Saturday, March 16, 2019

The Second Wall Has Been Climbed

So, apologies for not updating since the last post.  Radiation treatment was a different animal than chemo, in that instead of it being an interruption of my routine it became part of my routine.  It's a lot easier to update things after each one of those battles with the IV were done, less so when you just get used to doing the same thing every day.

It's almost a shame that it's over, really.  I was starting to enjoy going into a room, stripping naked from the waste down, laying on a table like a beached whale, and having radiation shot in my ass every weekday while trying not to flash the wonderful nurses who had to deal with me each day.  Really, it's as fun as it sounded.

That said, I had been mostly low-key about this particular milestone.  Because it was something I just did everyday, it really didn't sink in that I was approaching the end.  That is, until I pulled into the parking lot at Beth Israel.  As I got out of the car and started making the all to familiar walk, of all things, Hamilton started rolling around in my head.  Specifically:




So, as I entered Radiation Oncology for One Last Time and walked into the changing room, I started tearing up.  That moment is when it hit me that I was about to be finished with chemotherapy and radiation.  I mean, this is a big effing deal, a lot of people don't make it through this process as well as I did, and here I was about to get a last treatment and head to work like nothing happened.

This particular machine that was giving me the treatment had a rhythm that I had gotten used to.  First, the X-Ray camera whirls out to take a snapshot of my pelvis, specifically to make sure I had a full bladder (more on that in a minute), there's a period where nothing happens while they review and confirm everything looks good to go.  Then, the arm that has the X-Ray whirs back into place, and there is a loud "CLUNK" as, presumably, the radiation kicks on.  The machine then spins in a small circle while you hear the buzz of the radiation being buzzed inside you.  It spins one way, then returns the way it went, comes to a stop, and there's a second loud "CLUNK" as the machine shuts off.  I stay still, but at that moment I know the treatment is done.

On Thursday, as soon as that second clunk hit, I pounded the table and waited for the nurses to come in and reset the table so I could get down.  They congratulated me, and we chatted for a bit, mostly me thanking them for everything.  As I headed to the chair where I had laid down the second robe, I found this on top of it:



I went back to the changing room and just collapsed on the bench before changing.  Everything washed over me.  I did it.  I was done  No more radiation.  No more drinking five glasses of fluid in the morning to have a painfully full bladder.  No more having to lay half-naked on a table.  No more having to take chemo pills twice a day.  All of it.  Done.  

Overall, I came out of radiation pretty well.  As I type this, both of my hands have gotten a little numb at the tips as have my feet-I'm not sure if this is due to the chemo pills, radiation, both, or neither, but my oncologist wasn't overly concerned when I talked to him about it the Friday before the last treatment.  The biggest side effect, honestly, has been what you'd expect when a treatment is specifically aim in that part of your body: Diarrhea.  It hasn't been so bad to where I need to take an Imodium every day, but it absolutely has made it to where life is not as..comfortable...as it could be. Frankly, it also made things worse in the mornings because I still had to make sure I had that full bladder.  That means by the end I was drinking even more water because some of what I was consuming wasn't going to my bladder.  

The other thing I had to battle was fatigue.  I'd say about 90% of the time my energy level was either at normal or just below normal.  But a couple of times I would just get completely zapped.  Two times I went to work and ended up leaving early just so that I could do nothing but sleep the afternoon away, and this past week it was so bad I ended up taking the next day off as well.  The biggest thing was making sure I listened to my body when it got that way, and after the time off I was able to finish the week like nothing happened.  

"Al," you may ask, "I didn't see anything about you actually celebrating that you are done with radiation.  This is a big deal, what are you going to do?"  Well, I'm glad you asked. 

It turns out that since around the end of chemotherapy, I've been planning on a trip that hits on Wednesday this week.  A good friend from college is getting married in June, and he usually hosts all his friends at his house during the first weekend of the NCAA Tournament.  This year, he decided to combine this celebration and his bachelor's party all in one, and do it in the best place to watch the first weekend of the NCAA Tournament: Las Vegas. 

I had been on pins and needles throughout this whole process hoping that there wouldn't be any days where radiation was pulled because any delays put it closer to when I am actually flying out.  Thanks to everything going smooth, after work on Wednesday I'll be heading straight to Logan Airport and taking the 9 PM flight JetBlue Direct to Las Vegas.  I had enough points to get a free hotel room at a Candlewood Suites just off the Strip for a couple of nights, and then as a late Christmas present to myself, I have a room reserved at Caesar's Palace in the same tower that the party suite is in.  

The great thing about this set up is that the spirit of the party, come and go as you please, no real schedule, the point is to hang out and watch some basketball, will still be in place.  So, I'll absolutely spend some time with some old college friends, and also spend some time resting, and likely spending some time here and there at a poker table.  There will be some alcohol involved, but as I haven't really had a drink since Christmas, don't worry...I won't go crazy.  Besides, someone has to remember all the fun.

This good friend, Tony, managed to work with my wife and another good friend, Neil, to pull off one hell of a surprise, by the way.  

So, I mentioned that at Christmas, Kathleen had gotten me tickets for the UNC-BC game.  What she didn't tell me was the those tickets were along with Tony (who lives in NC) and Neil (who lives in Arkansas), and those two guys were going to fly up and attend the game with me.  For three months-THREE MONTHS-they managed to keep this quiet from me.  Despite a snow storm coming the day before the game, everything fell into place to where they had me completed fooled, which led to this (language warning cause I was that surprised):


It was amazing.  We caught up, ate pizza at Pino's, watch a great win at BC, and I got to act like I was back in the band with a few folks who knew how...excited...I get during games.  To add to the fun, We were even joined by another friend from my college days in Drew Cline, who managed to snag seats right in front of us.  Between the surprise and just the time hanging out, it was easily the best night I've had since this whole process started. 

That's really been the amazing part about this: all of you.  My friends and family who care, people who want to help, and just all of the good vibes that keep being sent my way.  It's kept my spirits high and has allowed me to get through this whole thing well.  It's amazing the capacity humans have to help each other, even while doing little things.  So, again, thank you one and all for what you've done as I continue this journey. 

And this journey still continues.  Next up, Surgery.  

Here's what'll happen: on April 11th I have both the CT and MRI scans done both to confirm that again there's been no spreading of the cancer, and to see how much the tumor has shrunk.  Then about two weeks later I meet up with the entire team to go over where things stand, review the scans, and set the date for the operation, which should be about a month later (later May).  That operation will both cut all the cancer cells out of the rectum, and disconnect the rectum from the colon, meaning when I wake up I'll have a colostomy bag coming out of my stomach.  I'll be in the hospital for as long as it takes for my digestive system to kick back into gear, and the colostomy bag will be on me for at least a month.  

The hope is that the tumor has shrunk enough to where the rectum can be saved and about a month after the initial surgery, it can be reconnected.  So, in short, life is going to suck for periods of time around late May to late June/early July.  

Once I know more, I'll let you know.  For the next couple of months, however, it's about recovering from the treatment, and enjoying normal life...as much as one can enjoy normal life...as well as seeing some great friends and soaking in all the fun that is Las Vegas and the NCAA Tournament.

Speaking of the Tournament...

For the past few years, I've run a bracket pool on Yahoo.  It's patterned after THE POOL! that I took part in while in college.  The point of that pool wasn't for experts to get together and brag about their knowledge, but all people to get together, submit however many brackets they were willing to pay for, and then get really long e-mail updates from the man who ran it, as well as others who participated.  It became very interactive, and the folks involved would create pools chosen by animals, ones where all sorts of decision making devices were used, and so on.  I revived this tradition using more modern technology than faxes and what not, and created a Facebook group where all the updates occurred. 

So, if you are interested, here's the link: 

If you join and haven't already, seek out The Pool!2019 Facebook Group so that you can trash talk, see updates, and so forth.  This year, another wonderful friend Emily Scott is going to assist me in running this so I can fully enjoy Vegas, and allow my mind to rest as needed.  You can create up to five brackets, choosing however you like.  It's also completely free.  There aren't any prizes because it's completely free, but it is completely free.  

The password is "bracket"

So, as always, Thank you.  Please don't hesitate to reach out and ask if you have any questions or are concerned because you haven't heard from me in a bit.  I'll continue to be as open a book as you can handle about this. 

And join The Pool! for some free fun.  Wish me luck in Vegas!


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