Latest News for the Month of
October 2008
It's nearly October so I thought I would get a jump on things and give an update before the 1st hit us.
We are now just entering cooler weather here in Florida. Well, not so much cool, but when you have suffered through a few months of 90 plus degree days, anything seems cool once it drops below 90. :) The evening temps have been in the high 60's making sleeping with the windows open nice.
Things overall have been quiet here. Our resort here is still empty and void of snowbirds but that will start changing very soon as the retirees start heading South for the winter. It's going to be great to see many of our friends as they head back down here. This resort gets real busy when November hits and in December the place is normally packed full of snowbirds.
As I stated in my last update, I started chemo and its been anything but fun. But it could be worse. :) I consider myself very lucky that this drug still works so well on my bone marrow. The nausea and fevers have been horrible once again, but thankfully I have all the med's I need to battle through it and make myself comfortable enough to get through. I am still on small doses and will be ramping up later as the weeks go by. That's when the intense bone pain and kidney troubles will start as the drug builds up and becomes more toxic. Those are the days I am not looking forward to. :)
We were able to get in a short ride last weekend and rode to dinner. I had just enough energy to make it to the restaurant and back before I was to pooped to ride anymore. We haven't been getting out very much lately as Ally has been buried in school work. She is normally working till 9 or 10 o'clock every night either writing tests or correcting papers. This is where teaching the higher level math classes gets tough as there is a lot of prep work, grading and some research involved. On a positive note she wrote the math portion of her Florida State Exam for teacher certification and passed with flying colors. I have forgotten how many different tests she has to write but she has passed all of them and now has one left before getting her State certification. They have gotten very hard on teachers and most States now require testing despite holding teaching degrees. Not fun as the tests are time consuming and tough.
Since I have had little energy to do much outside I have been revamping my web site. I found several pages that I never completed, one was out trip in 2005 to Loft Mountain in the Shenandoah Mountains. I completed that page and you can read more and see the pictures about that and other trips by going to this page ( click here ).
In regards to the surgery I had on my face. Dr. Capone did an awesome job. His sutchering really impressed me and it looks like I will have a very tiny scar thanks to his skilled sutchering techniques. I also really liked the guy as he has a pleasant personality and has a sense of humor. My kinda person. :) It was his opinion that he felt the cyst would be benign so I have not been to worried about the pathology tests. I will find out more in a week when I go back in to have the stitches removed. I will be sure and post the results here.
I will update this page in a other week. Until then, get out there and enjoy what is left of summer. If your located in the Northern areas, the leaves should be just turning which makes for some awesome fall drives in the countryside. Why not grab the family and take a color tour and enjoy the splendors of fall.
I thought I would give ya'll a quick update and let you know what the latest is here.
Things have been busy as I had a lot of cleaning to do on the coach. It got its semi annual detailing, both inside and out and it needed it badly. The trip out West plus our trip to Carrabelle, FL gave us a very dirty coach indeed. :) Its nice and clean and all I have left to do now is the normal maintenance items. Owning a bus can be a lot of work.
Last Friday we loaded up the bus and took it to the Homecoming football game at Ally's school. It was a lot of fun as we tailgated with several other teachers. I resumed my familiar spot ( and my coaching duties ) on the sidelines with the players and it felt great to be back with the kids again. And yes we won, big time......38 - 0.
On Saturday we chaperoned the Homecoming dance and had a great time. I even got out on the dance floor and tried to teach the kids the " Twist ". :) It was a great night and fun to watch the kids interact with each other as well as dance and have a good time. It sure brought back a lot of great memories of my high school days and homecoming dances. :) Its been over 32 years since I attended my last one. Yikes.
Last week wasn't without some sad news. Two people who are extremely special to me and have been a part of my life since childhood resumed their battles with cancer. My Godfather Tom Jakovac found that his cancer returned and underwent radiation and is now finishing up a long summer of chemo. The prognosis looks good and we are hoping he beats this long fought battle. My best friend ( Vito Stasi ) since our junior high school days and the Godfather to my son Lindy also will be undergoing 8 weeks of radiation for the suspected cancer he battled a year ago. Words will never explain just how important both of these guys are to me. They have played major roles in my life and have helped make me the person I am today. I want to ask that all of you please say a pray for them and lets hope they are both cured.
In regards to my own health, I have started the chemo regimen and am just now starting to get into the heavy doses. I forgot just how miserable this stuff makes you feel and how it controls your daily life. I get extremely bitter some day's because my energy levels are sapped, I experience severe bone pain and of course the chemo flu is no fun either. But, in the end there is little that can be done. It keeps me alive and keeps me above ground to enjoy and live life. I just wished it wasn't so dang debilitating.
I did return to the Dr. Capone's office and he removed the stitches from my face. Wow is all I can say. You cannot see the scar as he hid it into a wrinkle ( in which I have many now ). :) The good news is that the pathology tests came back negative it was not cancer. I had to laugh over this as my buddy Jim who is a Doctor and lives next door to us in Florida in the winters said " don't worry. This is probably what it is ". By gosh he was right, it was exactly what he said it was. He is one extremely bright Physician and he has been such a great friend. He did help take a lot of the worry away for me.
Since I hit the 50 year old mark, that means its colonoscopy time. Yuck...... They say the worse part of those is the prep the day before. I am not real crazy about having to be put to sleep. The last time they did that here in Florida I crashed on the operating table and had to be intubated. I am going to talk with the Doctor and see if he will allow Jim to come into the procedure room with me. Jim is one of Canada's best Anthesiologists and I would feel better having him there just to observe. I still do not understand what went wrong with my prior surgery as I have never had a problem with a general anesthetic. Florida just scares me for any medical procedures.
Overall, besides the chemo sickness, things have been going well here. It's actually been very quiet here and uneventful. We have had the chance to ride our motorcycles to dinner a few times and now more friends ( Snowbirds from the North ) will be coming into the resort in the next couple weeks. So things here will begin to get busy.
I hope this finds many of you doing well. I appreciate all of your emails and well wishes that I get as well as your support. It proves that I have some of the best family and friends a man could ask for. Thanks everyone for always being there.
Be safe, be happy and be healthy. Take good care of you yourself and enjoy each and every day.
Sending my very best wishes to all of you,
Chris
Chris's Quick Links
Click Here to find other pages on this website