Further Posts

For all of you who can't get enough of my man/keyboard juice you can continue to read words that I process into the internet on my new blog http://meandyourmomaddition.blogspot.com/ .  It's the nuts.  

Done, Done, Done

As of yesterday at 4:00 I have successfully completed chemotherapy and after today when I get my white blood cell injection I will be officially done, just need to get through the next few days of sub-par health and then I'm off to the races.

Thank you to everyone who has been such a tremendous support over the last 7 months, you all truly made this experience the best it could possibly be.

For the Future...plan is to get the PET scan done in the next two or three weeks and then meet with my onc for one last hurrah where he tells me what my blood counts are looking like and what other doctors he might want me to go and see. I'm also supposed to meet again with the lung specialist in a few weeks but I'm not sure if that is going to be necessary since they gave my lungs a clean bill over the phone a couple of weeks ago.

I think that pretty much sums it up. I'll be seeing many of you soon so we can save the depth for a later date.

-Nick

the blanket!

ahhhh yes. It's so soft and warm. He definitely has to share it with me. :)

Christmas Time for My Body, Auschwitz for my Cancer

As you all know, or should know if you're a regular here, in two weeks I will have had my last chemo session with the hope that (knock on wood) it will be the last one of my life. Now I'm not so naive as to think that there isn't some other form of the rancorous, rapidly, replicating cells that might sneak up on me during my late 70's or 80's, but the goal is that within the next 50 years we will have come up with a more humane replacement to chemotherapy.

Now I'm recovering from my second to last treatment. It's morning time on Friday so the usual brunt of the treatment hasn't set in yet and I can say I'm feeling pretty good, tired, but good. I can also say I'm as warm as I could ever hope for thanks to Grandma Dougherty's latest gift: a hand crocheted (pronounced crotch-eh-tehd) blanket put together by her and her church group. It really is a fine piece of craftsmanship and its functionality can be praised with much singing and dancing. Other people have been honoring my gift card xmas present request and some have been sending me checks, they are much appreciated, but pale in comparison to the splendor of my new blanket. I know you all are a competitive bunch though, so don't try to outdo the church group, they're too strong willed, and besides, now I have a blanket so your monetary presents will do just fine. People I haven't thanked yet for recent goodness: Dravinskis, Grandma Felice, Deena, Maria, and Mom (she continually hooks it up with minimal acknowledgment).



For anyone in LA: if you have furnishings that you are looking to get rid of, you should not do so until Cera and I have had a chance to deem them worthy for our new LA apt. (time to be announced in the future, no later than May)

Ah, before I forget (chemo kills my short term cognitive ability) it is my understanding that the posting of recent pictures of me has left many depressed about my current state; however, I cannot stress enough that these pictures do not accurately represent how I feel. I am considerably healthy and for the most part full of energy when I'm not recovering (every other week). So don't feel sad, I feel amazing and I'm going to look "normal" again sometime in the next few months. That being said I do have pictures of me with my new blanket probably looking like death and I'd like to post them, but I can't find them right now so I'll have Cera put them up when she's awake.

Merry Christmas Everyone (they say happy holidays out here because of the Jewish population, but Hanukkah is over and from what I understand their savior still hasn't come; better luck next time guys). I just realized how terribly ignorant that comment was, I apologize to our Jewish readers both for the insensitive Hanukkah comment and the poor taste of referencing Auschwitz in a positive light in my title. I may be a much more sensitive person now, but that doesn't mean I'm any less offensive.

Peace to All

someone has big ears.

There you go ladies and gentlemen, before and after. He kind of looks like a ghost now, or as I like to call him, an alien. That being said, he feels pretty good and is looking forward to his hair growing back. The chemo nurse told him yesterday that his hair might grow back straight. We'll just have to wait and see...

4 more weeks = Rebirth

Have you heard the good news?

Well it's not really news as it hasn't really happened yet, but it is a prediction; think of it as an early edition. In four weeks there will be a resurrection, that's right, the second coming of the healthy Nick will be upon us, he will be risen.

I hope jesus doesn't mind that I've stolen his M.O., but he's a forgiving chap.

Alright, so the scoop. I had my third to last chemo two days ago, which means two more and a return to a new kindof "normal" where I get to live a healthier life and go to the oncologist every three months for a PET scan, wooohooo, gotta love those PET scans. It's a very misleading name, not anywhere near as cool as a pet and you get to drink a 20 oz. barium sulfate smoothie.

Christmas is all upon us and I know everyone's going to go read the wish list and think to themselves what can I get nick for christmas and then they'll see all the legos and books and dvds and say hey that's a great idea; however, since everyone has been so kind and generous the last 5 months I have to say that my bookshelves are full, my window sills are overflowing with legos, and my dvd rack can hanldle no more. So ignore the wish list for now and direct your Hanukkah, Kwanzaa, and Christmas thoughts to something that could really help me out. I bet you all think that I have some big fancy smancy computer that I blog on and do work stuff on when I'm at home, but that would not be true; the fact of the matter is that for the last two years I have been mooching off my lovely fiance's computer and it just isn't going to cut it anymore. But don't start freaking out, I'm not asking anymore to buy me a computer, that would be downright opportunistic; though I do know that each and every one of you has that magnanimous spirit that will allow you to give a little in the form of an apple gift card (that's a link to apple gift cards for you unsavy internet users--I'm talking to you Melissa). And for all of you that think I might need clothes for christmas that's a no, i have way too many clothes, but thanks for the thoughts.

Enough searching for handouts, I promise I'll get my hands out of your pockets as soon as I can afford it.

More medical news. I go in for a Cat Scan in two days (no barium sulfate, phew) to see how my lungs are doing. Hopefully all will be well.

Shout outs to Krista and Pat for the sweet lego set (though Mario takes credit for it, even though he didn't pay) and the Halberstam and Selby books, I'm really stoked for the Halberstam, gonna get to that soon. Word up to Aunt Diane for the Mars crawler and the B & N card. And if I forgot about you give yourself some props on the comments section.

Till next time.

Chemo Just in Time For The Holiday

Happy Thanksgiving Day...

Today is the day we all give thanks that a bunch of Indians hooked our white puritan brothers up with a massive meal to give thanks for the glorious future that would was foretold and the fruits of a white and red relationship.

Well, things didn't work out so well for the hosts, but damn did those guests make out like bandits. And so today I reflect on what I can give thanks for...A body that to the naked pet scan eye appears to be free from cancer activity: yeah!!!!!

So the chemo worked, it killed the cancer and the oncologist speculates that any mass that is left in my mediastinal cavity or my lymph nodes is most probably just scar tissue...the chemo worked so well, however, that it has damaged my lungs and they will be discontinuing the drug (bleomycin) and now I only get 3, instead of 4. This was to be expected as I had to sign a waver before this all started saying how I was aware of the possible side effects and here they are, manifested in the killing of my precious lung cells. So for all of you who longed for days of nick and pipes it is a dream no longer....if you wish to purchase one my pieces from my pipe collection or take a can out of my abundant stash of tobacco...feel free, it's aged nicely, just stop by the apt. and we can arrange something.

If all goes well, which it by all means should, I will have had my last chemo session on January 3rd, so hopefully I can come home sometime shortly after that, but nothing's in stone. What that does mean, however, is that Cera and I will be spending Christmas out here on the east coast so for anyone who knows of ways of assuaging that, give me your ideas.

I go see a lung specialist on Tuesday, he will tell me how bad a way my pulmanary functions are in and I'll keep everyone posted.

Again, happy Thanksgiving, and savor every last drop of it for me, because I won't be having it.

I'm off to buy some soup so that I can fill me stomach.

-Nick