Today was a 3 chemo drug day. In addition to getting the Ifosfamide and Etoposide that I get on Days 1 and 3 of chemo, I also got Carboplatin, which can do WONDERFUL things to your kidneys</sarcasm>. It leaves me feeling full and bloated. Real heavy in the gut.

I’m glad that tomorrow will be the last day of chemo for a few weeks. I need a break from the drugs. My body needs time to heal. The GI tract needs to not be assaulted. Lots of needs. Normalcy would be nice. R&R after Day 3 of chemo tomorrow. And detox from chemo. Looking forward to it.

Tuesday, Sept. 6, 2011 – Today we start my 3rd round of chemo. Another 3 days of glorious fun in the chemo ward. The good news is that the doctor got to show us pictures of last week’s PET scan this morning. He also showed us pictures of the last PET, and it is amazing to see how much the tumor has shrunk, and also how it is not lighting up on the scan. It’s nice to get good news for a change!

In addition to having good news, we also want to thank everyone who has been helping us during this time. From cooking us food, to mowing our grass, to sending us money to buy food if you are too far away to cook for us, it is truly wonderful to have such help. Thank you so so much for your continued support. It is also wonderful to get cards in the mail. They really brighten our days. We pin the cards up on our special picture frames that we built for cards.

We are very happy to have the good news about the PET scan, that the cancer is chemo responsive, the mass has shrunk, and it is not lighting up. We are happy that this means we get to move ahead with the plan to do the stem cell transplant. That is the good news. However, it is also hard news.

Hard news. Good news that we have a path to follow towards cure. Hard news that we have to follow that path. Five more days of chemo over this next month of September, and then a month or two to totally wipe out my immune system, good cells and bad cells alike, and then build it back from scratch. It seems like a long, tough road ahead. What makes it harder is when I think about where I was this time last year.

Last year, I was one-third of the way through my first chemo treatment. The “honeymoon” of chemo was ending, the cumulative effects becoming harder to deal with, and I had begun to “hunker down” to ride out the chemo, and survive it. It was a grim feeling. I got through it. I don’t want to go back there.

I know I’m in a different and better place right now, and there is a light at the end of the tunnel. That is the good news.

Getting there…now that’s the tough part. And…

We can do it. We will do it. Together. Thank you for your support.