Radiation, Blood Thining and The Interview 10/26/07

Hello! It’s been another 2 weeks and this time there has not been much to report on.

I can announce that I have gotten through the radiation treatment plan for my lower left back issues. My experience with this go around was MUCH better than the last two efforts that I reported on.

This time I had machine #2 (the new one) and not the 20 year old #1. That may have had everything to do with it. The only hassle was having to come to the hospital every day again for 12 straight week days.

I have also had to deal with blood thinning issues. My doctors want the test called the “PT/INR” to be between 2.0 and 3.0. (Normal people have blood “thickness” at around 1.0). So… they give you a medicine called Cumadin (don’t check my spellings of all these drugs… Just sound them out…) which is a long term maintenance drug. But because it is just that, maintenance, they need to jump start it with something called Luvanox, which is administered daily via (2) shots in the belly. This typically only goes on for 2-3 days, then you can just maintain with Cumadin. 2 ½ weeks later (and close to 40 shots in my belly) I am still only at 1.78! My waistline looks like a navigation chart of the galaxies. Fortunate they told me they are stopping the shots and just amping up the Cumadin in hopes of reaching the levels anyway.

Having daily shots administered at the hospital would normally be a burden but I was coming here for radiation anyway. And the timing of the halt of the shots luckily coincided with the radiation ending, so only the last two weekends were really impacted. I had to come in both Saturday and Sunday the last two weekends for the shots…

I confess, I was really tired of all the shots, the blood tests to see how stubborn my blood was being, plus all the other regular sicks and pokes for testing, chemo, etc… I am a human pin cushion. My arms are all bruised, and I probably look like some kind of junkie.

New topic: My hair is growing back weakly for some reason. I have also now added a goatee (because I can – call it a personal hair protest). My friends say I look like a mean/tough drill sergeant. Not the look I was hoping for or trying to convey. I don’t feel very tough these days. I fact, I have never been weaker in my life…

Other news: Channel 4 CBS did an interview with Dr. Tate and me due to that successful back surgery I did 8 weeks ago. It had been the first in South Florida and I guess the hospital pushed it as a PR piece that the Local News picked up. I must warn you so you won’t be too alarmed that my head appears to have swollen up the size of a Volkswagon. It is due to this Decadron steroid that I take (this is the same stuff that makes my legs weak and has turned my into an over-emotional person. I have to get off this stuff and hope to start weaning off it now that the radiation is done).

Anyway, if you are interested in seeing a video of the interview, here’s a link to it (copy and paste into your browser...):

http://cbs4.com/video/?id=41722@wfor.dayport.com&cid=5

If that doesn’t work, type this into their search field and it should pull up “Special Surgery Helps Spine Injury Victim”

The interview has turned me into a semi-celebrity at the hospital among the staff, with strange nurses and doctors saying Hi and congratulating me. Who knew cancer would lead to my 15 minutes of fame!

Our move efforts have been busy but pretty unproductive. Amy went of the first trip without me (I had to back out due to the new radiation plan requiring my daily presesnce…). She found about 8 homes she really liked and we are scheduling another trip for me to go back. Meanwhile we are trying to get our relocation outfit to get our house on the market. It has been a bit of a struggle with them and the realtors. Our home is in a very tough neighborhood to comp due to its size and location and the realtors can’t agree on a market price. This has become frustrating and we are really trying very hard to let God work this out for us and not keep trying to pull it back and worry about it. Especially since regardless where we can sell our home for, we will make a nice chunk of equity we didn’t have before. Its all God’s money anyway, right??? I read yesterday, very appropriately in Hebrews 13…

5Keep your lives free from the love of money and be content with what you have, because God has said,
"Never will I leave you;
never will I forsake you."[a] 6So we say with confidence,
"The Lord is my helper; I will not be afraid.
What can man do to me?"[b]

More on that in another blog.

In closing, I can report that I have been feeling pretty good over these last two weeks. Especially given the circumstance: Radiation AND Chemo… I have only really been fighting the fatigue from the radiation. Now that that’s done, I expect that I should be feeling much better as its cumulative effects wear off over the next 2-3 weeks.

Despite that my routine complaint is that “I am sick of being sick”, I definitely feel like I am getting off pretty easy compared to many of the horror stories I hear about in different support group settings and in the books I read. I thank and praise God for that. I know your all’s prayers are working! Please keep them going!

I’ll end on my all time favorite bible verse that seems so appropriate for a situation that demands a day to day out look and approach… It is also from Hebrews:

Hebrews 12: 1-11

1Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us. 2Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. 3Consider him who endured such opposition from sinful men, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart.
4In your struggle against sin, you have not yet resisted to the point of shedding your blood. 5And you have forgotten that word of encouragement that addresses you as sons:

"My son, do not make light of the Lord's discipline,
and do not lose heart when he rebukes you,
6because the Lord disciplines those he loves,
and he punishes everyone he accepts as a son."[a]
7Endure hardship as discipline; God is treating you as sons. For what son is not disciplined by his father? 8If you are not disciplined (and everyone undergoes discipline), then you are illegitimate children and not true sons. 9Moreover, we have all had human fathers who disciplined us and we respected them for it. How much more should we submit to the Father of our spirits and live! 10Our fathers disciplined us for a little while as they thought best; but God disciplines us for our good, that we may share in his holiness. 11No discipline seems pleasant at the time, but painful. Later on, however, it produces a harvest of righteousness and peace for those who have been trained by it.

You all are my “cloud of witness” that is mentioned in verse 1. And I love you all for that.

Love, in Christ,
Eric