Breathe and Be Well

If the essence of my being has caused a smile to have appeared upon your face or a touch of joy within your heart, then in living I have made my mark. Thomas L. Odem Jr.

     I am doing well. My most recent scan was most positive, showing shrinkage in all tumors on the liver. I had expected less despite my positive outlook as the one prior was not so good.  I must always remember that scans, like life, are a matter of interpretation. Therefore, results can vary and I do not take them as the sole source of determining how I am doing.  I feel well, except for a few days of discomfort during chemotherapy treatments, and have long ago resolved to see only the good in people, only the blessings in my life, and only the most positive outlook regarding the future.  The quote above is the essence of my being. While there could be many reasons the Lord has allowed me to do this well, I know that in my heart I hope to touch someone, friend, foe or stranger and add some small speck of joy to their lives. Whether by virtue of my words or actions, making someone feel better is my daily endeavor. If nothing else is accomplished in my life except a faint memory of me, nameless or not, having brought hope, joy, laughter or calm to someone in their lifetime, my time here is then worthwhile. 

My cancer treatment continues with the same cocktail I have had since February of this year. As long as scans show improvement, I shall continue. If not, I will attempt to resume my original treatment hoping the side effects are minimal until such time as I can no longer tolerate said treatment. My only option after that is Clinical Trials, Homeopathy medicine or other alternative treatment. I am hopeful my continued positive attitude will see me through those options and continue to show either improvement or simply stability. I will take either. The quote above, however simple, is a fine mandate for all of us, sick or not. It not only can change the life of another, but enhance our own lives more than you can know.

While lives are so busy for those of you employed, please, take time each day to take stock of what you are doing. If pressured, use meditation for ten minutes to relieve your body of inflammation. If ill, tend to it immediately. And if it is time to get that physical, ask questions and pursue preventative measures against cancer…. Screen early, it can save your life.

Pursue only positive pursuits… hugs to all, your support is appreciated.

Colon Cancer General Drug List

This drug index provides general information about many of the drugs used to treat colorectal cancer.

Adrucil(fluorouracil, 5-FU) Adrucil is a chemotherapy drug that interferes with the growth of cancer cells. It can be used to treat many types of cancers, including cancer of the colon, rectum, breast, stomach, head, and neck.

Avastin (bevacizumab)  Avastin is the brand name for bevacizumab. Avastin can be used to treat colon and kidney cancer, and is usually given with traditional chemotherapy drugs.

Camptosar (irinotecan) Simply put, Camptosar kills cancer cells. It's a chemotherapy drug used in the treatment of several types of cancers, including ovarian, lung, and colorectal cancer. Camptosar can be administered by itself or with other chemotherapy drugs.

Eloxatin (oxaliplatin) Eloxatin is also a chemotherapy drug that kills cancer cells. It's used to treat colorectal cancer and can be administered by itself or with other chemotherapy drugs.

Erbitux (cetuximab)  Erbitux targets a type of protein (EGFR) that's present on the surface of colorectal cancer cells. Ultimately, Erbitux interferes with the growth of these cells and causes them to die.

Vectibix (panitumumab)  Vectibix acts in a similar manner to Erbitux but is made by a different company (Amgen). Vectibix targets cells that have EGFR proteins and interferes with their ability to survive.

Wellcovorin (leucovorin)  Wellcovorin is a vitamin complex used to treat advanced colon cancer. By itself, Wellcovorin isn't able to fight cancer at all. Rather, it helps patients by increasing the effectiveness of another drug, fluorouracil..

Xeloda (capecitabine)  Xeloda is a chemotherapy drug that decreases the size of tumors. It comes in tablet form and is used to treat breast and colorectal cancer.

A Passionate Reminder

Your time is limited, so don't waste it living someone else's life. Don't be trapped by dogma, which is living with the results of other people's thinking. Don't let the noise of other's opinions drown out your inner voice. And most important, have the courage to follow your heart and intuition. They somehow already know what you truly want to become. Everything else is secondary.

                                                                                                            Steve Jobs

     I am not a technology wannabe.  I am grateful that technology has made my life easier but I do not seek all the bells and whistles it has to offer. I mourn the loss of a great man and appreciate how his life has impacted mine. I do not have a smart phone or an Ipad, my laptop is simple but essential and my Ipod is a hand-me-down. And while I appreciate the inventions and accomplishments of Mr. Jobs, I am humbled and encouraged by the endurance, the vision and the strength of the inner man, the man who persevered while living with cancer. The quote above has hit home. There are things I wish to accomplish before I die, and when you have cancer, no matter how positive you are, death looms and your time on this earth is something of a crapshoot. His words were a reminder for me to quit waiting to do the things I wish to do. A reminder that my personal fight to beat the odds is no guarantee that I will beat the odds and if I am to follow my heart, my passion, I need to quit waiting….. for what?  I have a goal, a positive pursuit and I have put it on the back burner for no good reason. Perhaps I am afraid to fail? Well even if I do, the mere act of trying is an accomplishment, an affirmation of following what I love.  I begin, in earnest, tomorrow, to complete what I have started in publishing a children’s book. To use my poetic talent, good or bad, and my love of writing to check this item off my bucket list.  I will overcome the technical unknowns, the need for an illustrator, and will research the process and I will make this happen. Everything else is secondary.

Been Awhile

It has been awhile since I last posted. Sometimes I delay because I am too sick; sometimes just lazy but often because I fear I will bore you with the same old news which is always good news... namely I am doing well. Yes I get sick every other week, yes I grow tired of that never changing calendar but the news is generally the same: labs are great, cancer cell count low, and tumors not growing. This current chemotherapy however is not working as well as we had hoped and tumors are growing, slow, but growing none the less. So, with no other chemo treatments available, we are going to start in October by going back to my original treatment cocktail and see if we can get it to kick in again. I went off in the first place as I got toxic, but now, after eight months of being off, I can go back and try again. We are hopeful it will work again. If not, I am done with modern medicine treatments and I will be sent to Scottsdale to qualify with TGEN, a research company doing clinical trials. There are not many, but a few available now and after trying them all, perhaps some new ones will pop up. We shall see. I can see why medical docs will tell you, if asked, that you only have 3-5 years to live. It is because in the best case scenario, what is available usually can only hold things at bay that long. Medical docs do not consider alternative treatments, faith or anything that is not FDA approved. There are some good studies going on in Canada now, perhaps I will need to move there later, we shall see
 
For now, we continue, life is as good as one can expect in this lousy economy and while I am positive I will continue to fight this disease with a vengeance, I am equally convinced our economy has not hit bottom yet. So prepare for it. Take steps to protect what you have, get rid of debt and do not expect housing values to rise anytime within the next seven years. Interest will probably rise in a couple years so get rid of loans and credit cards that have no restrictions on raising their rates whenever they choose. Eat healthy, but stock the basics so you can get by when food prices rise or we, the middle class suffer more taxation.... which we will in this term of ignoramus’s or the next. They may call it something else, but it will happen, it always has... historic trends come true. OK enough politics.

Stay well, keep searching for new and innovative treatment if you have cancer, and pay attention to diet and preventative measures if you do not. Be happy, be well, and always pursue only Positive Pursuits.

A little humor: 

Two old baseball buddies with lung cancer were chatting on a park bench. Paul says, "I hope they have
a baseball team in heaven." "Me too", says Jack. "Tell you what", says Paul, "If I die first, I'll give you a
message about whether there is baseball in Heaven. If you die first, you can do the same for me." A year
later, Paul is dead and Jack is sitting on the park bench when he hears: "Jack, it's me, Paul. I have great
news! Guess what. There really is a baseball team in heaven." "Thank God", sighs Jack, "Now I can die in
peace." "I'm glad you feel that way," says Paul, "because you're pitching tomorrow!

I like this one:

Talking About Death

Three buddies were talking about death and dying.

One asked, "When you're in your casket and friends and family are mourning you, what would you like to hear them say about you?"

The first guy says, "I would like to hear them say that I was a great doctor of my time and a great family man."

The second man says, "I would like to hear that I was a wonderful husband and school teacher who made a huge difference in our children of tomorrow."

The last guy says, "I would like to hear them say LOOK, HE'S MOVING!!!"

Again?

I am now on day four of being covered with hives. We had decided it is not an allergy to shellfish as we thought before but could be an allergy to citrus (juice) which is the only drink I introduced in the last week. But now, without resolution, I am thinking it relates to my compromised immune systerm. All I know, is that it is horrid, itchy to the point of pain sometimes and antihistamines help a little with the itch but the welts persisit. Mostly extremities (legs and arms), torso, buttocks and one day my jaw swelled up so bad I thought I had had a stroke.... it subsided, thank God. So this Cancer patient is in misery in our 116 heat (that makes things worse) and wishes our medical field had a cure for this as well. sigh, another challenge to face. Stay positive folks, it benefits your overall health in the end, and listen to your body! God Bless you all. :)

Prayer of Thanks

Lord, You invite all who are burdened to come to You. Allow your healing hand to heal me. Touch my soul with Your compassion for others. Touch my heart with Your courage and infinite love for all. Touch my mind with Your wisdom, that my mouth may always proclaim Your praise. Teach me to reach out to You in my need, and help me to lead others to You by my example. Most loving Heart of Jesus, bring me health in body and spirit that I may serve You with all my strength. Touch gently this life which You have created, now and forever. Amen.

While I remain a fighter against my colon cancer, the Lord has blessed me with His healing power; I do not have breast cancer. Praise God and Thanks to all of you who continue to pray for me in my time of need.

Sometimes bad news is all you get...

Treatment not going well, options thinning out, now issues with mammogram. Can I stay strong under so much bad news? I have so much support from family and friends, it would not behoove me to give up now, so hanging in there, praying for good news on the mammo and strength to get through the chemo troubles.  Just saying, the golden years are turning into Fools Gold. Stay positive folks, and please take good care of your mental and physical health. :)