"Well, Jen, it just goes to show you, it's always something . . ."

The following message is from our hero . . .

Hey kids! Bob here! Wednesday evening, February 3rd. Tomorrow, an important doctor appointment (as far as I'm concerned) as I will hopefully find out what the next few weeks—or even months—might hold for me. The next time chemicals will be going into my body will be during an extended stay at the U of MN Hospital (five days), so I REALLY want to know the details of all this. I have no idea if I will be deathly ill during this treatment, or if it's just to monitor me closely (we were told I would be given "near lethal doses" of the drug, methotrexate, with an antidote on hand to counteract the effects. Let's hope the person responsible for that job is paying attention. . . ). Not knowing is always difficult. The last three weeks have been hard enough, so I'd really like to think that they gave the roughest drugs first and now are sending me off to Club Chemo at the end as a way to pamper me during the last few days of Round 1. I will let everyone know when I find out more.

So, what's been ailing me? . . . Sorry to bother you with this, but apparently some inquiring minds want to know . . .

*Most of the sores in my mouth are gone, and I've been able to eat a much wider variety of foods this week. I still have a few lingering sores on my tongue, on the roof of my mouth and and a couple on the inside of my lip. For a while, Jen said that the lip sores looked like I had the chain of Hawaiian Islands tattooed on my inner lip; now only the Big Island remains. My favorite foods (big gooey pepperoni sausage pizza, peppercorn New York strip, home made nachos with all the trimmin's . . .) remain a bit elusive at the moment, however.

*I have an on-going ringing in my ears that's kind of driving me crazy. It kind of ebbs and flows, interfering with my hearing certain frequencies and makes me very sensitive to sounds; sometimes it's pretty intense and other times, not so much, but for the most part, is always there. Apparently, this is to be expected from the drugs that were pumped into me, and probably from the painkillers that I take throughout the day.

*So now that my mouth is finally feeling better and I can eat more, yesterday, after my shower, I noticed a tremendous amount of beautiful, black hair on the drain in the shower. SO starts the great chemo hair loss! Today, more and more . . . anybody have any great hats they want to loan to me? Jen offered to buzz her own head and donate it to me, our own personal Locks of Love program, sew a long red ponytail into a baseball cap, a la Tony Little, or maybe fashion it into a fine mullet, but I don't think I'd look good as a redhead . . . not sure how much I'll lose/how long this'll last. Like everything else, just wait and see.

*My right leg—specifically my ankle and calf—has caused me pain and discomfort the last few days. Hot, then cold. Dry and itchy and then wet and clammy. Changes of socks, heating pads to warm my tootsies . . . Maybe I've been trying to walk too much and not resting enough? I've felt so good this past week, that maybe I've overdone the walking, being on my feet, and such. Or, maybe I just need a good, old-fashioned pedicure from Jen?

*The most difficult thing for me is that I still can't sit in a chair like a normal human being. Pretty amazing to think of all one does while sitting—working at a desk, drive, sit on a chair in a waiting room, being transported through a large hospital in a wheelchair (can't tell you how many times we've asked hospital/clinic staff if we could get a gurney-type contraption, if I have to walk a long way to an office/room, because I can't sit or walk. And met with the response, "Well, what about a wheelchair!" Ummm . . . what part of "I can't SIT" don't you understand . . .???) I'm working on it, but as of now, just can't quite get there . . . 'Nuff about that!!!

Overall, even with all of the above, I remain in fairly good spirits and feel like I'm getting stronger every day. I actually got out and shoveled for a while when we got those few inches of snow the other day. Felt so good to be outside and actually doing something instead of feeling trapped indoors. Rocco and I play fetch and tug-o-war in the house. Jen signed us up for Netflix again, and we just watched The Hangover the other night. Hilarious movie! HIGHLY recommended, by the way! For a "Dude Flick," even Jen was dying laughing!

. . . along the way, on this journey, I'm keeping my eyes on the prize and trying to stay focused. I just have to be patient, let some things take their own time and course . . .

Well, I have hit that brick wall for the evening. My leg/foot has really been acting up tonight, and is interfering with my writing this post, but I wanted to touch base, and I promise to post again when I know more about my next few weeks. PLEASE keep in touch! It helps me get through the day, looking at my phone and seeing a new message or e-mail. You are NOT bothering me, I promise!

My love to all!
Bob A.