Oh what a relief it is

Today was the last of my 10 radiation treatments, that's the good news. The bad...my mouth and throat have been DESTROYED! Radiation to the neck really does a number on everything else, including my energy level. I put myself on a liquid/soft diet and for 5 days I've been eating soup, mashed potatoes, over cooked pasta and I've been hungry ever since. It's going to take some time to heal but at least I have about a month before there are any more tests or scans. It gives me a chance to feel normal again. They'll give it about 4 weeks before I go for another PET scan and that will show what kind of affect the treatments had on the tumors. Tomorrow I'm headed to Warped Tour for the first time in 7 years, hopefully I have enough energy to keep up with all the kids. The next 4 weekends look promising as well with different events planned with friends and family. It's going to be nice to live what seems like a regular cancer free life for a while. Cheers!

I only have 4 senses

After the first week of radiation I was left with a limited sense of taste. That's normal seeing as we're pumping all kindsa weird stuff at my neck. As a result I tend to use more hot sauce than I used to in an effort to try and add more flavor. In reality all I end up doing is burning my mouth out to the point that my eyes well up. No bueno. As of this publication I only have 3 more courses of radiation left, hazzah!

Sorry 4 tha wait

I think I started using this as a way to vent my frustrations with all the crap I was dealing with. The biggest issue I had a hard time with, was not knowing what was going on with my lung. That led to chemo being pushed back and never really knowing when I might be done. I think the fact that i don't write here as much means I might be having an easier time with this deal.

A lot has happened in the past 2 weeks or so. I had a birthday, started working at the baseballs games again, went to a wedding and got scheduled for radiation. One thing didn't write about when it happened was my trip to Montage Music Hall to see Hit The Lights. I was front an center for their set singing my lungs out. After the show I talked to Nick, the lead singer. He either recognized me from past shows or the giant in the front of the crowd singing along really stands out that much. Without looking for sympathy or pity I told him I rescheduled chemo to be there tonight. He asked me to keep him updated as I finish all my treatments and we occasionally email back and forth. I'm still a little kid in that I hold musicians I respect up on a pedestal, so the fact that he asked me to keep in touch blows my mind.

My birthday was a (Borat voice) GREAT SUCCESS! Although I wasn't feeling top notch I still went out to bet on the ponies. My boy Kevin surprised me with a trip up here to see me. It was great to hang out with him an Paige together. I also had my triumphant return to the TV crew for the Red Wings and it feels good to control a camera again. My friend and co-worker Nate got married this weekend and he hired me to shoot the wedding. It was my first wedding with Top Shelf Productions and I'm so grateful for the opportunity to show off my skills. Oh yeah, and I have 12 appointments for radiation! I'm finally starting to see the finish line...maybe so life isn't all that bad. I made it through 35 hours at my full time job with a 9.5 hour day, this week I'm shooting for my first 40 hour week in 2 month. Like I said, you need goals even if they are small.

I'm going to try and share my of my happy news and good things in life as they happen cause nobody wants to read 3 paragraphs of self loathing. Thanks for playing along so far.

One more positive

So before I get all emo and complain about how crappy I feel after chemo I thought I'd let you know how awesome of a time I had recently. For about a week and a half I didn't feel sick and it was awesome. Last week  worked 30+ hours, the most I've done in over a month and a half. It was almost like I was getting back to a normal life.

A couple weeks ago I was was sitting on the couch Saturday afternoon thinking about how bored I was and said screw it, I'm going to Syracuse next weekend. I planned it out just right that I got to see a lot of my favorite people, watch hockey, eat Brooklyn Pickle and go to the races for the first time this season.

As I sit here writing this with an IV in my arm getting what should be my final chemo, I'm trying to stay positive and remind myself that it will get easier from here. There will be a small setback as my body processes the chemo out over the next few days but the goal is to be healthy enough for a trip to Fingerlakes Racetrack on Saturday for my birthday. It's always fun to throw some money around and yell at the horses to run faster, hopefully I can make it.

3 out of 5

I said the other day my goal was to work 40 hours this week and it was lookin pretty good until I didn't sleep much Wednesday night. When 8am came around the first thing I said to boss was 'I will be working but not the whole day so let's figure out what's best". We decided on a 2-6 shift for optimum productivity. Now that I struggled through those 4 hours it will be interesting to see what I can do Friday. The other side of Friday...a weekend in Syracuse with most of my favorite 315ers. I'll get back to you next week with a full report on how it went.

Back in the old iron lung...

I went to work at 9am today and worked a full 8 hours. That's the most I've worked in one shot being only 6 days out from chemo and the goal is to work a whole 40 hour week. I looked back at my time sheets and I haven't done that since the week of March 23rd so here's things hopefully getting back to normal. While I do feel a little tired and enjoyed a solid nap as soon as I got home, I think I can actually pull this off. I'm also looking forward to a my first trip to a racetrack this season, even if I do have to wear a mask all night.

Ups and Downs

Felt like I was on a roller coaster again for the past week. I was finally able to get over a cold that sent me to the emergency room the week before, some of my best friends came to visit for the day, I had chemo again, I ALMOST threw up at work, met with the radiologist and I saw a comedian I've been wanted to see for a few years now.

Paige and Danielle's visit last weekend was the best thing that could have happened to me. They got in middle afternoon, we went to the Lilac Festival and bombed around there for a couple hours then went out to dinner. During dinner we decided we wanted to go to the Rochester Knighthawks lacrosse game. If you've never been to an indoor lax game I would HIGHLY recommend it. It's a very fast paced action packed violent game and I loved every second of it. Throughout the day Danielle kept saying how much she liked Rochester which made me feel awesome cause I'm kinda fond of this city myself.

A couple days ago I got to see Josh Blue at The Comedy Club, he's a stand-up comic with Cerebral Palsy who I caught on Comedy Central a few years ago. Josh uses his disability a lot in his act and I think it's hilarious. His set was top notch and well worth $12, plus I got to take a picture with him afterwards.

My appointment with the radiologist went well, though he is a strange little man. I'll be starting radiation a few weeks after my last chemo which is June 4. Side effects should be minimal because Hodgkins Lymphoma patients normally get a lower dose than other cancers AND mine is not very aggressive so I get the low end for HL. Can't wait for this to just be done and behind me because the headaches and nausea from chemo are starting to get old really fast. I don't know how other people can put up with it 8 or 10 times, I've only had 3 and I'm totes over it. Nobody said cancer would be fun but come on this is getting ridiculous.

I still have a TON of team coozy merch if you're in the market for that kinda thing. I also set up accounts on ebay, etsy and fiverr to try and offload some of the koozies. Next week my goal is to work 25+ hours, something I haven't done in well over a month. If I lay low this weekend and save my energy I think I might be able to pull it off, Like I've said before it's always good to have goals and things to look forward to.