Cycle 2 Summary "Perseverance"

 

Yep, that's me and that's my friends!  (And for a short time that really IS me leading the climb as we enter the Talimena Scenic Byway.  Thanks Jeff)  In our sport, we put ourselves through hell... tornadoes, torrents of rain, blazing heat, sub-freezing temps, dehydration, screaming muscles, cramping muscles, the list could go on for days.  Best thing is you know there's always someone that understands.  I do it because I can and there will come a day when I can't.  Today is not that day!


Finishing a great, fun read by a non-cyclist who gets it!  Paddlefish by Christine Warren.  Similar to our 1200km/750mile events, Christine decided to paddle her first Texas Water Safari.  A grueling 260-mile paddling race from the Texas Hill Country to the Gulf Coast.  Like us, they race self-supported.  You break it, you fix it.  You need it, you find it.  And you do it before the next time cutoff.  I'm tinkering with maybe "I" want to race the Texas Water Safari?

Nice to have a kindred spirit of crazy.

I started Cycle 2 with some trepidation about all my blood woes, but they agreed to just keep me rolling and shoot for my preferred 3-week cycle, so here's the short of it:
  • Week 1 (Dec 14) - Bloodwork is acceptable, let's get the poison to flow.  3 days this week and I'm dragging but still not using the at-home nausea meds.  Best self-medication is still chicken & dumplings!
    • Kinda pissy.  I'm SO used to setting new standards with my docs, but so far I'm not.  they told me to expect each cycle to be harder than the last and I thought... nope... I'm convinced I can convince my body each is the same or easier because we know what to expect.  
"Whether you believe you can do a thing or not, you’re right." (or so I think!)
~ Henry Ford

                But, Doc Dean is looking to be right.  Grrrr. This time my body kinda said "oh 
                shit, that again?!" and I've been a lot more of everything: shaky, loopy, headache, 
                brain fog, queasy, constipated, ear aches, bad sleep, exhausted... pisses me off!

    • Work.  Still can mostly sit at the computer for work and Sonia is being a champ of a partner, but I'm not at full-steam that's for sure.  Words are hard to find through all the brain fog, which pisses me off too!

    • Fitness?  What's that?  I got in 1 walk and 1 short ride on the Trail and was glad they were both done, which pisses me off too!  
    • Really hoping I can psych up enough for next Cycle to do a little better at everything.
  • Week 2 (Dec 21) - Bloodwork crashed again.  This time instead of waiting a week to see if my bone marrow miraculously kicks into gear, we go ahead with chemo and then immediately also start the Zarxio for blood boosting.  With Christmas, the schedule is ramped up extra fast and I'm there alllll day Monday, plus Tue, Wed to get my 3 chemo days, plus just 2 days of Zarxio this time.  Zarxio side effects still there, but not as bad as last month.  At least I can get out of bed this time!
    • Still pissy😉  Still side effects and the double-drugs mean I get basically no sleep, high heart rate, plus all the loopy, shaky, foggy, exhausted nonsense.  But still avoiding all the extra nausea meds.
    • Work.  Still clocking in and I think I'm more on it this week but it's also Christmas so I only have to make it 3 days!!!
    • Fitness?  Had some really bad workouts this week, but I did force "something" every other day.  My "big" day was Saturday when I sat on the trainer for an hour then met Dan for a very slowwww 4mile hike at the Nature Center.  Wish my mood had been better so I'm looking forward to going back.  Dan was doing all the mood lifting on his own and he really did try.
    • How in the hell am I going to get my 200k on NYD?


  • 🎅Christmas🎄 - Mom and I duplicated our Garage Party setup and she even decorated!  Poinsettias, tablecloths, etc.  I added a speaker for some Holly Dolly Christmas music and we were off!  I backed my car to her garage door and sat in the back while we at lunch, visited, opened some gifts, etc.  Applebees for the win so nobody cooked!  I even got to practice peeing in Mom's yard with my hiking pee-spout :) Gee...big day for this hillbilly!

  • Week 3 (Dec 28) - My "off" week and I can finally feel some "better."  My chemo fog is lifting, my brain is starting to fire again and I'm getting in some great work days!  Oh gosh and finding mistakes I should NEVER have made.  Sonia being very PC when she finds one :).  I'll take the low-hanging fruit and blame the chemo-fog.  It is weirdly noticeable each day to feel better, not stronger yet, but so much clearer thinking!
  • Fitness.  Meh.  I've made myself get on the trainer each day.  It ain't pretty, but I really hope to get my January 200k on NYD, so I'm prepping as if I'm going.  

CANCER DRUGS

Ok, so this was new to me.  2 different friends.  2 different drugs.  1 thing in common...evidence SURE points to some animal deworming meds being effective in reducing and/or eliminating cancer from humans.  
  1. Ivomec - BobbyT swears 1cc/day has eliminated his cancer and spouts a long list of friends that have had the same experience.  I'm not switching horses mid-river, but I sure might take it after!
  2. Fenbendazole - JulieB swears the same thing AND has yet another list of personal knowledge of effectiveness.
There's actually a lot more research available to see than I dreamed of, so this could be interesting for the future!

Cycle 3 starts Monday.  I'm determined to "do better, be stronger" but if not, I'm still halfway!!!  So every day now is a day closer to no-chemo and  a day to getting my life back so Kris is back with another of my favorites and definitely my intent for Cycles 3 and 4 :)

“If you can’t get out of something, get into it.”

~  Kris Kristofferson






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