Checkin’ In

Seems like I ought to catch people up on what’s what and all.

So, it’s true, yesterday was the 6 month anniversary of me quitting smoking.
And what an interesting 6 months it’s been.
Still, I am glad I am not smoking now, and I am really glad I am not in the middle of quitting now. And Elaine is ever so sweet for saying I am her hero.
Personally, I just think it would look really bad if I started smoking again now. I think people might have a hard time with that.

It’s been almost 2 weeks since my second chemo treatment and this round has been pretty different than the first.
They changed my meds a bit so I never got anywhere near as sick as I did the first time, but I also seem to have ended up feeling kind of crappy for way longer. It’s like I had to feel a particular amount of lousiness after each chemo treatment and the first time I got really sick and stayed that way for a week and that was that. This time it’s been almost 2 weeks and I am just about starting to feel regular.
Part of what is different is the fact that I ended up going about 12 days with next to no sleep. The steroids they give me to make me feel okay-ish keep me awake. There’s no surprise there, they told me going into it that I would be awake and kind of manic from the steroids. I don’t feel really manic, but I haven’t really been able to sleep in a really long time.
I think I just turned the corner on that one, that’s my hope.
I think Elaine deserves a big medal for putting up with my grumpy old self for the last 2 weeks.
The other fun stuff I get to experience because of the steroids…
I seem to have a bit of acne…
Hey… how fun is that?
And, they make my voice go squeaky.
And my face is now almost perfectly circular.
And I have the appetite of a 16 year old boy.
And I am guessing I won’t be able to compete at the 2010 Olympics because of all this, and that’s just a great big drag.

That’s the poop on Chemo- Round 2
I thought I had it kind of mapped out, after round 1, but it seems I was mistaken.
I am hopeful that I can now start getting some regular sleep and then I will start to feel better and then I can enjoy the next 10 days, before I roll up my sleeve and start all over again.

I hope you are all enjoying this festive long weekend.

Oh… and I seem to have lost a bunch of e-mail a couple of days ago. It all got gobbled up at the server level and now it’s just a bunch of stray letters and stuff, floating in space.
If you wrote me in the few days and I haven’t answered you, this could be the explanation.
Or it could be another explanation altogether.
Anyway, if you did write me and you haven’t heard back from me, please feel free to resend.
That would be cool.