Bentonville Volleyball wins state!

Congratulations to the Bentonville HS Volleyball team as they won their 3rd state championship in 4 years today.
News report here for limited time.

Lachlan's first Halloween costume.

Is a spider!

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Volleyball State Finals!

Today I got up early. 6am. Couldn't really sleep, so I thought I'd get up to change my English Premier League team around (you see I forgot to earlier in the week). Of course, they had already closed the week off and I couldn't make anymore changes.... typical of how my season is going. So I played around on the net for a little bit and had 1 liter of Gatorade. I felt like I needed something. I finally crawled back into bed about 7:15am, only to be woke up by the alarm at 7:30. So looks like I was up. After a shower and breakfast, cereal & toast, I got ready to go down to Fayetteville Highlands Oncology for my Neulasta shot. Steve and Terri stayed the night so Steve drove me down. It didn't take long and then were off to our next priority, so get the dryer fixed. There was a part that we needed to change out. After driving around for about an hour, we finally go one and put it on. Of course it worked, but the dryer still needs some work to be, should we say, less 'squeeky'. After a good lunch (ate two bowls of tuna/peas in bowtie pasta) and more Gatorade I had a rest. Now I am ready to go cheer the Lady VolleyTigers in their State Final game.

Finished well for 2nd treatment

Today was tough, but one day I had to get through. I didn't want to go in, but I knew that today was my last treatment day of Round 2. Of course my vein in my left arm was scaring me and I was praying that it held up and to my surprise, it did. I just don't think I could have had to get 'stuck' again. But you know I would have if I had to. :-) I got some good lunch in thanks to Steve and Terri (Jen's parents) coming up, today it was McAlistar's. Which is always a good choice. This week has been great with none or limited nausea. The first round just killed me with the nausea, so I'm happy the new medication did me well. Around dinner time Todd, his wife Kim, Jaclyn, and her husband Chris all came around to the house and celebrated, for the lack of a better word, the shaving of my head. I actually like it and Dad always told me I had a good shaped head. Now I just gotta get it a little more tanned :-). Enjoy the photos linked below. Jennifer has her Volleyball State championship game tomorrow afternoon, so I'm hoping to visit that and cheer on the Bentonville girls to victory over Fayetteville.

Feeling better after some lunch, now rest time.

Ryan Botha picked me up @ 1 from the clinic and we went and got some Zaxby's. Went down well and got me back on my feet. I still need to drink more fluids as one of my chemo drugs Cisplatin (the other is Etopiside) takes fluid from my body and it can cause kidney failure if I don't flush the body. So drinking lots if a must. I have to drink about 4 liters (1 gallon for my American friends) a day during treatment, so you can imagine the toilet interruptions I have during my movies. Today I think I'm going to get "Predators" off cable. I'll let you know how it rates. Today's treatment had its up and downs. I was good at the start, then my vein decided to shut down and started to bubble up a little with the saline fluids pumping into it, so the nurse quickly got the left arm with IV in it and all was flowing nicely again. She did very well, first shot and straight in the vein...unlike Monday with a different nurse. Hopefully this IV stays good for the whole of tomorrows treatment. One day to go this week, then another blood boosting shot on Saturday and then a scan early next week. I am excited to hear those scan results. Pray that they are showing a massive decrease in tumor size.

Day 4 has begun

I'm off & running on day 4 of 5 this treatment cycle. Still tired but I expect that these days. Lachlan was so cute today, his cute face lights up my day from the beginning. Can't beat that. More reports later. Jennifer coaches volleyball today @ 1 so Ryan Botha will do the honors of picking me up. Then we'll eat some lunch. Hopefully I'm in the mood for yummy zaxbys.

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Paying for a busy day yesterday

Wow, today I'm really tired and dragging. Wednesday is hump day, but always seems like the worst day for me during treatment. Just no energy to move freely and be my chirpy self. I had a good 90 minute sleep when I got here. Now I just got fluids, which I get between the chemotherapy drugs etopiside and cisplatin. So I'm nearly half way thru it all day. I think today will be laying on couch sitting in front of a good movie. No activities today.

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Today finished well

Today was a good day as far as chemotherapy treatment goes. I did my treatment in my favorite chair at Highlands Oncology between 8am-12noon. Then my beautiful wife came and picked me up and fed me. Yes, I actually have my appetite this time round! During my first round I hardly ate at all and lost about 10lbs that week, but with my new nausea medicine (Emend) I am pushing through this week very nicely. Eating just about normal. My sleep has been great so far this week to. After treatment I got home and relaxed a few hours before taking a 35 minute POWER nap. Yep, had to sneak my name in there.... Then I got picked up from the house and driven to the 7A West Conference Cross Country champs where the boys and girls teams were running. I simply couldn't miss this one. We were favorite to win the boys title. I felt a little tired while I was there, but once the race started I was pumped and normal, the adrenaline was rushing through my veins. Probably right next to the chemo meds :-) The boys ended up winning and girls got 2nd. It is the first time in school history, more or less 30 years, that the boys had ever won the conference championships. Now we move to retain our State championships on Nov.6th @ Rogers High School. I should be right to go that day! Of course my day ended with seeing my beautiful wife and son. A day to remember.

Day 2 of Round 2

Slept good last night and woke with no nausea. Ate normal breakfast & now in for day 2 of my 5 day regiment. Feeling good today, which is great news because I want to go see the team run in the 7A West conference meet in Fayetteville. Looks like I'll be able to. Keep the fingers crossed that I'll be feeling good after treatment. About to watch Invictous, then might fall a sleep a little. Got 4 hours to kill.

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Trying to find the vein wasn't easy

I started my Round 2 today. That is Kim in the picture with me. She had to stab my left arm two times to get the veins to co-operate with the IV. That's a warm towel on my arm to get the veins to pop out more than usual. I cut my hair down to '#1' last night so that I don't leave hair all over the house. I mean I still will, but this was they will hardly be noticeable. Getting back to my day today. Kim is a very chatty nurse and, although very experienced, just couldn't get the IV right today. Kind of made me mad that I became a bit of a pincushion. The usual 'good IV sticker' wasn't there today. She will be tomorrow and she will get my IV right. In the end, after my treatment, I had the IV taken out (usually stays in for about 3 days so that they don't stick you everyday and my arm will get another go at tomorrow morning. My favorite nurse, Marsha, came and looked after me for the 2nd half of the day which was great. She is in fact Kim's mentor. Masha is the best.
Jennifer stayed with me for the first half, until I started my chemo drugs, then she went and had to do some volleyball stuff. They are hosting the State Championships this week, so very busy. I also started a new nausea medication today and it seems like it is working. I feel a lot better than last time, lets hope it stays that way for tomorrow afternoon, its the 7A West Conference Champs and I want to be there to see the guys and do a great pep talk before the race. They came 2nd last year and then went to on to win the State champs. We hope to go one better this year at Conference, and then retain our State Championships on the 6th November. Of course, you can follow twitter updates for the team and also I will post here throughout my daily reports.

Pumpkin Patch and Ozark Corn Maze day.

A nice family day out @ the Corn Maze

It was such a nice day that we had to take advantage of it. Jennifer had been wanting to take Lachlan out to the big Corn Maze in Cave Springs, so we all jumped in the truck and went down there. We had our jumpers on, but soon took them off when we got there. Lachlan, of course, was wearing his Halloween t-shirt and looked great in orange. The wind was blowing a little more than usual and Lachlan loved it. Seeing all the people there was also something that kept his mouth wide open. Something he has been doing more lately. We decided to 'wing it' and not use the map in the maze. With me and Jen leading the way, we soon got lost and pulled it out for directions. We tried to ask some kids who were

Lachlan getting up close & personal with a corn stalk

 running around crazy, but they seemed to be going around as many circles as we were. After looking at the map we figured out were we were at and got out of there. It is actually shaped like a Razorback. Then we rode the tractor down to the pumpkin patch to take some pictures of Lachie around some pumpkins. He wanted to lift them up, but wasn't strong enough...yet.
It was a great day out and perfect for me to forget that I have my Round 2 of chemotherapy treatment starting tomorrow morning at 8am. I'll report on that tomorrow.

It's started...

Ok, so I just wiped the side of my head with a wet hand and this is what I found. My hair is starting to fall out! I try not to touch my head because I don't want to 'take' the hair with me! This was clearly a test to see what the damage will be. So I'm thinking I have about a week and my hair will be gone. Oh well, I guess I don't have that much to lose.... but still I will be a little weird and cold.....

Up and Down Day, coupled with an itchy rash

Today was really a roller-coaster day. It started with seeing Lachie and Jen before they went to school which is always nice. I then relaxed around the house, then had lunch and then did some stuff around the house to get me moving a little more. I did some of the daily chores that nobody likes to do, make the bed, clean the sheets, & fold some clothes. Then I need to go and get my truck (and car very soon) tires rotated and balanced. I feel good enough to do this then. So went to tire place, via Walmart for some cream (more on that later) and milk, and they did a quick job as usual. When paying, they told me that I have one wheel that is out-of-round (OOR). Great, did I buy a defective tire? well looks like I'll be calling treadepot.com next week for a replacement. I hope they do it, they should! So ever since all that moving around I just hit the wall emotionally. Not like a sooky girl, but just quiet and rather be by myself they of emotion.

The other thing I had going today was I woke up with an itchy rash on my forehead, ears, eyes and hip bone around. Weird and kind of hit me without warning. So then I called the oncologist and got some steroid cream. Of course.... another prescription, and yet another drug (Triamcinolon). I am all dosed up. To fight the itchiness I have the cream and I take Benadryl to double combat it.

Another day at the office for a chemo patient. Gotta shrug off this 'alone' feeling and get back to fighting Mike. Tomorrow is a new day.

Feeling great, but something is squirming.

Apart from the throat still a little sore, I felt fantastic today. I could nearly say that I felt good enough to be 'normal'! Finally feeling like the old Mike again. A good and bad thing. A good thing because, well, it's nice to feel good and normal. A bad thing because I start treatment again on Monday. Round 2. Feeling good of course is all a state of mind and also relative to you have felt on previous days. Tonight, actually just as I type this, reminded me again to go take some pain medication as I can feel the tumor, kind of squirming, or moving. Sounds weird I know, but it reminds me that it is still there. I only feel it as I get ready for bed, around 9-10pm. Strange. It is a part of me.....but I want to kill it. And I will.

My Inspiration

Lachlan got his daycare photos back today and I just had to put this one up. He is 9 months & a few days and is my inspiration as I go through this. He went to see his pediatrician today and weighted in @ 21 lbs 13 oz (9.9kg) & length 28 inches (71cm). He cried a little when they gave him his first ever flu shot in the left thigh. Tough kid though.

Lachlan is the best medicine for me right now. Sometimes I cant lift him, especially during treatment, but just to see him gives me that boost I need.

I love you Lachlan.

Sleep & Acid Reflux

So I went to the oncologist (Dr. Travis) today (weight 182lbs) to get my blood checked & see Doc. The blood count came back as expected with low WBC (white blood count) and low 'normal range' RBC (red blood count). So thats good. Spoke to Dr. about lack of sleep and inconsistent sleep. I have been constantly been getting up in the night to go pee and maven't been sleeping well. Crazy dreams last night. First time I have dreamt in weeks. So he gave me tamazapam which is the good stuff and also the stuff I would take on those long haul flights from Melbourne to London back in the pro days. Started taking tonight. I have had a sore throat that last few days and was wondering if I was getting sick, so showed Dr. Travis. He said it was acid reflux, which I have felt the last week, and that I needed more meds. This time the insurance didn't hardly pay for it, wanted $150 bucks for it, nah wasn't gonna pay that, so I got Prilosec over the counter, cost $22. Of course Dr. Travis told me to do this if the original meds weren't covered.

So more meds, for all those symptoms. I am starting a collection!

Todd & Lachie snuggle up

My assistant coach, Todd, and his wife, Kim, came over tonight to help with Lachie. Little lachlan had so much fun that he pasted out early for nite nite.

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Made it into work

Ok, made it into work today. Got through the staff development A.M session. Had lunch @ Firehouse subs along with a bunch of people from BHS. Now laying on futon in volleyball locker room wishing I was watching a movie @ home. I am feeling decent enough to be here, but starting to get a bit tired now. Had a little pain during staff development, but like I said I got through. PLC meeting starts @ 12:30.

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Pegfilgrastim finally hit me today.

So this drug (shot in the stomach) was given to me last Tuesday when I was in a bad way. It's for the bone marrow to stimulate the growth of white blood cells. Chemo kills the cancer, but also kills white & red blood cells. So I need this drug to boost me up. Anyway, the Dr. said it was make my bones hurt. I thought that makes sense, but wondering how it feels. Expecting the drug would hit me pretty much straight away, I was ready. I didn't feel anything for days. Actually thought it might not affect me like they said it would. Saturday was alright walking around @ Chili Pepper. Slept horribly last night & woke up to feel 'not right'. The drug had finally started to work. My hips, femurs, sternum, lower back all started to ache. Every now & again my hips would be weak when I got up off the couch. Crazy feeling really, but that drug got the better of me today.

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Feeling good these days

I am feeling good this week. After a great day @ Chili Pepper Festival (The guys got 3rd in the team race this year!). I am looking forward to a great week coming up. No teaching on Monday, only a Health teachers meeting, and then an easy week of teaching. 2nd round of chemo is from 25th-29th of October. Not looking forward to it, but then again this is what will will kill the cancer, so it's very worth the while!

I'll continue to post on this site as well as Facebook.

My favorite nurse!

Thanks for looking after me my beautiful wife.

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Wasn't feeling great today.

Had a 8:15am appointment with Dr.Travis, so got up about 6:30am. Didnt sleep all that good & felt nauseous all morning. Came in to Highlands & the girls got me the right meds to get me back on track. Feeling a little better now, but still sleepy & drained of energy.
Saw Dr. Travis for a little bit & he said 2nd opinion of biopsy still not back from Indy but he's chasing it up this morning while I'm here. Jen just left for work, but will be back to pick me up later.
Constipation becoming an issue because of all the meds I've been on. But nurse Marsha is on the case with her 'Brown Bomb' concoction. Milk of Magnesia mixed with prune juice. Now doesn't that sound tasty people! "Drink it & stay close to the toilet" are the orders.
Just finished pre-meds, now onto first chemo drug. About to sit back & listen to some music.

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Nearly done with Day 2

Had a great day. After lunch, played some mancala with Jen & won best of 3 games. Always competitive! Haha. Sleepy now & about to start cisplatin treatment. Nurse Kelli doing a great job.

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Round 1 : Day 2

Half way thru treatment & feeling good. Sitting by the window today. Listening to my ipod w/ Tiesto podcast playing some good tracks. Jennifer out to get lunch : Arby's chicken salad sandwich.
IV in left forearm, will be there a for 3 days. Kate looking after me today & Marsha is around & about. Jen just got back with lunch. Time to eat!

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