Wednesday, July 14, 2010

Forgive My Absence…

WOW… It’s been a LONG time since I’ve posted… It seems that I just never get around to posting any more… I’ll try to catch up today.

Not much new going on since my last post… The effects of my last injection of Eligard should start to wear off in the next little while… The side effects of it will hopefully start to diminish in the next couple of months...sooner would be better, but that is not how it went last time, so I have no great expectations.  I will have my PSA levels checked in September, and a visit with the doc in late September to see how things are going and to set up a schedule for testing and visits.

I had a bone density scan, and had my vitamin D levels checked earlier this year… The bone scan showed no major changes since the last one a year and a half ago...that’s good news… My vit D levels are in the high normal range… My supplements must be at the right levels even though a doc or two thought I was over doing it… I will keep up the regimen I am following now…

I mentioned that I had done a “cancer research” questionnaire a while back.  Like I said then, there were some great questions… made me think a lot about how others react to the news about someone having cancer.  It has been my experience that it definitely changes how some people react around me… At first, it was just a shock...a lot of people didn’t seem to know what to say...either that, or they just didn’t want to say anything, because a lot of people seemed to avoid me… Don’t get me wrong...a LOT of people changed in the opposite way...people I didn’t have a lot to do with prior to my diagnosis became great friends and people who still keep in touch… But a lot of people I called friends before, have moved on and although I tried for a long time to stay in touch with them, I don’t hear from them any longer...unless I run into them.  Of course some of that is my fault...I don’t make the effort any longer either....part of that is because as time moved on, the things we used to share are now gone.  A number of my current friends are people I met or became more involved with after diagnosis.  At first it was hard to deal with… but friendships change over time...even when you are around people all the time.  Great friendships don’t go away...they change from time to time, but you always know your good friends are around and there for you… other friendships come and go...family and life in general seem to have a lot to do with that. 

For now, life goes on… I’ll wait for my next new “normal” to arrive… I’ll enjoy my friends and family… and hopefully get a chance to enjoy some summer weather...if it ever shows up… LOL

Until next time…

Tuesday, March 02, 2010

Great News!… at least for me…

I had my Hormone Deprivation Therapy (HDT) injection last week... as well as blood tests the week before that... Today I finally got to see the doctor after 6 months... Great News!... at least for me... My PSA levels have dropped from 0.3 to 0.2 and the doc feels comfortable giving me another break from treatment... unfortunately I just had my injection, so it will be 4-5 months until things start to change... that's okay though... it's hope that my body will start to act more 'normal' for the summer!

It's only been 15 months since I started my second round of Hormone Deprivation Therapy, but I'm extremely tired of the side effects this time... Everything seems to be magnified this round... the hot flashes are much more extreme...night sweats this time round... more joint pain... more weight gain...much more tired... but the up side is that I am still doing well and feeling pretty good when I'm not sleeping... LOL

I did an online 'cancer' research questionnaire last week... there were a lot of great questions, and they got me thinking... but that will be in a future posting... For now, I'm just going to enjoy the moment...

Until next time....

Monday, February 01, 2010

I Shared My ‘Voice’…

There is a great web site that shares the ‘Voices’ of those directly affected by cancer… The Voices of Survivors Foundation

This is cut from the “Mission” statement on the web site:

The “Voices of Survivors Foundation” is devoted to exploring ‘Survivorship’ and what that means to the individual ‘Survivor’, whether they are recently diagnosed, undergoing treatment or post-treatment, in a variety of documentary formats. We work independently as well as with other individuals and organizations collaboratively, on a variety of projects to further this exploration.

The face of cancer is one that the has been portrayed as that of only older people and children for so long but that face is not reflective of whom cancer truly affects. Cancer affects us all and each person who deals with this has their own definition of what being a ‘Survivor’ means.

I requested to share my ‘Voice’ and was quickly accepted… Lynn Lane, the Executive Director, founder and all round great guy is also a prostate cancer survivor… We had never met prior to the taping of our ‘Conversation’, but shared a love of cycling and both belong to the group Cyclists Combating Cancer.  We chatted briefly prior to the Taping of my ‘Conversation’, doing our hello’s and Lynn giving me the rundown of how things were going to go.... then on we went… After the taping ended, we continued our chat (only after being accidentally disconnected by Lynn when he was turning off the taping equipment… we got connected again quickly and had a good laugh about the ‘quick ending’… ) We then had a private conversation with some personal information about ourselves and our ‘stories’ being shared… It was great to finally meet Lynn and have that connection… another good friend has been made.

If you have some time, check out the “Voices of Survivors” web site… look for the ‘Conversations’ listed under “the voices” then “videos” menus.  Check out ALL of the site… share it family and friends who are affected by cancer…

Until next time....

Friday, January 08, 2010

2009 Comes to an End… On with 2010

2009 went by fairly quickly and I did not update the blog very often... There were a lot of things that I did not write about last year... I'll try to catch you up on a couple of events that took place...

Sunday, December 20, 2009

5th Anniversary…

WOW...it’s hard to believe it’s been 5 years since I was diagnosed with prostate cancer… It’s even harder to believe that the doctors didn’t think I would make it this long… Yet here I am. 

I will admit that it hasn’t been easy… and I’m not feeling nearly as good as I was 2 years ago...or even last year for that matter… But last year took a lot out of me, and since starting back on the hormone blockade last December, the side effects of treatment have been worse than any previous time.  The last couple of months have been the worst in the 5 years, but I refuse to let that get me down.  It’s Christmas time and I’m going to enjoy it!!

I’ve always enjoyed Christmas...and this year is not any different. I have had to cut back on some things as the energy just isn’t there to get everything done...but I’m still having a LOT of fun getting ready for the holidays… I just need to steel a few extra naps to keep going… So what’s more important, sleep or a little extra baking, decorating or cleaning… SLEEP!!!  This year I have also had some help from an unexpected source… It seems that my son, Brett, has decided he wants to learn the basics of making some of the treats I’ve made by myself for years.  So this year he has helped me make chocolates and caramel… it’s been a HUGE HELP as it’s a long tiring process… He picked it up quickly and has done an amazing job.  Hopefully the tradition will carry on for years to come.

Well, it’s only 5 sleeps away now… so it’s time to start the last minute shopping list… just food shopping… the gifts are bought, wrapped and hidden… hopefully not so well that I can’t find them LOL

Ahhh, Christmas… I LOVE IT!!!

Until next time....