Thank you, and good.

Still cannot believe there are 3 of us here fighting this shit. It is good to have others around to discuss, though.

The 3 Cancerteers.

Oh, wow. That was really cheesy. Sorry. LOL

They should trot us onto the field at halftime, shouldn't they?

Despite taking anti-nausea meds this time, sadly this morning, 16 hours after I last ate anything, my streak of not throwing up since May of 2008 came to a sudden, lengthy end. 6 or 7 raaalfs later, I sat down with some more meds, took them, waited a bit, and ate breakfast. So far so good except for hiccups. I am tired, too.

Good luck guys... and keep fighting. Hope all three of you beat it.

Same.

Sending good vibes to you dude.

Fight on men, fight and then fight some more...

My friend Angela dropped by to help me wash my hair in the sink and I almost hurled on her. 3 seconds after I hugged her, I had my trash can in hand and let loose. Dammit. I hate puking.

Man, this is hitting me hard. I just threw up a lot, for the third time today, and it really burned. I wonder if I should ring the doc?

I would. Certainly time to adjust something.

They get paid a lot to answer your questions and concerns, and more information is always good on their side...

I read my instruction sheet and it said to call if I puke 4 to 6 different sessions in 24 hours. So, I am at 3.

Re-watch the Chiefs Indy game, or just the second half, you'll get the medical attention you seek...

I don't think I have the endurance to survive that!

Ed, thanks for sharing. I've been following your journey. Your positive attitude is a real inspiration.

One of my coworkers had knee surgery in July. A couple of weeks ago, he got a growth on that knee. No big deal at first, then is started getting tender and sore. Turned out to be a very rare and aggressive form of cancer that loves to head for the lungs. We were all worried for him. Monday he got the good news that the cancer was confined to his knee. They are going to carve it up again, look for cancer free margins, radiate him and hopefully he will be good to go.

Stay strong. Octoberfest keeps really well. Sock a couple of sixes away and it will be waiting for you when you are ready.

Said it before and I'm gonna say it again... hair grows back, dookie and puke can be cleaned up, and aches eventually subside.

Easy for me to say, I know.

But theres only ONE "Fast Eddie," and that guy can handle anything... because he has too many things left to do.

Get it?

Got it?

Good.

I hope he gets even better news and that cancer is killed off and he gets back to normal. Please feel free to relate anything to him you have seen me post if you think it will help. Having a massive support group is crucial!

Thanks, brother!

**** the instructions. Call that dude. The worst case scenario you interrupted sexy time with his wife. You'd hate to be late to the party on addressing a major medical issue. There is a lot of shit going on in your body. There are times to be tough and push through. I don't think chemo is one of those times.

Stay safe big man.

Good morning, Ed. Sorry to hear about the body fluid fiesta. I guess Sacc would call it the "golden era" of treatment.

In any event, I'm still praying for your health.

I didn't hurl again after the third session. I ate some chicken noodle soup and jello. The annoying thing now is when I drink water, I get the hiccups. I just got up to take some meds, one of which I have to avoid dairy for 2 hours, so it will be a late breakfast for me. Milk, yogurt, and cheese are normal parts of my breakfast, so I will wait. Hopefully, everything stays down today. I get the pump removed at 4:45 pm and will tell the nurse about my vomiting sessions.

THIS

I threw out a prayer for you this morning. Have a great day and fight on...

Thanks. I feel pretty good today and am about to make breakfast. I can take some steroid med with it, but no anti-nausea ones. I put down two of those a few hours ago. It's strange, I have not throw up from eating; it has been hours after eating that I did. The first time was 16 hours after dinner. So, it is the chemo poisoning that was getting to me. I hope I don't puke in the cancer center today since I get my pump off at 4:45 pm. Or maybe it would serve 'em right!

Awesome. Glad to hear it...

Do you smoke pot? You might want to consider it during these chemo cycles.

I do not, actually. However, if they take a blood test a day or two after February 17th, it may look like I do. I will be at the Black Sabbath concert and when they play Sweet Leaf, it's going to get very hazy in the Sprint Center!

I did ask my doc about hemp oil with no THC and she said I would be at great risk of microbal infection.

It is now 11 days since I started the new treatment. I still have my hair, and it usually falls out on day 10, I was told. I only had the pukes on day 1 after treatment, followed by 2 days of hiccups after eating or drinking anything. Once again, hiccups are not on the list of side effects. I used to get them back in my earlier treatments if I ate anything with nuts, but was okay after the fifth day. I was given anti-runs meds before the treatment started since some poor souls have gotten the runs almost immediately upon receiving the treatment. I got the opposite and didn't go for four days. The dreaded rash I was warned about, however, has hit me hard. It looks something like chicken pox and small whitehead zits all over my face, nose, scalp, an eyelid, neck, and chest.

I would love to go for a walk in the gorgeous autumn weather here, but I have to avoid exposure to sunlight now. I do get out at sunset when I can walk and not be in the sunlight directly, but I'd prefer a walk before breakfast to build up my appetite for a big hearty meal.

We're all very proud of you Lone. Keep fighting and let us know if you need anything. Fight like hell man...

Hang in there Ed. We are all in your corner.

This.

Thanks, guys! I am focusing on something good coming up, that being my birthday dinner. I make it myself. I do that because no one else can make what I want. If I just wanted some burgers and brats, I'd let someone else take care of it. I am going to make a big Danish dinner and have a few friends over. Since I have my next treatment on Tuesday, I will prepare the red cabbage on Monday to be safe. How does one make red cabbage aside from chopping it up? I make a cranberry sauce out of boiled cranberries mixed with butter, vinegar, sugar, and salt and put the chopped cabbage in that and cook it until it turns a rich purple and then when it cools, it goes into jars.

Friday morning, I will start with the rest: Danish meatballs called frikadeller (ground pork, salt, pepper, onion, milk, flour, and an egg), mashed potatoes with Danish persillesavs, which is a white gravy with chopped parsley, mixed salad with some bell peppers from my garden, heat up some red cabbage, and for dessert, Apples Charlotte, a Danish apple-crumb cake. I sautee bread crumbs in sugar, butter, and cinnamon. It goes into the serving dish first, followed by apple sauce with bits of Braeburn apple added, then with a layer of whipped cream that I will actually whip myself, then crumbs, apple sauce, and whipped cream again, and finally topped off with shaved chocolate. It is supposed to have a splash or two of dry sherry, but since I have to avoid the alcohol, no one gets any! :D

My birthday is not on Friday, but Monday the 12th. I won't have the dinner on Sunday because the Walking Dead season premiere is at 8, and I don't want to be away from the TV then. Saturday was not good for one of my guests, so Friday it is.

Damn, that sounds awesome, Ed.

Sounds awesome. Eat up!

Hey, Ed.
How frequent are your infusions? Do you have a port, or are they sticking you every time.

Mine are every 2 weeks. I decided against a port.

Every two weeks, and I do have a port. I had one on my right side that got infected last November and almost killed me. The one on my left side was placed Dec. 1st and it has been great. The doc in charge of putting it in did a lot better job. The previous one, I could always tell there was something under my skin that was not me. With the new one, I have to reach up and touch it before I notice it.

With my veins blowing every time they put an I.V. in me, a port has been great, except for the whole nearly dying part with the first one.

The walking dead is the best show ever. I'm with you on not missing that. Looking forward to sunday the 11th 8:00 pm

I am actually glad to be going in tomorrow for treatment. The rash from the new treatment has gotten much worse. I don't think I should post the selfie I took since I know many of you check this site over lunch break. It hurts, burns, and itches, despite the use of two different creams that I had to get by prescription. I am hoping that it is beyond the expected rash so that something can be adjusted or done about it. If this is what I have to look forward to for the duration of this new line of treatment, I may have to insist on an alternative treatment. It's worse on my face, by far, but it is all over my scalp, in my ears, on my neck, shoulders, and chest, too. I have to be very careful washing my hair and toweling off. Pretty much any contact with the skin on my face breaks the little blisters and they bleed then. I am running the washing machine with my pillow case in it as I type. For you environmentally conscious types, I am running other things besides one pillow case.

Get your ass in there and bleed all over their stuff. I'm sure they'll be happy to figure out the problem post-haste.:cuss:

All I have to do is blow my nose as I did earlier, and 7 of the little blisters burst. I have dried blood spots all over my nose now.

I guess I got some good news today. My hideous rash is a good thing, the doc said. She said people who get the worst rashes, and I am one, tend to live longer due to the effectiveness of the treatment in my bloodstream. I am going to start on prednisone today in addition to the other stuff I am on. I am not getting the treatment that gives me the rash today, but it will still be on me for a month or more. I will be getting the new chemo that made me puke the day after, though. I am prepared with strategically placed raaaalf buckets in the house.

Woot, F'n WOOT!

Glad your shitty rash is good news.

You're so damn inspirational, Ed. There is no way I'd want to cook a huge meal after chemo. Keep fighting and kicking ass. Get that Viking a sharpening stone for that battle axe.

Yes, that does sound like good news, Ed. Lost the blister battle, but winning the war!!! You are a strong man. Can you play QB?

Well, I did get the red cabbage done yesterday, so I am head of the game already. I am hungry for the big dinner I am planning, so I have to cook it up. If I start lagging, I will just imagine Gordon Ramsey coming and yelling at me, then I should be back on track!

I can't play QB, as I am too old, slow, and my hands are small like Dave Krieg's.

It seems, so far, the pattern from last week is not repeating. At this time a week ago, I had my first session with throwing up, followed by two more sessions. I am hungry now and that is the only discomfort I feel in my gut. Still have hair, too, and the rash is drier and hurts less so I slept pretty well last night. I do have the ralf bucket handy as a precaution, though.

Good to hear, Ed.

How are things going with you? Have to decided not to get a port?

I'm actually about to get my 2nd rd of Avastin soon IV is in.

Still praying for both of you chuckle heads and that damned fatty-lovin' Sacc too.

The way my veins blow, and the last time it was just from having an IV in me for two days and felt like someone took a hammer to back of my hand, I'd probably be getting treatments started from between my toes by now if not for my port. I am glad for you if you don't need one, since there is a risk of infection and it happened to me with my first port.

i check in most days to see how you two are doing, but i don't often post...

it's inspiring to see you guys face the struggles you're going through with such dignity and at the same time humor...

hang in there, it's possible to beat cancer, my sister did at age 70...

100000000% this.

Prayers still happening...

Oh, I hate them in the back of my hand. Those ****ers hurt. I have a large vein on the other side of my elbow. It's deep, but these ladies in treatment are smart enough to use a longer needle.

Between the toes? LOL That's for heroin. :)

Thanks for the kind words, guys. :)

I was against this, but since the doc said it is good, I will let you all see. My rash is much drier and less irritating now since I am on prednisone. I have two pics, one from when the rash manifested initially and then 5 days after that. It is not pretty, but like the doc told me, when it is this severe it has shown patients live longer. And it better be LONGER and not like 3 months longer to go through this mess.

Jeez, I bet that's what Bryan Adams looked like when he was 14.

Great to hear that this negative rehash of puberty is actually a long term positive.:thumb:

I have been on prednisone for 3 days now and it started drying and shrinking the bumps almost immediately. It's nice to be able to sleep without being disturbed by rolling hot waves of itchiness across my cheeks. Now if I can just ditch the hiccups, I might be able to get to sleep.

That's rough Ed hope it clears up for ya.

Thanks. I am not as ugly as in the second pic now, so that is progress!

Wow, the steroids are really doing the trick, that's gotta be a major relief... glad to see that bro.

I almost look normal again, so the prednisone is working well. My birthday dinner party went very well, save for the dessert. Damned hand held egg beater is broken, so I had to whisk the whipping cream with precious little success. So, the dessert could have been better looking with thick whipped cream on top. Oh, well. Everything else was great and we all had a good time. I even cleaned up the kitchen, took out trash, and started the dishwasher before going to bed. I felt good last night and I am tired this morning, but hungry.

Oh, and I am not to have alcohol, but I had a shot glass of Samuel Smith's organic chocolate stout ANYHOW. :harumph:

Good for you, sir!

And let's let that be the last Doctor's order you ignore.... We'd rather have you with us than not. When you beat this we'll hook you up with a beer ot three...

Well, it was a small shot glass and I didn't even fill it. I'd get more alcohol on Sunday at Communion than I got last night! I did read the sheets of instructions again and it does say to avoid or keep alcohol intake to a minimum, so I won't get fussed at too badly if I tell my doc about it.

Awesome....

Heartburn woke me up way too early, but temporarily. I have been getting that fairly often with the new treatment. I will be going back to bed after this post. So, today is my 48th birthday and I will make a birthday wish for a Royals win, for members here to take some deep breaths and not snap at one another over the debacle at Arrowhead on Sunday, and for me to not end up diabetic since my friends brought me tiramisu, baklava, and a big gooey chocolate cake. I already finished off the bag of black jellybeans, because my will is only so strong. I said I just wanted birthday cards, but they didn't listen.

I have to go in to the cancer center today late, at 3:45 pm, for a blood test and visit with the doc, but no treatment today. That will be next week. I hope they don't have a cake waiting for me today.

Happy birthday Ed! Have a good day man . Making me wish I had some sweets in my damn house LMAO

Happy Birthday, brother!

I'd gladly hand them over to you! If I eat all that, I will be diabetic as hell by sundown.

Happy birthday Lone. And many more...

Happy Burthday! Keep hanging!

PBJHappy Birthday Ed!PBJ

HBD, Ed!

HBD Ed. All the best.

I'm sure the doctors have it under control but prednisone is kind of hard on the liver. Since you are abusing it anyway, might be good to have them reassure you that it's OK.

I told my doc today that I had a half shot glass of chocolate stout and she didn't fuss me, so I suppose it was ok!

Happy Birthday, duder. Hope you enjoyed it.