. I was a little tired and spent most of the morning and early afternoon on the couch, reading the paper and watching home improvement shows. Then I perked up enough to go out and mow the lawn! I think we're just going to watch a movie tonight. I really have to force myself to rest. It's not easy because you don't feel too bad. However, I learned last cycle that you can over do and send yourself into a tail spin. Not this time!

Cycle 3 Done!

Cycle 3 is in the books and I'm feeling good! I'm now halfway to the finish. The only complaint is the dreaded morning after constipation. I'm throwing everything in the book at it and it still is an issue but not as bad as the first two cycles thankfully. I guess some experience the opposite result in their journey with treatment and every morning I think of them with jealousy. Hahaha! Did you ever hear someone say that before? I'll let you know how things go over the next several days. Until then.

2 Days Down, 1 to go

Today went well. In at 10 am and out by 12:30 pm. One miss at putting in my I.V. but no bruised bulls eye to be seen, thankfully. The staff that tend to me are wonderful, positive people. I give them a lot of credit because their patients aren't always in the best condition or mood. Every drug is scanned and the chemo drugs are checked by two people as they enter it on your computerized chart. They are moving constantly between patients and are always back quickly when the alarm sounds on my chemo tree signifying it's time to change drugs or that the flow has stopped for some fixable reason. Then there's the volunteers who tend the snack cart bringing tasty edibles to everyone there. They also bring you a warm blanket when needed or adjust your pillow. Great people too! The experience is about as good as it can be as I've said before. Anyway, time for some r and r. More tomorrow.

1 day down, 2 to go

One day of two is in the books. Feeling pretty good, even took a swim when I got home! Got a good nap in during the infusion, read, cruised the internet and ate a ton. It's been said that a body on chemo is like a preheating oven, using a bunch of energy to get where it needs to be. The stove you feed natural gas, the body needs food and a lot of it. I really put it away and I've still managed to lose a few pounds! Anyway, all good today and will hope for the same tomorrow and Friday.

Go time

It's a go today for my infusion. Neutrophils were at 1.8 (1800) yesterday so that was the ticket. I will be getting a little less of the drugs this round though because they don't want to postpone treatment again. It's best to stay on schedule and I appreciate that. Especially when you're trying to plan life around the infusion dates. You have to be flexible at any rate just in case. Yesterday I received a Pertussis booster shot due to my exposure to it at work. I hope my immune system can formulate the antibodies to it. It's questionable but it's a no risk shot. That's all for now. More later.

Neutrophils are up

Looks like chemo is a go this week! I'm at 1300. One more blood test today to confirm but it looks like a go! More to come....

Round 3 part 2

If my neutrophils are back, I'll get dazed and infused on Wednesday. I really want to get this done. Cross your fingers for me!

Postponed!

Cycle three is postponed, at best until tomorrow, at worst until next week. My absolute neutrophil count is too low for treatment. It dropped 300 since last week and is 100 below the cutoff. DARN! The lower your neutrophil count, the more vulnerable you are to infectious diseases. If you have severe neutropenia — fewer than about 500 cells per microliter of blood — bacteria normally present in your mouth and digestive tract can cause infections. I have 900, so I will have to be careful. Send positive energy for in increase of 100+ by tomorrow!

Cycle 3

Cycle three starts tomorrow. Wish me luck! More info to come as I maneuver through the unknown. The second cycle was a little worse than the first. I'm hoping that was an anomaly but the doc told me they will increase in intensity. I'll let you know.

Back to Work

Back to work tomorrow and I look forward to it! Nothing makes you feel more normal than a day on the job! The next round of chemo is on the books for June 12, 13 and 14. The half way mark, then it's all down hill to the finish! If something odd comes up I'll report on it in a post, if not I'm just going to wait until the next round. More to come......

Great News and Fallout

Great news on my blood work! It's showing excellent results, meaning that the chemo is doing it's job. My counts are sufficient so that I do not need to boost their production with the use of Procrit or Neulasta and I am thankful for that! While I felt good after my last infusion on Thursday during cycle 2, the next few days found me in a downward trend, finally bottoming out yesterday. After a round of tests at my scheduled doctor appointment yesterday to rule out a bunch of things, I am happy to report that my ills were most likely just fall out from either the chemo itself or from the side effects of the ancillary medications I take to ward off rogue viruses and bacteria. I am bouncing back today and I expect the trend to continue. The doc says more rest is needed even when I feel good. I can do that. As a side note, I am dismayed with seeing the number of people coming in for cancer treatment. In the three days I was there, about 150 people were being treated per day. Even more disturbing is that since I've been there, two people I know were diagnosed with lymphoma and are currently being staged and prepared for treatment, another good friend was diagnosed with a form of tissue cancer and some acquaintances have been diagnosed with prostate and pancreatic cancer. We live in a toxic world that is certainly messing with or internal structures. Either we're getting better at diagnosing these problems or our world is becoming increasingly poisoned. I think it's a combination of both. The bottom line? Keep or make your checkups with your doctors. Early detection is the best prevention and leads to a greater chance of positive outcomes. Time to get off my soapbox I have some resting to do!

Cycle 2 Done!

Cycle 2 is in the books and I'm feeling pretty good! I think the beautiful weather helps! One third of the way done and so far the experience is o.k. Now I'll just have to wait until Tuesday to find out if I have an immune system....with a blood test. If all is well, then it's just 25 days from today until my next cycle. Nothing else to report. Thanks for checking in! More to come after my checkup next Tuesday. Until then it's rest and relaxation. Later on my friends and enjoy the great spring weather!

Feeling Good

After my 10 hour first day I felt good this morning. The sun was shining and I went out and mowed the lawn! Right now I'm sitting in the infusion chair finishing my second and last drug for the day. Just an F/C day today. Fludara and Cytoxan. This is the stuff that kills the white blood cells. I had some yesterday too. The drug I received yesterday in conjunction with these (Retuxan) helps these two drugs home in on the cancerous cells by attaching to a protein (CD20) on their surfaces. Pretty cool science! The only problem is that the F/C also lower some of your other blood cells. Therefore there is a need to monitor/test my blood weekly from start to finish for the 6 months of treatment. If counts go down, then they give me a blood cell growth stimulant. You have to maintain some semblance of an immune system, cellular respiration system and clotting system! Even so, I'm on an antiviral and antibiotic just in case. I believe I'll take those until the end of all the cycles also. So that's my story and I'm sticking with it! Until tomorrow......

Cycle 2 Day1

Well 8 hrs turned into 10 today....that's the way it goes in the infusion center! Your drugs get prepared when your doctor signs the orders and you check in. We checked in but the orders weren't signed, so a two hour delay ensued. Oh well, could be worse. You do have to be your own advocate at probably any hospital. Reminding, correcting, double checking etc. Remember, question everything....it keeps them on their toes. Anyway I took the biggest dose of Retuxin today with no problems, now I'm done for this cycle with that drug. Nice! Tomorrow and Thursday are the short days...I'll tell you how that turns out.

Cycle 2

Well, cycle 2 starts tomorrow. Again, I don't know what to expect. It all begins with blood work, then a meeting with my doctor. Tomorrow will be my longest day, maybe 6 or 7 hours of infusion, plus the 1 hour of lab/doc talk. Wednesday and Thursday are shorter, 3-4 hours. On the positive side, they have wifi so I can cruise the net, watch youtube video or shop! I listen to Fight the Good Fight by Triumph to psych myself up at the beginning of my IV. It seems to help! All in all, it's painless and comfortable, just time consuming. I'll write more on the other side of it. Until then...........

Round 2 Coming Up

One week to go until round two. Not looking forward to it but when I finish I will be 1/3 done. I'm hoping that it goes as easy as the 1st round! Beside being tired, constipated and dizzy it wasn't the worst thing. Note to self: When undergoing chemotherapy, lay in supplies of laxative and softener. Start them on the first day. I'll thank myself later! Hahahaha! Until next week......

Back to Work

Just a quick update....feeling very good and looking forward to going back to work. I'm going to talk to my doc about taking me off of Valtrex....the anti-viral med, or at least lowering the dose. It seems to give my heart an irregular beat. Do you ever get that feeling that your heart is drumming to a different beat? That's the feeling I get and I'm quite aware of it. Anyway, we'll see what he says. In two weeks I start cycle 2. I hope it goes as well as cycle 1. I'll keep you posted.

Results are in

O.K. I had to report this. My doctor was very pleased with the results of the chemo. My blood work is more normal than it's been in years! The little cancerous white blood cells took a wallop, my lymph nodes are normal and my spleen has markedly decreased in size. After only one cycle......wow! He even took me off allopurinol since my uric acid is fine. Less meds means less toxicity.  One cycle down, five to go. Next one starts 5/15.  On a side note, I read a quote just when I needed it. It said, "That which you manifest is before you." From the book, The Art of Racing in the Rain by Garth Stein. Reminded me of the importance of believing in positive outcomes. I won't delude myself to think that this always is true but it sure gets you through the dark days.

Snow Day

I am thankful for the snow day today! That means I have company (my lovely wife, who also has the day off) and I wasn't charged for a sick day! Bonus! Cooking a stew and going out to get some supplies. I'm a bit light headed but some would say that's normal! I'll blog more when there's something new to share. Otherwise, all is good.

Deletion of Anti-nausea Meds

Feeling almost human today! No anti-nausea meds and feelin' fine about that! Just the anti-viral and another called Allopurinol which is a class of medication called a xanthine oxidase inhibitor. It works by reducing the production of uric acid in the body. Uric acid can build up with the death of the cancer cells. If it wasn't addressed, the kidneys might have trouble. It's all about balance. Anyway, looking forward to the week. The further the infusions get behind me, the better I feel. I have a doc appointment coming up to check my progress. I'll be interested in seeing my blood work results. That will show how the treatment worked so far. Don't know what to expect. They were headed down after the first day of treatment. Five more cycles should bury it deep. I'll keep you posted.

Two Days Out

After a rough start today I'm feeling better. Even had a chance to play some guitar! The ancillary drugs you have to take play havoc with the plumbing, sleep and the head. Either that or it's leftover from the chemo. I may be able to go off the anti-nausea meds tomorrow, that might help. While I haven't felt nauseous, the fear is that once I go off, I will. That may not be the case since I am no longer receiving the chemo for this cycle. At any rate, I may experiment a little tomorrow. Step by step, day by day....that's the way it'll have to be.

The Day After

Feeling pretty good today. The weather helps! Some fatigue but that's to be expected. Had a chance to get outside and enjoy the sunshine. Now I'm watching movies. Guess I should be resting up so that's what I'll do!

Day 3

Day three is in the books! Faster than I thought. They were able to push the meds quickly after figuring out how to interrupt my allergic response to the Retuxan. Everyone gets some form of reaction. Mine was just a small rash on Monday which they know how to handle. So today they up the Benadryl and give hydrocortizone right off the bat, both in IV drips. Home now feeling good and hungry. No nausea, probably thanks to meds but I don't want to do it any other way! Don't know how I'll feel later....more of the unknown. I'm am maximally toxified at this point so there may be repercussions. Time will tell. Next report tomorrow but I am a happy man knowing I'm done for 25 days!!!

Day 2

Things are going well and fast today! Should be home for the afternoon. Today is the day we increase the toxicity of two of the chemo drugs. Tomorrow is the long day, maybe 8 hours because of the need to do the Retuxan slowly. After this cycle I get Retuxan only during the first day where this cycle I had to do it on day 1 and 3. I feel good..the steroids get me jacked up. Felt like running this morning but knew it was the drugs talkin' so I didn't! More tonight!

Lift off

Lift off! Heading to Wilmot Cancer Centrer. Blood work, talk with my doctor, then the infusion of the FCR cocktail. This day seemed so far away......more later.
-We'll it's 3 pm and one drug is done...the Retuxan. Minimal reaction of rash. Benedryl took care of that. You get a bit loopy but it beats the alternative. Two drugs to go, Fluderabine and Cyclophosphamide. A half hour each. I can do this! The staff has been great...the different drugs I take on top of the FCR would make a pharmacist blush. They find a balance and it makes future infusions easier. Nap time. More tomorrow.
-10:40 pm....still feel good! Two more days and 1 of 6 cycles are done! Also to note, ate half of a pizza and washed it down with a protein shake for dinner. Hey, a man's gotta eat! LOL!

T-minus 2 days

Strange emotions as the time for treatment approaches. I have to wrap my brain around it. Expect the unexpected. More to come.

Randomization

It's official. I have been randomized into my clinical trial and will receive the standard treatment of FCR. Fludarabine (F) and cyclophosphamide (C) are chemotherapy drugs that prevent cancer cells from dividing and growing, and can eventually cause the cancer cells to shrink and die. Rituximab (R) is a new type of drug, called a monoclonal antibody, which targets cancer cells more precisely than chemotherapy drugs. What's "nice" is that it's three days of treatment and 25 days off. Then five more of the same. T-minus 5 days and the games begin.

T-minus 14 days

Bone marrow biopsy done, check. Eight vials of blood taken, check. Urinalysis done, check. Countdown T-minus 14 days to lift-off. Over and out.....for now.

Prelaunch

The photo above is of the launch pads at Cape Canaveral just before a shuttle lift off. It kind of felt like a metaphor for where I am today.
My CT scan is done. Check. Next will be my bone marrow biopsy. I had one before and it was rather painless. There are two words you need to know before getting it done though. They are: "Ativan, please!" That puts your mind at ease before they bring out the big needle. They could've sawn my leg off and I would have been fine with it! Good stuff. After that comes the staging of my disease and the F.I.S.H. test which determines the chromosomal abnormalities to my white "B" cells. Some chromosomal abnormalities have poor prognostic indications which determines how well the chemo works. I had good factors before but they can morph. I'm hoping that they haven't!

Prep

It's interesting how focused one can get when you face a life changing event that you know is coming. You try to plan everything because you want to control it. That's the way I felt about my upcoming chemo treatments. What's hard to deal with is that there are too many variables, plans change, new horizons come into view or you hit a pothole. So I'm throwing the plans out the window and I am going to control only what I can by expecting the unexpected, staying positive and going at it with vim and vigor. In reality, what else can you do?

Line in the Sand

The line in the sand has been drawn. The battle starts 4/17. Six cycles of treatment: 5 days of infusions and 23 days off. Last one in early September. I've gone ahead and planned a few Midlife Crisis shows and I am optimistic that we will rock on. Without plans there are none and that's what drives me to keep making them. I know that things might come up but that's the way I'm gonna roll.

"No Reason to Get Excited"

Next week I find out about my treatment schedule. Just after that will be my bone marrow biopsy to fully stage my condition and use as a control to see how the treatment works. Been there done that for all but the treatment. "No reason to get excited, said the joker to the thief." Got to love that Hendrix!

The Gift of One's Time

I talked to another CLL survivor yesterday. That makes 3! It is so great to hear from those who have experienced similar if not the same treatment protocols that I will. Hats off to those who volunteer with the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society to make these calls! The gift of their time brings so much hope. The fear of the unknown becomes knowledge and the feeling of power. I hope I was able to express to all of them how much I appreciated it and hope to do the same for others in the future........ My hands are back on the steering wheel and control has been regained............ That is an awesome feeling.

Welcome Information

I called the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society and they have a program where they put you in touch with someone who has CLL (or any blood cancer for that matter) and has gone through treatments. I received the call on Sunday afternoon and it turned out to be a very enlightening talk. The person was about my age and physical condition, a professor and a CLL survivor. Where we differed was the fact that he had treatment 1 month after diagnosis due to the severity of his condition in 1998. He had been through the 6 cycles of treatment which at the time, did not contain the newer drug Retuxin, proven to be very effective when given with the cycles. He had little nausia, no hair loss and worked through much of his treatment period! Promising news! He continued his protocol with a stem cell transpant and 12 years later is disease free! While there are other possible options now in the works for me after my treatment other than the stem cell transplant, his news was uplifting. I can't fool myself to think that only positive experiences exist in this chemo therapy treatment. I've read others that did not turn out as well but I am ready and have been patiently waiting to give cancer a swift kick in the ass.

Great knowledge

If I have learned anything in life it is that there are no guarantees. You have to weigh the information you research with real life experience. I spoke to a friend who has CLL and has been through the treatments. He sailed through with just a bit of nausea, no hair loss or huge fatigue. 3 year remission. I WILL hang my hat on that! That's what I want with more. How about a 10 year remission? That's what I BELIEVE will be my outcome. You gotta believe..........

The Weight

"You gotta take heed of somethin',
be freed of somethin',
believe in somethin'
and let it go........"
These are some lyrics to a song I wrote a year or so ago and this is a photo taken in the Adirondaks a few years back. I thought that they would match up pretty well together. Makes me wonder that
if we truly believe in an outcome, can we move moutains? Sure can't hurt to try!

The Storm

I know there's a storm looming in the distance. It's severity, unknown.....but I know there's always a rainbow and the sun will come again.

6+ Years

I have to say that in the 6 + years I have had CLL, I really wouldn't have known it but for the doctors appointments, blood tests, ct/pet scans, etc.  You can find all sorts of normal reasons why you get sick a little more often, have a little bit of a loss of apatite and don't feel as energetic as you think you should. Really, life has been pretty normal. If I have learned anything, it would be just to keep on pushing through no matter what the results of any tests are. Also, some of the best things in life came after the diagnosis. Go figure. More to come.

You Need Chemo..

So, a couple of weeks ago I was told that it was time to do some chemo to kick some arse on my Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia. I was diagnosed in 2006 so I knew this day was coming. I feel pretty darn good but my spleen has grown to a point where it's beginning to put a damper on eating big meals.....and I really like to eat! Anyway, I go in on March 20 to figure out the details.  More to come when I get the scoop.