Here we go...

Yep, I know that it’s been a while and a lot has certainly happened since my last post. I’m going to try and go through it in chronological order.

Last Thursday my friend Ed McNeill, president and owner of the Gold’s Gym in Lawrenceville, NJ, had a spin bike delivered to my house. It was yet another moment where a simple “thank-you” just didn’t seem to cut it. Hopefully my gift of an “All Jacked Up” cycling jersey will help in that regard and also as he learns that he’s an honorary Mintz’s Mentsch. I hope that the bike enables me to get some exercise while I can’t be out and exposed to the public or the cold since the Oxaliplatin has side affects that are adverse to not only cold winter air but also cold drinks and anything cold to the touch like car doors, etc. Really weird.

This past weekend I went with Sasha and my mom to visit Colorado State University. The college decision had come down to NC State vs. Colorado State so this was a very important trip. To make a long story short it was a successful trip since the campus was great, we met with some faculty, and then we found out that Sasha got accepted to the honors program. So the decision itself became a no-brainer. And needless to say my aunt and uncle in Denver are thrilled that they’ll be able to have Sasha nearby since Fort Collins is only about 1 hour 15 minutes north of Denver.

Miraculously the weather cooperated not only with the flight out to Denver but also on the return trip so our flights were all on time. This was important because I had my medi-port insertion procedure scheduled for 7:30am on Wednesday. We got home from Colorado at around 11:30pm Tuesday and Amy and I were up early for the trip to New Brunswick and Saint Peter’s University Hospital. It was definitely all a bit surreal because the memories are still pretty fresh from the first pass at this. Having been there before we had what felt like an “Easy Pass” at registration since they just waved us on to head down to the radiology department. The nurses all remembered me and we had a chance to catch up on what has happened since they last saw me. It definitely made the process of my second port insertion, a procedure that I did NOT like the first time around, much easier to take. I definitely felt like they all cared about me as a person. Even the doctor this time around, Dr. Gibbon, stuck his head under my tent draping in the operating room to introduce himself, to describe the procedure, and to let me know that I should speak up if I was too uncomfortable. I assured him that I would do that but this time around the drugs were much much better. I was awake throughout but I do think that I caught myself snoring once or twice. All in all much easier to endure then last time.
A big aspect of the medi-port procedure though was the question of “where were they gonna put it?”. You may remember that the big reason my last one was taken out was because of the blood clot in my neck near the port catheter. If not for the clot there’s a chance that I’d still have that original port. So I was a bit nervous that it might get placed in the same spot. I spoke in detail with all of the nurses and as soon as they took me into the OR they checked out the original site with ultrasound. The technician opted to get the surgeons opinion and without even checking the ultrasound the surgeon said that we’d use the other side. So, the port is on my left side this time. I’ll have matching scars now… cool.

And then no rest for the weary as the chemo began yesterday. No tears… not even close. I guess I’ve had way too much time to prepare for it mentally. No doubt that it was strange. It was definitely weird to have them accessing the port again and then to be sitting in the treatment chair for nearly 5 hours while the various IV’s dripped away. Aside from getting a bit “green” it went well. I don’t think I ate enough in advance of the treatment so I think it got my stomach a bit unsettled. They gave me some IV pepcid and I felt better before too long.

The return to the treatment room was also, as is so often the case, an opportunity for reinforcement of the “cancer sucks” lesson. It’s been nearly 7 months since I had been there and it was very sobering to see familiar patients. The woman sitting next to us and that Amy spent some time talking with is now having her 5th bout with cancer. Please know that these are the people and the cause that the Mintz’s Mentschen cycling team raises money to help.

In no time flat Amy’s Army is in full swing. The muffins and cards that have come already have been terrific. I’ve said it before and I’ll keep on saying it, every email and card means a great deal. Thank you all so very much.