Sunday, November 28, 2010

11-28-2010

I was messing around and went to the Biography Channel and found myself on a preview of the coming Beyond & Back. The link is here. http://www.biography.com/video.do?name=isurvivedbeyondandback

Denise still thinks I have pneumonia. I spent today mostly laying around, think yesterday was a bit much. Hopefully will be back on my game tomorrow. I done the Nette pot with Baby Shampoo and the mixture that you normally use like Dr Rathfoot said to do. Man I was doing so good there for a while, got a lot of stuff done. Tomorrow though is another day and things can change overnight, so I'll be positive and say that I can finish the leaves here, in mom's yard, and Marks'.

Tuesday, November 23, 2010

11-23-2010

Well I finally achieved the goal of losing my voice, lol. Today me and Mark went on the hill, Mark was sawing me out a post from a Cedar Tree blown and broken. With the last few days my coordination is somewhat lacking as people seem to be noticing the gashes in my arms and knuckles. I swear my skin is like paper anymore and my blood thin as water. It just seemed smart to get Mark to run a chainsaw. Red Devil, dad's last animal left alive was just dead, still warm to the touch. I went home and got the tractor to bury her and about 1/2 way through the digging the storm came. By the time I got home even my underwear was soaked, probably TMI there, lol. That was one cold, wet rain. So here I am tonight, voiceless... I think Denise enjoys the quiet, lol.

For that last week or two it seems like I'm getting back to the extreme fatigue. It is almost like Narcalism. Then it again it may be just like it, I have never read about it. Either way though, I get a few warnings then I'm gone but never for too long usually. I don't feel bad these day but not good either. Swallowing has decreased somewhat over the last month or so too.

This video I found today while I was drying out is for those in the family that went ahead. this is the first Thanksgiving without dad.

Monday, November 22, 2010

11-22-2010

Another day. One should think I'm use to it by now... but I'm not. I have been having even more memory and hearing problems. They say it is the chemo. I paid Mark to saw my trees, looks like I do enough damage with the hammer, lol. The neuropathy is as it was, no better no worse.

I pushed myself 2 or 3 days in a round, 1 in particular. It is funny how today I just couldn't get nothing right and the few times I did, I forgot what I done with it, lol. There is this severe fatigue that comes over me that has came back. It always gives me a warning of about 3-5 times... then I am out. Truth be told after the second one I have little memory of this between it and the final one.

Today I was worn out and when Denise woke me up for my pills I crashed. I woke up the 2nd time and I was sick as a dawg. I ran to Hardees for a biscuit and after a long while went back ok. All but my throat still rare from the acid reflux.

Tuesday, November 16, 2010

11-17-2010

Well, good lessen today. No More Hot Dogs with Chili. My throat was feeling a bit better, breathing was getting a bit better, and then boom ...a stroke of pure stupidity came over me and I ate not one but two hot dogs. Tonight my throat has been hurting a bit more than usual but not as much as it did.

Today the neuropathy is better than it has been. Maybe thinking missing a dose a couple of times each day may have attributed to it. I still think though that the pressure that builds before a rain along with dampness has some effect on it.

The Chemo Fog, Chemo Brain, whatever one calls it seems worse these last few days. Not that being 50 helps any, lol. I have been somewhat worried though. Not that I'm the brightest bulb on the tree but I've really pulled some doozies. I had two nights of very little sleep but last night slept like a baby and about 6 hours too. No nightmares or dreams, just sleep.

I have a few friends that I talk to on the web and lately added another friend, Dea. She will be on the same show the same night that we will. Seems a very nice lady. She wrote a book about her experience and mailed me a copy. I hope to start it this weekend. Then I talk with Cathy, a good friend that researches the same stuff that I do, also a nice person. Then Sally, whom I have talked to for years and consider one of my best friends on earth. She has CTCL too. I can't help but laugh sometimes at Denise. If Sally hasn't wrote before she goes to bed that is the first thing she does, check the email. I think this is Sally's second Thanksgiving without Aubra, he also had CTCL. It is our first one without dad here. Last year at this time I was looking so forward to eating, it hit right between Chemos. I didn't figure on keeping it down, couldn't taste it physically... but I remembered the taste.

Denise often asks why I don't get mad very often. The kids I drive up the wall with never let the sun go down on you mad. I had been told that by Annie and Papa, think we all were. Life is too short without wasting time on being mad. Spoken words cannot be unspoken for even if the offended person forgives they will ring out in your mind and life guarantees nobody the next breath. What God gives us is each other for only that breath with no guarantee that we will have time to undo that which we regret later. No guarantee there will be another happy moment and moments are just that moments. We choose how we will spend them.

Thursday, November 11, 2010

11-11-2010

Ok, it's actually now officially 11-12-10 and I'm still up. Eating none the less. Prednisone or bad habits? I goofed off today, no leaves, no bush hogging, just pure trouble. Me and Bill went after a 65 ragtop (stressing that word) Corvair. We went to a lot of trouble to hide it, but then she asked, and my big mouth opened. I would not make a good politician, lol.

Not as tight in my breathing tonight, but still hard to do. Possibly the laughing while spewing Mt Dew coming out of my nose may have helped. Sorry about that Bill, if that had been me who had the accident I'd have laughed anyway. The look on his face when the bungee cord snapped, just too much.

The CTCL is raging lately. My foot looks and feel like it has been dipped in acid and more plaques coming out on the body on the legs and arms. I need to go back to taking the herbs and maybe do some NBUVB treatments, something I'd rather not do with my neck. Maybe a shield? Beats Interferon though.

Tomorrow maybe blow leaves off the roof, provided the neuropathy backs off. I tried that about two days ago, didn't work too well. I'm assuming the only way to know one's limits is by finding them. God knows I've done enough of that in my life, lol.

Tuesday, November 9, 2010

I Survived...Beyond and Back - update

I got an update with the date it will air on and a lot of people had asked when it comes on. Below is a copy that I got today from Lauren. I tell you, this has been a nice company to have the honor of working with.

“Dear Anthony,
Thank you for sharing your story for our series "I Survived...Beyond and Back." Your episode will premiere on BIO on Sunday, January 9 at 10 PM ET/9PM CT/8PM MT/7PM PT. Please check your local listings and at www.bio.com as there are often last minute scheduling changes that are out of our control. Often people ask where BIO is in their area, and my suggestion is to check on http://www.tvguide.com/Listings/ where you can input your zip code and your cable provider.

"I Survived... Beyond and Back” is a follow up series to “I Survived…,” which is in its 6th season and also airs on BIO Channel. Some of our survivors from “I Survived…” have been featured on local and national television, radio, print and the web, so please let us know if you are amenable to press opportunities. We will be doing local press outreach in your market. If there is a specific paper, local television or radio station or outlet you would like us to reach out to about the premiere of your episodes, please let us know. If you've done press in the past related to your story, please also let us know and we will follow up with that reporter/outlet to see if they are interested in catching up with you and helping to promote your episode's airing.

I cannot make any promises but if you have a website or a book or something related to your story of survival please pass that information along to us and we will do our best to ask our website if they can include something on our site.

At BIO we prove that the truth about people is always more entertaining than fiction, so thank you for sharing your true story with us and our viewers!

Best,
LaurĂ©n”

11-09-2010 Dr Rathfoot Follow-up

First off, Happy Birthday Josh... number 10. (my oldest grandson).

We went early this morning for a follow-up visit with Dr Rathfoot, a well awaited thing for me. Good news and bad news. Good news- He scoped me and saw no tumor. Bad news- I'm swelled enough that my airflow is restricted so he did not inject the medicine, he wants to wait until I have done 3 months of steroids first. He said that a mold had gotten in and created inflammation. I weighed in at 200lbs! Time to either grow taller or diet.Imagine me after 3 months of steroids. I will probably be able to find work being the "Before" picture, lol.

I've been back at having a hard time breathing, especially at night. Somethings, often times, I awake to not being able to breathe. Three days of bush hogging a field and my reward is three months of steroids. Wonder what working the last few days in leaves will get me, lol. I don't lack much more but I'm going to do mom's too... she just don't know it yet. So once again we learn our limits but how else would one know the limit with testing the limit? We don't.

I will have a special message with info on the TV Show in a separate post.

Sunday, November 7, 2010

11-07-2010

I blew leaves a couple of days ago and still a bit down. I lost most of my voice again, still gone. I also ended up taking some pain meds, not a good thing. Other than that though, I'm doing ok. I'm still trying to come off the Gabapintin (misspelled) but I keep trying. It is hard to sleep at night lately. Part of that is the pain in my knees, shoulders and neck.

I go back to Rathfoot for a follow-up this week. They are suppose to have a machine whee they can inject the inside going through the outside as opposed to surgery. It sounds painful but probably no more painful than the other way... crossing my fingers on that one, lol.

My hair is back thin up front, maybe thinner than it was, but the back is still thick and curly.

I'm still having to watch what I swallow and swallowing itself, but not as bad. I also have to watch for heavily spiced food, especially pepper. At night it feels like a belt is tight around my neck and hard to breathe at times.

I've gained a bit too much weight, so that is the next thing to work on.