Sweet #16.

My eight treatment hours are done and it was again one of the best of the sixteen treatments.

The one thing that I've come to understand over the course of my 16 treatments is that you never know what to expect.  You know that it is not going to be an easy day and like a good roller coaster, you just hold on to your seat and go where it takes you.  I'm very thankful that today went well.

The doctor's appointment was early at 8 in the morning and I still don't have the early morning routine down for how much I can drink before going into the doctor's office.  It is important to hold the BCG in the bladder for the entire 2 hours, while I sit in the La-Z-Boy and rock to keep it sloshing around.   Needless to say, I was counting down the minutes and knew exactly when the 120 minutes were finished.  I pumped myself with fluids all day and almost set a record for the number of trips to the bathroom.  It seems that the more fluid intake the less pain I experience, so today was a good day.

I reread John Piper's, Don't Waste Your Cancer, this morning and it put me in a great frame of mind.  I highly recommend the book to anyone going through cancer treatments.

Now I have six days of recovery and it all starts again next Wednesday at 8 am.

Great Finish To 2012

My all clear results from today's cystoscope finishes the year the same way as it started...cancer free!

Going to a cystoscope is always a very stressful experience between the pain of the actual procedure and the worrying over the results.  This time was no different except for the fact that I was feeling as good physically as I have felt since being diagnosed with cancer.  I have been running every day for about 4 weeks and feeling extremely healthy, which is exactly how I felt going pre-cancer.  So to get the all clear was a great feeling.

I appreciate all the prayers and people asking me how I'm feeling.  It is comforting to know that so many people care about my well being.  I will be posting again in January when I start my treatments in 6 weeks.

Big Day On Wednesday

This Wednesday, the 12th, I have my next cystoscope.  It's hard to believe that it has been 3 months since my last one.  It is always with trepidation that I go and have the procedure done.  The anxiety is now is more on results and less on the procedure.  This will be my 6th one in 1 1/2 years and the frequency will soon go to semi-annual for the next two years instead of quarterly.  As always, with a clear test, I will be scheduling the next set of BCG treatments in January.

I didn't know if I would like the BCG cycles going to 6 months between treatments versus 3 months.  But, I can now say that having more time to recover is nice.  I have been running now for about 4 weeks and get up in the morning ready to go, instead of wishing that I could have more time in bed.  While I would not say that I'm a morning person, I do really like getting up and getting a workout in before getting into the office.

Next post will be late afternoon on Wednesday, 12/12/12.

September Update

I realized that I didn't post my results from my September Cystoscope.  It was ALL CLEAR!  It was probably the quickest and least painful of all my Cystoscope tests.  A huge answer to prayer and relief.  The scope tests are always very stressful, but the end is always a huge relief when we hear the all clear from Dr. T.

My next Cystoscope is on 12/12/12 at 1:30pm.  With another all clear of cancer, the next treatments will start up again in January and February of 2013.  My plan is to have them done in time to go to the annual Florida Auctions in the middle of February.

I'm now about 7 weeks out from my last treatment.  The fatigue is still a constant, but this morning was the first morning that I've felt rested when I woke up.  I was feeling tired again by early afternoon, but at least I had about half of a day feeling real good.  Hopefully, with the new schedule of 6 months off between treatments will give me more days of feeling good than feeling worn out.

#15 Done and 6 Month To Recover

Treatment #15 is over and now I have until February 2013 before I start up #16-18.  The treatment day was different from the start.  I arrived 15 minutes early to find an all new office staff at my doctor's office.  He and his partners had joined a new practice with 30 other Urologists and I now had to fill out all their forms like I was a new patient.  Then they took 2 hours to get me into the Installation Room.  Nothing like adding 2 more hours to a process that take normally 8 hours.  The good new was that installation went smooth and the 8 hours went great.  Very little pain and blood this time.

The next big date is September 12th, when I have my next Cystoscope to see that the cancer has not returned.  It is always a very stressful day and I think anyone that has ever had cancer has worries that it will come back.  I'm trusting in the Lord that He will be with me and continue to pray for the cancer to never return.

What A Difference A Week Makes

I closed out my blog last week with the prayer requests of an easy installation and less pain and my request and prayers were answered.  It was a complete turnaround from last week.  The catheter went in quickly and smoothly.  The eight hours were as close to painless as can possibly be.  Praise God for the answered prayers.

My doctor also said that we are going to change up the treatment cycles after next weeks treatment.  Instead of 3 treatments every 3 months, I will have 3 treatments every 6 months.  This will give my urinary track more time to heal from all the trauma and lead to less chance of infections.  It also means that I will have three years of treatments instead of two years.  But, the results are still just as good and it means that I will have more time of not feeling so fatigued between treatments.

It's amazing how much easier this week was compared to last week.  I was very apprehensive going into the doctor's office this morning, but when the installation went so smooth, it really helps with your frame of mind for the rest of the treatment.  One more week and then done for the year...what a good feeling.

Unlucky #13 Treatment

Today did not get off to a good start and stayed rough for most of the day.  I woke up with a sore throat this morning and a sense of dread that next next series of treatments start up again.  The day had a different feel to it with the treatment starting at 9 in the morning, instead of 1-2 in the afternoon.  But, I'm thankful for the new time and being done at 5:30 instead of 10 o'clock at night.

The installation was difficult with two different catheter's and attempts needed to put in the BCG.  After the installation I was extremely light headed and was not released from the room for an additional 15 minutes.  When I got to the waiting room, Nancy had a worried look on her face and sensed something didn't go well and was correct with her intuition.

The six hours of flushing my urinary system were tough and I would rate it is the second worst of all my treatments based on the pain level.  I had pain pills in my system all afternoon and it still was a rough day.  One interesting note to the day was that I had no blood today, which is very unusual.

I did find out today that after this series of one treatment a week for three weeks, that I will have four more series over the next 12-15 months.  So, I'm almost half way through the treatments.  My doctor continues to give me the full dose each time and does not lower the strength.

I'm amazed at how different my treatment side effects are from one treatment to the next.  Treatments 7-9 were very tough and then 10-12 were the easiest of the first dozen.  Now #13 switches back to the really tough day, so let's hope #14 switches back to easy again.

I truly appreciate everyone's prayers and for people caring enough to ask me how I'm feeling.  Pray for a smooth installation and low pain next week and that my fatigue will dissipate quickly after this series is done.  While the day was tough, I'm not discouraged.  I'm confident that the Lord will get me through the 2 1/2 years of treatments and that I will get back to a normal life again.