Friday, March 30, 2012

Home!


I've been getting quite a few call from people wondering what is going on and I realize that staying on top of your health progress blog is pretty important. I'm writing this post from the comfort of my living room after enduring a full day of prods, pokes, yanks, scans and please lie perfectly still for 4 hours.

The great news is that the whole array of additional Lymphoma tests from other body systems all came back negative so the cancer has not spread throughout the blood system. Nothing in my bone marrow, nothing in my spinal fluids nothing in any of the 9 blood tests. Seems like it has truly been caught in its infancy. But it will still take two years of chemo to keep it out.

Now all the doctors can go on their spring breaks with their families without worrying about me. And I have a whole week of just chilling and letting my guts get back into a semi-normal state while Mary and Marlee wait on me hand and foot and provide me anything I need at any time just like the nurses did. Wait... what!?

Truth be told, I got no tubes sticking out of me, I am able to walk up and down stairs slowly and I feel relatively good, especially compared to all those other people suffering and enduring the hard core treatments. I'm not supposed to lift anything over 10 pounds so that bucket of hammers is staying put right there in the hallway where it sits! Really the only pain I am experiencing is a tightness in my chest every 4 hours when the Vicodin wears off. I'll soon switch to ibuprofen and will feel like normal in a couple weeks.

That normal won't last too long. After Spring Break, I'll meet with my gang of doctors again to plan the next course of action. They assure me that my esophagus, or at least a major chunk of it, is a short-timer. So I plan to celebrate all the pleasures of swallowing for the next week or two.

What are you doing for Spring Break?

8 comments:

Armin Heurich said...

Thank you so much for the roller coaster updates, Chuck. So glad to hear the latest and know that your home. Your wit in the midst of the tumult and uncertainty is remarkable.
Love,
Armin

Margaret Willey said...

The trials of Job, Chuck! I am so glad that you are home. Margaret

Lee Ferraro said...

Love the update. If Ididn't have my own bucket of hammers that required moving around I'd come put yours away. Well, maybe later this Spring or early Summer.

Barbara Hansen, OP said...

Chuck, Reading your blog, despite the news it sometimes conveys, is inspiring. You write so well. Welcome home and do know of our prayers and deep care of you. Peace.

Margi Derks Peterson said...

Good to keep track from afar (on Spring Break), and glad to hear about the results of all the tests. Your former family thinks of you often and wishes you well.

Janet said...

Can't believe what you've been through and you still look fab dahlink!

Teresa L. Thome said...

PZ and I are of to LaLa land. Hope you are up for a visit when we get back. I needs me some ChuckleBunny quality time. Grateful you are taking the time to write these posts. Your light shines through. Have a wonderful week.
Love, tt

Valerie said...

There's no place like home. There's no place like home...

Happy to see you're there, cousin!