End of Mission

Guess this makes today the first day of the rest of my life.. Got some healing to do, As I understand it, radiation keeps on working for several days/weeks after the last dose.  But I am betting that the physical effects are lessening as we speak.  Wonder how soon it will be till I can feel the strength returning to my swallowing muscles.  

Over all a good day yesterday, the tornadoes didn’t get me, slept through the worst of it, gag and puke is way down.  Hope to make it in to the office today, working from home hasn’t been all that successful and now I am having VPN issues.

Think I’ll A-train it tomorrow, that way I won’t pay for parking and still get to ride the train.

Some things don’t change; I currently have 4 doctor appointments scheduled in the next month.  Am I that nice a guy they just can’t let me go? Actually it is 3 doctors and 1 dentist.  The questions I have are when do I lose the medi-port, and when is Filmore out of here?

Right now I have gag and puke under control but have zero stamina. I laid down for a rest yesterday afternoon after getting logged in to work at noon and woke up at 10.  And this after only 14 hours of sleep the night before.

So if I make it to the office,  I A-trained it, if not I’m asleep again.

Weight today – 205

Blood Pressure – 120/78

Laissez Les Bons Temps Rouler

Thoughtful Tuesday

A little after five this morning, a mockingbird decided it was time to greet the new day with a song. But there in lays the problem, damn bird only knew one song, and after the first hundred times, I know it as well. So an hour and a half later it’s still singing. I moved to the front of the house.

Harper lee was wrong, it’s not a sin to kill a mockingbird, it’s self defense.

Meanwhile back at the ranch, figuratively speaking only, because I mean the casa on Mill St, I am sitting here in a better condition than I have been in over last two weeks.  It might be temporary, a result of a great chemo day, but it’s nice to not be keeping a eye on the closest trash can.

Today, the last radiation day, Going to be wearing one of the re-purposed shirts my mom and Anne brought up, a fine blue and gold thrift shop item, a dollar forty-eight as I recall them saying, one fine shirt.

Well, that’s a round up for this Tuesday morning, about to head off to radiation for the LAST TIME. I have been looking forward to this since week 3 when I started having all the throat issues, Still got some, and still working through them, but it’s getting better. And each and every day should bring some improvement . . . 

Well they said the hair loss could happen at any time and I just lost about half my hair.  It's laying on the floor at Tommy's barber shop. and I am no longer looking like a damn hippy.

The good Lord willing and the creeks don't rise

Weight today – 205.5

Blood Pressure – 110/69

Laissez Les Bons Temps Rouler

Magnificent Monday

It was a good one, this day known to all as Monday, I was pumped as it was second to last radiation day and the last chemo day of the treatments.

Hell, chemo day has always had to be one of the better treatment days, I think it has to do with the happy bag that gets hung as part of it.  And other than a tendency to drift off to sleep I fell pretty good during and I feel great afterwards.

Pope Buford stopped by to drink a cool one and delay his departure to cardio re-hab. Near as I can tell,, his recovery program is lot better then the one outlined for me, I get no beer.

Posting is being made today from princess, the laptop, the HP workstation suffered a designed flaw and I didn’t think before I chose a course of action which was just about the stupidest thing I ever die.  More about that later as I attempt to recover any thing possible from secondary sources.

Anyway we digress, Sunday night Monday morning I had a 2 hr gag and puke about 2:30AM. So I was so ready to be getting up at 5 and meet this day, the end draws near, the end draws near.

To honor this last chemo day I wore the ’86 ensemble, got a load of complements on the combo, I think the Panama hat was the crowing glory,  here be pictures:

With matching green compression bandage

In the chemo lab, special chair for me

 I don’t care who you are, that’s styling . . .

As we head to the finish area, there is no finish line just a place to check up see how we’ve done.  You, don’t really beat cancer, you might beat it into submission or run it out of its current hiding places but the cold hard facts of life is that it’s out there,

charlie is opportunistic, I can fight cancer I can be cancer free, but I must always remain vigilant, he might be back. I have my first follow up in three weeks. First PET scan is in about 90 days.

I’m feeling pretty good right now, happy bag from chemo hasn’t worn off yet, but it’s a good feeling not like a buzz, but I have clarity about this situation right now, a clarity that is lost in lala land while I’m puking. 

Thanks for all the support, one last day in this operation,  in fact I’ll call it now, end-op at 12 noon, tomorrow, operation kill charlie is complete and operation APB-BOLO PETE’S #1 Enemy Charlie starts. 

Weight today – 204

Blood Pressure – 99/71

Laissez Les Bons Temps Rouler

Final 4 – Final 2

Great games last night, especially liked the way big twelve Kansas came back to win. It's like that, never give up, keep plugging away. Two left in the tournament and two days left in the treatment plan, it's the final two

This post is being developed on an instance of Zorin using libreOfice, put it on my machine last night as a dual boot but so far can't get it to do anything but but to zorin, this isn't good.

But that's all the technical stuff, Saturday was pretty good, little rough at times but overall just another day on the trek to wellness. Did I mention that I have two treatment days remaining? I am so ready for this to be over.

No plans for today except maybe Lowes for some weed killer and fertilizer, the yard is actually green!, well, weeds are green.

Also time to do maintenance on the AC mister system. I had to kick on the AC yesterday, got to 90, and I was miserable, so AC on. This may be the earliest that I ever ran the AC.

Trouble is I like it and now it's going to hard to cut it off.

Oh well, its a kick back day of R&R and I feel better than I have in the last 5 days so maybe this is really almost over.

Weight today – 202
Blood Pressure – 117/76

Laissez Les Bons Temps Rouler

No Shirt – No Post

Almost a true threat but then I know my indulgent fans need to see something or they are liable to start showing up to help. I was wonder why I had so many visitors today.

My hunting buddy that hates driving came up from Austin, appreciated the visit Marvin, sorry bout the puking.

The weekends are for R&R, rest and recuperating, and that what I am trying to do, between the naps and pukes of course.

Loyal minion showed up and mowed my back yard again, I never mowed it, even before I was stricken, so not sure how I am going to keep him doing this after I get better.

And with two days left in the treatment plan I will start the getting better on Wednesday and plan on being back to full form in 45 days,

Bro Paul loaded up and drove in from Lubbock so you can see the problem with forgetting to post. Any way I am still above ground and moving, moving slow but moving. Actually, I move pretty quick when I need to grab the trash can, currently have three spaced out around the house.



Weight today – 201
Blood Pressure – 130/78

Got to make a beer run – I am currently out.

Laissez Les Bons Temps Rouler

Free Food Friday – NOT

No free food, at least not for me, but that’s ok because I‘m finding myself not overly excited by food at the moment, go figure. Yesterday was a Thursday but it peaked late last night or early this morning,

What is it about 2AM? Couldn’t sleep, too pukey, but didn’t feel well enough to write. Looking back I am amazed at how fast my stamina decreased in the last 10 days. Perrty sorry when you need to rest up so you can take a nap.

Looking at the bright side; counting today, three treatments of Radiation and 1 chemo remain. That’s three more days and it starts to get better. The doctor warned me that radiation will continue to work for 2-3 weeks after the end of treatments so I shouldn’t expect a quick reversal for a couple of weeks.

But it will get better, I am getting pumped at the idea of no more nausea or puking, a throat that doesn’t feel as though I‘ve been sandpapering the insides and a voice that isn’t a croak.

It is going to be great and getting better starting next week. Plus just so you know, I bought a lotto ticket and when I win the 325 million cash prize, there will be a party.

Today I am adorned in some of the finest from down South, we are talking Panama. I am telling you, a shirt from Panama City and a real Panama hat from Ecuador and I am styling.

Thanks to ex-wife#2 for these fine items.

It’s the weekend – party hardy

Weight today – 203
Blood Pressure – 111/72


Laissez Les Bons Temps Rouler

Gag and Puke

Wasn’t the best of days this past hump day. Felt more like a Thursday which has me somewhat concerned as today is Thursday and if yesterday was a preview today is going to be UGLY.

Now you know me, I am an optimist, it’s going to be OK, and it’s not that bad. Two AM and I am hoping I’m going to be right. Why am I up at 2 AM?, read the title, non stop since Wednesday morning about 10.

But it’s no big deal, just another bump in the road, and overall I have had it pretty easy. I know some of my fellow victims at the treatment center have been sick since week two and suffer mightily, me, I just skate along with minor discomforts.

But the truth be told, I am ready for this crap to be over. Four more radiation treatments, and 1 chemo day remaining. Then we can let the healing begin.

Since I am totally wore out this entry is going to be a short one, I may add to it later in the day but I wouldn’t hold my breath.

Wearing a shirt from my cousin Jake; it’s a nice little silk number;

Weight today – 204
Blood Pressure – 108/76
Gag and puke – 237 ( it’s getting old)

Laissez Les Bons Temps Rouler

Transitional Tuesday

Some how I managed to change the way I blog into a recap of the day before but with the correct shirt being shown.

It’s all so confusing. Sometimes I think this whole treatment thing has me more that slightly befuddled. Like how is it already Wednesday, that’s hump day and we just did one, didn’t we?

Still fighting the blood pressure, been holding around the 110 mark and that’s without taking the satin that was working so well for me. Now if losing the weight helps the blood pressure why isn’t the blood sugar playing along?

Wasn’t all that productive today, working from home I had issues with a customer vpn site all day, doesn’t like vpn to a vpn to a customer site, something got lost in translations plus it looks like one of the hops doesn’t like the 64bit OS’s..

ETAC recommend I install firefox, just what II need browser number 5 on my machine. Don’t think it’s going to happen. Tomorrow I’ll make Alan VPN into the customer site and I’ll guide him in the mysterious ways of a DBA.

Throat way better than yesterday and all I had to contend with was the need for sleep. Midday brought me a woot box.

Turns out it wasn’t from woot but a recycled woot box is almost as good. I now sport a fine Panama hat, one from panama that was made in Ecuador as it is supposed to be. I am styling, this is now an official part of the ensemble.

Next Monday I am going to be wearing the Banana shorts, banana shirt and wearing my Panama hat – photo’s will be posted. Eat you heart out Tom Selleck.

But for today, (hump day) I am adorned with the shirt offered by Jeremy and Patti, it’s a sedate little thing in casual grey and red, actually one of my favorites.

Weight today – 204
Blood Pressure – 128/78
Rats caught - 3
Panama Hats received -1
Panama shirt received - 1

Laissez Les Bons Temps Rouler

Monday Morning Madnes

One of the issues with sleeping all the time is waking up all the time. Case in point; Monday morning I was wide awake at 4:49, and hungry. It seems that the body can tell when Fillmore has been doing his job, let the gut run dry, and it reminds you, that it also has needs.

So I am sitting up poking a 8 oz can of goodie down Filmores’ throat and get back in bed and catch a few more winks. Best laid plans go asunder, I end up doing the regular 3 can feed and all the morning pills, then attend to my morning routines and get ready to meet the day.

Mondays are usually pretty good days, an I suspect this one to be the same. Ok there were a few glitches, Claude the Cyclops x-ray machine has turned stupid, his program won’t load and my session is moved to 1:30. This sad state of affairs means my neck gets no wonder salve until afterwards.

Plus blood pressure is once again low 93/62, so there is concern that my blood pressure medicine needs to be halted. I admit I took one today but I have not been taking them since last Monday. But seems to me and the nurses at Texas Oncology, Bp’s of less than 100 are not good.

All in all, great Monday, I managed to finish the chemo day and get home by 4, made it to the CVS store to pick up a new blood pressure meter but they are out. In fact, all CVS stores are currently out of wrist blood pressure meters, seems they are in thee process of changing providers. On to Walgreens, there I found and purchased one, now I can check my blood pressure every day as directed.

Four can Filmore night and I am fixing to make the final crash of the evening. I don’t plan on getting up but maybe twice tonight :)

Wow !, Monday night was a good one, I woke up relaxed and throat is felling 100% better(inside throat). And what do I owe this to? Maybe it was the SUPER B COMPLEX pill I added to the med mix. I really like super B complex; I sleep so much better when taking them.

Mondays’ shirt was a blue dolphin thing, Très chic, but this Tuesdays I am going with the big purple, takes almost as much a man to wear this as the pink flamingo shirt. Tuesday's shirt is the royal purple XL

Weight today – 203.5
Blood Pressure – 128/78
Blood Sugar - 138
Sunburn – redneck under control
Throat - under control
Voice – less disgusting croak


Laissez Les Bons Temps Rouler

Smooth Sailing Sunday

Sunday was another good day of sleeping and sleeping. No visitors that I was aware of, but then I was asleep a lot.

Faithful minion did some clean up and I appreciate it. Being worn out all the time, is takes everything I got to stay semi-caught up. Nice phone conversations, (two), both short, which is good as I can barely talk and the throat really is in a bit of pain when I do.

But overall, in the grand scheme of things, Sunday was a success. I hope to leverage that success in to a great chemo day. This may be the last chemo day. I will find out for sure when I see el doc and have a final planning session. But this I know for sure, seven(7) radiation days remain, and these are been shortened versions of the initial blasts I was getting so, no problem, piece of cake.

Seven days and the throat can start the return to a painless state, I can’t wait. In fact the healing starts after Thursday, I figure that’s the last low day of the course.

Today’s fine apparel is provided by Aimee and Rich, from the Hawaiian Clothing, Aloha Shirts Honolulu, we have the Island Dolphins in Blue with a boarder of red hibiscus flowers as accent.

It almost time to go wage war against charley, I truly feel we are in a cleanup operation mode now, but we are going to lay down a full assault of chemo and radiation to make sure that sucker is dead. A long time ago in West Texas, an old Mexican man told me one of life’s great truisms, “. . . something mess with you, kill it, it never mess with you again.”


Weight today – 201.5
Hair loss – none, still need a hair cut
Sunburn – under control
Throat – dry and scratchy and hurting
Voice – disgusting croak


Laissez Les Bons Temps Rouler

Super Saturday

It was, it really was! Of course all I did was sleep, but then that’s all I do any day of the week.

Saturday and Sunday are rest and recuperation, no treatments so the body gets a few days to semi recover, and I’ll take it. Had a nice visit with pope Buford, he showed up while I was taking nap number 12 but since I only sleep for about thirty minutes at a time he didn’t have long to wait before I was there to cuss and discuss life in general.

On the weekends I am filling Filmore multiple times a day, but only with a couple of cans each time, this stuff still runs my blood sugar through the roof. I think I need to consult my nutritional expert friend and see what she might suggest as an alternative.

I invented a wonderful salve for the neck, a neck which is peeling and burning and feels like crap most of the time. I think I could make a billion dollars with this stuff, not instant relief but a relief that works and lasts up to 4-6 hours.

One part 2% lidocain cream to 3 parts radialplex which is a aloe based cream, and one part Aquaphor ointment which is a petroleum jelly type of compound,; a cream that removes the pain, eases the burn, sooths the skins and lets you function normally.

So for the most part yesterday I slept, watched a movie, visited , slept, invented wonder rub, slept, visited, filled Filmore, slept. All in all, I would say that it was a pretty good day.

I did wear the banana shorts, two witnesses actually saw me in them, I didn’t push the envelope by wearing the shirt this time but I think next excursion the world gets to see both.

FYI here is the shirt that Ms Deb made a long time ago. The pearl snaps are a royal purple and go well with the over all color motif:

I must have been a tad bit thinner way back then. . . .


Weight today – 203
Hair loss – none, need a hair cut
Sunburn – under control
Throat – dry and scratchy


Laissez Les Bons Temps Rouler

Free Food Friday!

Yea, it’s free food Friday. Went in to the office yesterday, not sure why, but I did. At our fine establishment, we have lunch catered in every Friday, Yesterday it was BBQ, and all the trimmings.

Man it looked good, smelled good, and judging from the decrease in background noises, must have tasted pretty good as well. This is like the sixth week of free food that I haven’t enjoyed.

In fact that is what I find myself day dreaming about, food. Not just the taste, but the way it looks the way if felt as it is swallowed, can’t believe how much texture is involved in making something appetizing.

Now I’m pretty happy with my canned food, it’s keeping the weight steady, easy on the gut and the two times I early recycled it, pretty easy on the throat. But it is not food, nourishment yes, food no.

On a slight down side, it seems that after a couple of hours the smell of BBQ is not particularly pleasing . In fact, it tends to exacerbate the feelings a nausea that tend to creep in to my world. I do seem to have a heightened sense of smell, lots of things don’t smell very nice and I notice them a lot.

So anyway about 2:30 I realized the dice were being loaded for a unpleasant and potential disgusting episode if I insisted on remaining in the office. I left, headed home and managed to be asleep by 4:30.

That pretty much describes my daily routine, I’m up smelling things, sleeping or somewhere in between. That’s the gist of it, just so tired all the time.

Well it’s the weekend so I most likely at to this post as the day goes on, between naps and such.

Laissez Les Bons Temps Rouler