Latest News for the Month of
September 2007
September is here and that means we are one month closer to some relief from this bloody heat wave. It's been horrible down here with the weather - 90 degree days and we have averaged 4 to 5 thunder storms every single week since we arrived. It's been miserable with an 80 lb German shepherd jumping in bed with us to sleep because she is afraid of the thunder. She also cannot stand the sound the rain makes on the roof of the coach during a torrential downpour. So all of this has resulted in more then a few nights we were woken to her jumping into bed. I feel so sorry for her because she doesn't understand what's going on so we try and comfort her the best we can. Hopefully these storms will go away and the weather gets better for us all.
There isn't a whole lot of news to report here. Ally is spending her days teaching ( and she is having an awesome school year by the way ) and I spend my days tinkering with the Top Cat ( the new classic car I bought ). On weekends we roll the motorcycles out and take off for rides but lately those have been far and few between. I have been having to stay off the bike as I have been plagued with dizzy spells and heart arrhythmias. My labs from two weeks ago looked pretty good but something is going haywire with my clotting factor. I do not have a clue as to what it is. So I am repeating the tests again next week and see what the deal is. Some days I feel fine and other days I am so dizzy I can barely stand up. Of course the heart arrhythmias are never fun as they always seem to make you " catch your breath ". They can be downright scary sometimes actually. You know in the back of your mind you run a risk of throwing a clot with one of them and you also can feel your heart beating erratically. Thankfully they have slowed down a bit recently.
In regards to the chemo routine, its been horrible. I am up to 8 mu and it is kicking the snot right out of me. Still, I am amazed I can still get outside and tinker on the car a little during the mornings. I spend most afternoons sleeping and going to be bed early in the evenings. Such is life, but it sure beats the alternative. :)
We are planning a weekend trip in the coach to get it out on the road and keep it lubed and in good working order. I know Ally is looking forward to this trip as she wants to get away from it all for a weekend. I myself am looking forward to hitting the road too, even if its just for a short weekend trip.
We did out weekend get away trip and was able to get the coach out on the road and put some miles on her. I believe we did a total of 300 miles which isn't much but we were limited on time. We drove up to Perry, FL and spent the night relaxing at a campground there. In the morning we were lazy and just laid around till it was time to check out and go. The trip up there and back was very relaxing as there was little traffic in both directions. Overall, it was a nice and peaceful weekend.
On the medical front, I have nothing but great news. My lab results showed that the interferon is really working well. All of my blood counts are stable and right in the normal range. My liver enzymes were high and way out of the normal range as was my INR ( clotting factor ). The high liver enzymes can be attributed to the Interferon but the high INR is directly contributed to to much Coumadin ( blood thinners ). This also is what was causing the dizzy spells and heart arrhythmias. I have already adjusted my dosage so that should take care of that problem. Irregardless I am happy as my red cell line, whites and platelets are all holding steady and in the normal range. I am taking the massive doses of Interferon and its still kicking my rear end, but at least working so its worth the sickness.
Bruce, my riding buddy is back to the resort here. We have been out riding our motorcycles and having fun and its great to see him back here. It wont be long and Jim & Mary, ( our Canadian friends ) will be back as well. We miss them as they are great people.
I haven't done much work on the car in the last two weeks. I was behind on getting some items taken care of on the coach and needed to concentrate on that. Now that my other projects are done in that department I can focus my attention back on the car. Its going to be interesting to see if the car will start after I tore everything off the engine and replaced some items. :)
Things are fine here. The weather is starting to get just a touch cooler ( a few degrees anyways ) but its still bloody hot. Ally and I are enjoying life and everything is going well. I hope everything is great for all of you and that your all healthy and happy as pigs in mud. :)
Until the next update, keep enjoying life, be safe out there and keep the thoughts and prayers coming. Thanks everyone,
Chris
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