Good news??? This one is cancer-related.

OK. I don't want to spoil y'all by giving you three blogs in a week...but when I get news I feel I need to share...I need to share it!

I went to the clinic today as usual. Appointment was for 12:15 as usual, but as usual we got there around 11:45. I was called back for blood work, as usual. But one thing today was different. Because yesterday was a holiday, a lot of us got today off. So, today...EVERYONE was there for an appointment. So, after the blood was drawn for the blood work, instead of just going back into the back to find a chair...there were none. All were full. So, back to the waiting room until one opened up. It wasn't long before one did, and so after they had everything cleaned up, back we went to get hooked up to the IV for fluids as usual. It usually, (I know I keep using the word usual a lot, but my life's been pretty mundane lately, so that's the way it is), takes about twenty to thirty minutes until the blood work results come back...today was no different. But when I get the results normally, just one of the nurse techs brings us a copy and there's no fan fair. Today, my results were brought over by our mid-level nurse practitioners Susan, (these are the nurses who are the gatekeepers to the doctors and ultimately, with the doctor's approval of course, decide your course of treatment), which as I said is unusual. She plopped the results down in my lap and said, Well, your labs look great. So, I'm cutting you off fluids". Which if this were the only news of the day, I would be ecstatic because I hate sitting there for four hours of my day, only to get a 1000ml bag of saline injected into me. But, she didn't stop there. She then said, " So, we'll see you on Monday". And I looked surprised...and happy of course!! Then she said, "Monday we'll check your labs again of course. And since you're not gonna be getting fluids anymore we'll go ahead and pull out that PICC line, (which is the line in my arm with three lumens coming out of it. Which is similar to the catheter I once had. It's used to infuse fluids, draw blood, etc. Refer to previous blogs if you're confused), And we might be able to cut you loose in a couple of weeks". Now if you'll do the math with me, I was told that after the transplant I would have to be at the clinic every day for fifty days. Today is day twenty-six after the transplant. Day fifty would be July 29th. Now, if like Susan said, they "cut me loose" in "a couple of weeks"...that would be two weeks before they were supposed to. Now, this does not mean my life immediately will return back to normal. I probably will not be able to return back to work until the already set date of August 15th. But, many of the restrictions that are in place will be lifted. I still don't have all the details. She did say that some of this may change, depending on what my labs say from time to time. And I don't know if I'll now be going once a week, or twice or three times a week...all of this will be worked out as we go. A few things I do know, however. All of the things that were set for the 100 day mark will stay the same. The most important of these is, that will be when we'll repeat the bone marrow biopsy and PET scan to see if this damn thing worked. If, as we all know it did, this damn thing did work, I will then permanently be released from the clinic and return back to my normal oncologist for follow up treatment and to keep checking on things. Just to reiterate, I will not be out of work or out of commission until the 100 day mark. That's just another bench mark for us to look forward to.

Now, as you all know, throughout all of this, I haven't been one to follow convention or the usual course of things. So, I really thought seriously of not sending this out for fear of jinxing it. But, I really do feel good and the numbers don't lie. Now I still have a little trepidation as we go forward, knowing how this whole process has gone for me. But I am really excited, because this is really good news, as I'm sure you'll agree. Sorry again for so many updates in so few days. Also, sorry this was a long one...but I had a lot to tell y'all!! I do look incredibly forward to returning to a normal life and spending time with all of you again!! Love y'all!!

A Conundrum...non-cancer related.

I'll start this one with a disclaimer. At times it may seem like this is the willy nilly ramblings of a madman. But trust me, dear reader, I will get to a point. Here we go...

When I'm done drinking a bottle of water, it leaves me thirsty. Does that make sense? We're told that water is the ultimate thirst quencher. But, seriously, when I'm done I have cotton mouth. This just doesn't make sense to me. I do, however, have a theory.

I am a southern boy, born and raised 15 minutes south of Atlanta. Which is the home of Coca-Cola. I was raised drinking coke. I even used to have a coke for breakfast, sometimes and nothing else. Since I was a young boy, I have drank coke...or atleast some incarnation of carbonated beverage. There was a cherry coke phase, there was a mello-yello phase, there was a surge phase, there was a Jolt cola phase, (man that stuff was good), and finally a Mountain Dew phase. But throughout, you could always count on a cold refreshing coke. They always say that you shouldn't drink such beverages, because they could never truly quench your thirst because of all the sodium and carbonation and yummy high fructose corn syrup. But, when I, your intrepid writer, drink a coke...my thirst is quenched. Seriously....no cotton mouth or anything. I'm thirsty...I drink a coke...I am no longer thirsty. So, here's where you come in. I need your opinion on my hypotheses.

Hypothesis #1: Water leaves me wanting more because that is it's nature. There ain't much to it, so it simply wets your whistle while you drink it, but when you're done, your whistle is no longer wet. There's more to carbonated beverages like Coca-Cola, so they satisfactorily quench my thirst.

Hypothesis #2: Water would satisfactorily quench my thirst. But, due to years of conditioning myself with high sodium highly carbonated drinks like coke, my body craves such bad things and nothing else will do....kind of like a crack addict. You get started and you can't stop.

I will reserve my thoughts until you can have your say...if you even give a shit. I don't know...maybe you all think I'm a loony. I don't know...whatever...have at it. if you will.

Oh and happy 4th!!!

Nothing new to report...

Ok...I realize it has been a while since I have posted anything. But, no news is good news. Nothing has really changed, or is really going on. I'm on Day 25 after the transplant, which as I'm sure most of you know that's Day 25 out of 50. After Day 50, we won't have to be at the clinic every day, and I will probably be able to go home...yay! So, for now it's just coming to the clinic every day for bloodwork and having to sit here for like 4 hours getting IV fluids. I hate IV fluids. Normally I just sit here and sleep, or look at cars online...don't you want my life? So, Just wanted to let everyone know that everything is going good. So far, no more random surgeries or trips to the hospital...knock on wood. I hope everyone has a wonderful Independence Day...the whole family's coming over for a cookout, so that'll be nice. I'll let ya know if anything happens or changes! Thanks for all your thoughts and prayers...love y'all!!