Okay….full disclosure….this blog post has almost nothing to do with crock pots.  I was just sitting here thinking about how to start this….And since I’m also still in shock about this week’s episode of “This Is Us”….all I can seem to think about is crock pots.  And there you have it.  A cheap shot title to get your attention.  (I was also hoping the title might attract millions of other fans of the show…and then I’d get enough followers to attract advertising on my blog….and then we could pay for new bathroom flooring! Yes….dreaming big here!) With my luck, it will just attract the manufacturer of crock pots and I’ll end up getting sued for defamation or something.  But, I digress…

It’s been nearly five months since I last updated this blog. (That’s about $90,000 dollars in medication ago…but hey, who’s counting!?!…and why would we need universal healthcare? ….OK, OK….no more political “sarcasm” in this post.  Just saying.

Many have asked me to provide this update and I appreciate the interest and care those requests convey.  So what’s new?

Theresa (my rock) and I went to Lacks yesterday.  Another EKG, another five gallon-ish blood deposit….and (pregnant pause here, like they use while they are ripping open envelopes on all of those awards shows)…the award for continuing progress in the lymphoma category goes to….me!  (This may be a sign that it’s time to stop watching so much television!?) Yes…it was a good appointment.  My chemo pills continue to be working.  All the numbers that are supposed to be going up are doing so and the numbers that are supposed to go down are also headed in the correct direction. (Sorry…I can never remember the technical terms here.  You’ll have to check with Tee for those.) My EKG was also normal.  In short – all good things. No…not a cure…but I’ll take remission for as long as I can get it….and I’m getting close! Hallelujah!

Some other things I’ve learned since my last posting…and in no particular order:

When your oncologist tells you to call at the first sign of illness, it’s not really a “suggestion.”  (Oh yeah and that BIG sign as you walk into the office that also says
“Call us at the first sign of illness” apparently isn’t one either.)  A couple of months ago I ate a sandwich I had purchased for lunch. (It may or may not have involved a crock pot!)  Two hours later, the signs of food poisoning were obvious.  (Trust me here.) I looked it up on Wikipedia – a reliable resource revered by all professors.  It said recovery would take 24 – 48 hours.  What could happen? I made it through the Wiki recommended 2 days.   After I stopped showing obvious “symptoms” for three more hours,  (I counted) – off to work I went. Bad plan. Within hours I was in a room at Lacks Cancer Center hooked up and getting rehydrated.  Apparently severe dehydration can occur quickly and be quite serious. Who knew? Lesson learned.

Therapy is a good thing! I always refer to Lacks as the Meijer of cancer treatment – one stop shopping.  Turns out that they even have a therapist who only works with people with cancer.  As I’ve mentioned in several of these posts, I have experienced my share of anxiety about this diagnosis.  Someone mentioned that I might want to get together with the good doctor.  So, I set up an appointment. (Okay… made up an excuse to cancel the first one and finally set up another one.)  My thinking was that it would be good to “just start a therapeutic relationship…you know, just in case I really needed one in the future!”  Funny how these things work….I walked out of that first appointment with a list of several appointments for the future….which he told me I could cancel if I didn’t “need them.”  So far I haven’t missed any. (This week’s topic may be my new found fear of crock pots!)  Seriously…therapy is good and I highly recommend it.  Cancer is tough on everyone around you…and your family and friends can provide tremendous support – but it doesn’t feel fair to count on them for everything.

Finally….I know that this post has been a bit of rambling, but that’s how I feel sometimes.  I am trying to stay healthy physically and mentally – and working hard at staying in the moment.  Today is a good day.  I appreciate your support more than I’ll ever be able to express.  And I hope we can all pass on some goodness to everyone we meet.  I think we all need as much of that as we can get and give.