Treatment #3 is underway

Treatment #3 is officially underway and so far things are very much status quo. My appetite is still good and no crazy side affects have kicked in yet. Dr. Richards kept the dosage for this treatment at the same “kicked up” level as last time. I’m trying to do a better job with hydration and hope that I’ll have some better results overall.

Other news is that I will have at least a total of 6 chemo treatments. Since the schedule will remain as 3-week cycles that means this COULD come to a conclusion relatively soon. Treatment #6 will be scheduled for May 29th, my birthday. How weird is that? A CT scan will also be scheduled in the April 14-16 timeframe and that will be our first view into the progress that has been made through these first 3 treatments. I expect the scan to show positive results since during the 3rd week of each cycle, when I’m generally “recovered” and back to normal, I’ve been able to eat like a fiend with no discomfort or pain.

I had been a little nervous about the scheduling of treatments #5 and #6 but they seem to mesh as well as possible with Erin’s graduation from George Mason and our need to manage the logistics of retrieving Bailey from Indiana University at the end of the spring semester. Thank goodness for small favors. And, yes, I know that friends and family are always available to help but it looks like things will work out well.

Heartfelt thanks to those of you that have been so generous with donations for my participation and for your support of the overall effort by 48 of my friends on the Mintz’s Mentschen TEAM as we prepare for LAF LiveStrong Challenge events in Austin, TX and Philadelphia later this year.

More posts to come as this treatment cycle continues…

Tuesday, March 25th

It’s been a full week since I posted on the blog and today I got scolded for it. I’m sorry but as I mentioned in the last entry I turned the corner and well…. I just kept going. The antibiotic really helped to resolve the issues I was having and my appetite and ability to eat quickly returned. I didn’t consume any small villages but I’ve certainly been ticking off a list of food cravings one by one. That seems to be the pattern with the 2 treatment cycles I’ve had so far. Deal with the symptoms for a couple of weeks and then for the final week totally enjoy the ability to eat and to taste food.

This past weekend I didn’t get my exercise on the bicycle. Amy’s birthday was last Wednesday so we celebrated on Saturday in Manhattan by seeing the Broadway show “Spring Awakening”. I highly recommend the play. We got into the city on the early side and did lots of walking. OK, OK…. Yes, a good deal of the walking was to kill a food craving of mine. I introduced Amy to Ess-a-Bagel (I know that Ron Brandsdorfer has to be familiar with Ess-a-Bagel) and afterward we both agreed it was well worth the extra mileage.

After this next treatment the big event will be a CT scan to see if there’s been any change. I know that there’s been improvement but the question is how much. I plan on pressing Dr. Richards for a tentative schedule for the next few months. I’ll post that on the blog as soon as I have anything worth sharing.

And now a quick update regarding the Mintz’s Mentschen cycling team in support of the Lance Armstrong Foundation. The TEAM has grown to 49 - (26 for the Austin event and 23 for Philadelphia). I still hope to ride in one or both of these events myself. The most important part of this is the fundraising support so please keep in mind that you can donate directly to me and our overall TEAM effort via my personal fundraising website. Donations can be made online or via paper form (there's a link on the website to print the form that is customized with my name and participant number). Thanks to those that have already donated so generously.

I’ll post an entry on the blog as soon as I’m able. Treatment starts at 8:15am on Thursday.

Turning the corner

After a tough weekend of dealing with issues related to my mouth/throat I seem to be turning the corner into true recovery from round #2. Losing 7 pounds over the weekend took its toll but after managing to finally eat something last night I think I’m nearing the mode where I’ll soon be eating anything that isn’t nailed down. As fellow cyclist Frank Derby once said after completing the 100-mile ride in Lake Tahoe, “I’m hungry enough to eat a small village”.

This positive turnaround came after I called Dr. Richards’ office yesterday morning to request an appointment. Although he was on vacation I was able to see Lucianna, the nurse practitioner, and she was able to prescribe an antibiotic as well as demanded that I stay there for a couple of bags of IV to re-hydrate. Although I wasn’t excited about staying a few hours for the IV I knew that it I needed it badly and didn’t resist. I’m glad that I stayed. She also directed me to use a different oncology mouthwash that also seems to have had an immediate positive impact on my mouth.

And WE GOT SHAMROCKED yesterday by Amy’s Army. See the picture below. The Shamrock’s are easily the greenest thing on our winter lawn. LOL.

Friday, March 14th

I’m really dragging today but I know there are probably some people out there wanting some info so I’ll do my best.

Yes, I counted the minutes on Tuesday but Lana arrived on schedule and disconnected me from the IV pump. I was free and definitely looking forward to a quick recovery since I had come through the 6-day treatment period relatively unscathed. I immediately jumped into a long hot shower but unfortunately I was then dealt another dose of reality. It hasn’t been a total nightmare but since then I’ve had an ongoing reminder of what is really going on here… I’m receiving chemotherapy.

The side affects that occur throughout the GI tract, starting in my mouth and right on through the other end (yep, that end), have come back to say hello. My tongue isn’t as bad as last time but my throat has something going on that is making it incredibly difficult to eat/drink. Not to mention that my stomach just won’t settle down. Basic bodily functions that we all take for granted are making things very uncomfortable.

Bailey served as co-pilot for my visit to Dr. Richards yesterday. I felt bad to have to drag her along but it was fun for me to have her with me so that I could show off my kids. She was a hit with Dr. Richards and the nurses. I received some IV fluids to re-hydrate as well as my Neulasta injection. Bailey handled my getting poked and prodded as well as the overall setting of the oncology treatment area right in stride. Maybe it’s because there was also the distraction of watching “The View” on TV?

Dr. Richards said that we’d probably do a CT scan after round #3. I didn’t ask him any “what if” questions since I didn’t see any real value of having him look into his crystal ball. We’ll take it as it comes. He did mention that I’d continue losing hair. My moustache that is barely clinging to existence will likely disappear and my eyebrows and eyelashes will thin a bit. Meanwhile, the stubble of hair that is left on my head is clearly getting shinier and shinier… LOL.

Counting the minutes

Good morning.
Well the final day of round #2 has arrived and I’m counting the minutes. Lana is scheduled to arrive at around 4:30pm to disconnect me from the pump and needless to say I’m very anxious to be free again and to begin my 2-week recovery period. The side affects that hit me hard with round #1 continue to remain in check this time around. This is definitely not a skill anyone should have to have but being able to listen to my body and trying to manage this process somewhat proactively seems to have worked this time around.

I also owe a thank you to the anonymous gift of the flattering egg-head (see picture below) that appeared in my mailbox recently. Amy and I have a hunch who it’s from though.

Saturday, March 8th

Good morning. I’m feeling pretty good again today, especially now that I’ve been able to get some breakfast. My appetite has held up very well. Our revised plan of attack has been working nicely so far and I’ve been able to avoid much of the discomfort that I experienced during round #1. Let’s hope it continues and that Tuesday afternoon comes quickly for when Lana arrives to disconnect me from the IV pump. As with round #1 I’ll be receiving a Neulasta injection and IV fluids to re-hydrate on Thursday morning. Bailey will be driving me so I guess she’ll get her first exposure to Dr. Richards and the lighter side of chemo treatment.

Chemo #2 status report

Hello! It’s day two of round #2 and so far all is going well. I was a bit wiped out by the end of yesterday but feel pretty good today. The key, as I had mentioned in a prior post, is going to be with taking meds more proactively then during round #1 in an attempt to fend off some of the side effects. Hopefully we’ll have some success with this plan of attack. Remember that I am still hooked up to the portable pump that is infusing 5FU over the next 5 days.

Amy and I are enjoying time with having both Erin and Bailey home for spring break. Yesterday was actually Bailey’s 19th birthday and we’ll be having a small family gathering on Sunday. Hopefully I can hold myself together for that.

Below is a picture of me all hooked up and receiving chemo yesterday.

'Twas the Night Before Chemo

Since I’m not exactly sure when I’ll be making my next blog entry I thought that I’d say hello and give everyone a quick status.

First and foremost everyone should know that I’m feeling great. I’m grateful that my recovery after round #1 of chemo has basically been a complete one. All side affects have subsided and I have been able to get out for dinner a few times with Amy. And, of course, the bike ride on Sunday was exactly what my mind and body needed. Maybe we should have gone a few more miles… LOL.

Despite this next round getting “kicked up a notch” I’m actually psyched to get it done. I’m better prepared for what it will be like and I’ll be making some adjustments on meds to deal with it. Best of all my daughters Bailey and Erin will be coming home from school tomorrow and Friday. It will be nice to have our full family together for a bit and it will also be a great distraction for me.

And, yes, another hurrah for Team Mintz’s Mentschen! The TEAM continues to grow! Just a reminder that donations can be made via my web page. Who knows? The Austin event is in October maybe I can get myself ready for one of the shorter distances? It could happen!

Tuesday, March 4th

The bike ride on Sunday was exactly what I had hoped for. Big thanks to Dan G. for watching after me. We broke off from the group we rode with to keep the mileage to the 15-20 that I was shooting for and hit it right on the nose at just over 15. I felt terrific so it was a nice opportunity to enjoy the exercise and a bit of normalcy before treatment #2 on Thursday.

As I had mentioned, the group we rode with on Sunday was largely comprised of the trustees of the West Windsor Bicycle and Pedestrian Alliance. For all of you bicycling enthusiasts out there you might want to check out their website (www.princetononline.org/wwbpa/). While much of the website is specific to work they do locally there is a link for “Resources” that has a lot of very interesting information regarding cycling advocacy, etc. Ken Carlson, the president of the Alliance, reminded me during the ride that I was the first non-trustee member of the organization. Just a fun bit of trivia…LOL

Now a couple of quick notes regarding my hair loss. First, let it be known that Amy did not enjoy shaving my head. I retract my unpopular attempt at humor. Second, some of you have asked about my moustache, I assume wondering why it’s still intact. Well I think it’s days are numbered as it’s been shedding big time.

Hear ye, hear ye

Dr. Richards called it. Right on schedule I started to lose my hair yesterday. So we decided to take control of the situation and shaved my head last night. Sandi Merrill had a great idea that would have made this a fundraiser for LiveStrong but when it came down to it I realized that Amy earned the right to take care of this.

As I promised here are some pictures. I’ll post others as I get new ones that are worth sharing.

As I had hoped, the weather has cooperated for today and I’ll be taking a much needed bike ride this afternoon. It’s a little on the cool side and a bit breezy but for a short ride of 15-20 miles I’ll be fine. Dan Gerstenhaber, Newell Benedict, and some other West Windsor friends will be accompanying me. I can’t wait.




The only prescription is more cowbell... (that and a little bit of chemo)


I know that it's tough to see the picture but all of a sudden I'm looking a lot like my grandfather...LOL