Feeling Good

An interesting week.

This was my first week using Xeloda and it went fairly well. There are been no major side effects. I have lost about 1/2 of the weight that I gained during my respite week.  And my blood numbers have improved in virtually every category. Except my "Immature Gran" numbers are unchanged. So I am still as immature as before.

I am protecting my hands and feet, wearing a glove for tennis, new tennis shoes, thicker socks et cetera. So far no major issues with either, except perhaps a slight increase in neuropathy and my nails are growing irregularly and are chipping. I thought about using nail polish to cover my nails, but I could not find a color that I liked.

I am thinking about getting a pediatrician, er, a podiatrist to deal with the nails on my feet. Do you know the difference between the two? One deals with your feet and and other deals with those that can get under your feet.

I visited my GI doctor, yes the one who discovered my tumor that started my journey. He wants to do another colonoscopy just to check out what is happening down there. I will be doing that in a few weeks. I want to avoid a week in which I am taking Xeloda given the prep that is necessary.

After the exam, he asked me to close my eyes and forget that I ever had a colonoscopy, petscan or chemotherapy and then to tell him whether I felt like I had cancer. My honest answer was "no." He said that was good.

I was also buoyed by a study that indicated that tennis is one of the best forms of exercise to prolong your life (well, in this case, my life!) A significant part of the benefit is the socialization that you have with tennis.

So, all things considered, I am grateful for each and everyone of you that in different ways help me along this journey.

Above all, I continue to be astounded by the research and support that I receive from the research manager. "Thanks" is an inadequate word to express my appreciation.