Greetings heroes...

Let's talk constipation, shall we?

And I'm not talking about a little wish-it-would-come-out constipation.
I'm talking full-on-can't-take-it-anymore-get-the-plunger constipation.
I'm talking about last Tuesday.

Without getting into too many (more) details, Tuesday was a battle.
And I fought hard and won, with the help of my mom (don't go there),
a chemical not yet approved by the FDA, and a small nuclear device.

They said that my chemo on Monday, which went quite well, by the way,
could cause constipation. The chemo, along with a few things in my
diet, certainly stopped me up. And Tuesday morning/afternoon was
spent using muscles I didn't know I had. I ended up with a cramp in
an obscure butt muscle. I'm not even sure the muscle has a name.
Maybe they'll name it after me!

Ok, enough of that crap.

My parents were in town this week taking care of me. They gave Brad
a break so that he could take care of some things in San Francisco.
We had a wonderful visit, given the circumstances, and having them
(and Brad) here for Thanksgiving was great.

Brad has now brought his life down with him and will be working out
of my house for at least a few weeks. I still need help getting some
things done (like feeding the cats, picking things up, lifting anything,
etc). Brad, my most wonderful brother, has dedicated himself to help
me until I'm (literally) back on my feet. He's a big-time hero.

It's wild that, in what could be considered my worst year so far, I have
so much to be thankful for. Everything is perspective. I'm sitting here
with advanced (but retreating!) cancer in my body, not able to walk,
and I'm still such a happy person. The love sent to me by all of you,
and what seems like thousands of others who haven't even met me,
has boosted my spirits each day. The cards and gifts are so touching
(no more books on tape, please -- I'm full). I really appreciate the
kindness.

Overall, the week went very well. A few fevers fought with Tylenol.

My schedule: I have chemo every Monday (they alternate between two
different sets of chemo, with a third set thrown in at diffferent times).
I also go into the Cancer Center on Fridays for a shot.
I then, on alternate weeks, have to go in every morning for a different
shot. Even on the weekend.
And that doesn't include the 6-10 pills I take each day.
Fun, huh?
It will just become part of my routine.

Other non-news:

• I bought an XBOX - a game machine. I've never been much into
  games, but I was interested in this machine for technical reasons.
  I wonder if I'll become a shoot-em-up-race-em-fast type of guy.
  Hmmm.
• My parents gave me a boom box for my books on tape as an early
  birthday present.
• I walked a few steps without my walker, just to make sure that I
  wasn't relying on it too much (don't tell my physical therapist).
• I finished the second Harry Potter book.

Ok, I'm done. I hope everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving.

Don't forget to check out the new images in the Scrapbook section.

Thanks for the love.

m