My Christmas Came Early

It goes without saying that my Christmas gift arrived on 11/26/2012 when I found out that my cancer was in remission. As Christmas approaches I wanted to take the opportunity to thank each and every person who helped me through a battle that had many ups and downs. Whether you called, wrote, sent a card, participated in one of the many tributes that took place, donated to the Krickincancer Krew fundraiser for the Relay for Life, sent a prayer, or any of the other many thoughtful things that took place, please know that you were all a vital part of my recovery. I drew strength and motivation from your incredible support, and without it I’m not sure how things would have gone.

Things have been going pretty well over the past month. My energy has been very good for the most part. I have joined a fitness club and have been going every day to lift weights and do some cardio. I can definitely see my strength improving greatly. My cardio fitness is coming along slower, although this morning I was able to do 90 minutes on the treadmill with a lot of varying inclines. I have a long way to go to get back anywhere near where I was, but I am on my way. Now I just need to learn some patience….

From a health standpoint things seem to be going well. I am still retaining water and have been on Lasix since my PET scan. However, in the past couple of days it seems that maybe things are moving a bit. Hopefully that will continue and I will be able to stop the diuretic. I am still taking a blood thinner (warfarin) for the blood clot that I had in my arm. That seems to be regulated pretty well and my blood tests are up to two weeks apart now. The neuropathy in my hands is much better, but the feet aren’t coming along as quickly. I was a little scared a couple weeks ago when I discovered a couple of lumps in my abdomen. After conferring with the doctor it was decided that they likely are sterile abscesses from the Lovenox injections I had to give myself when I developed my blood clot. All in all my health really hasn’t been an issue at all.

I hope that each and every one of you has a blessed Christmas and that you find peace and love in your lives during the holidays. Again, thank you from the bottom of my heart for being the most supportive cast of friends and family that a person could never wish for, much less actually have! You all are the best and I send you my love. Merry Christmas!