A quick update...

Well, things have been crazy around here. Pretty typical stuff; your 17 year old wrinkling the side of her car on a pole that protects the gas pump, the start of Furniture Market and my wife running around like a mad person trying to get ready, an 11 year old that has to be told 73 times to "Get out of bed" in the morning because school is getting old and she doesn't want to get up...you name it.

A lot has happened since the last update. My most recent scan showed a slight increase in the size of the spots on my lungs. Not the best news, but nothing to panic about either. Some of the spots grew by 1-2 millimeters. I have about a dozen of them scattered around my lungs, and each of them about the size of a fingernail. So what do you do? Get back on chemo, consistently, for an extended period of time. The good news is we've eliminated some of the toxic drugs that were causing so many bad side affects. My first treatment last Wednesday went very well. No nausea, no sickness, and I was not in bed for 3-5 days feeling like a bus hit me. Round #2 is today at 1:30PM. I'll go for treatments weekly for about 2 months and get another scan. The harsh reality is I will be on chemo for a good while. No telling how long; you go until the cancer is gone or until you kick the bucket. The latter is not considered an option so the former is preferred (DUH!).

As always, thank you for the continued prayers and words of encouragement. I am continally amazed at how many people have me in their thoughts and prayers. Such is the fuel that keeps me going.

My thoughts lately have unfortunately been focused on pain. Not emotional pain, but good old fashioned physical pain. I've had some typical side affects for about 2 months now and they range from annoying pain to severe pain. Chemo makes my skin crack on my hands and feet, like paper cuts. Instead of one "paper cut" I have, oh, maybe 15-20? They hurt like the dickens. And then there are other pains that literally keep you up all night long. It reminds me of what I was going through exactly one year ago today. Post op infections and issues had me in pain for over 5 months, day after day, night after sleepless night. Pain and I do not get along well; I'm a pain whimp, but in typical survivor fashion I've learned to live with it - like it or not.

Well, time to go back to work. Keep visiting the blog for the latest; I'll try to be more proactive in updates. B.

PS - many of you have mentioned that I should write a book. Believe me, it's in the works. I literally "write" a chapter every night in my brain. I can't go to sleep without composing my thoughts about my journey and burning it into memory. The scary part is I can remember what I "write". The challenging part is taking the time to download it all into my computer. This will happen in due time. My goal is getting closure with this disease (read: cured) so I can have a tidy ending to the book. Stay tuned...