No More Waiting

Seems as if I have out-waited the Chemo side effects.  18 Days post chemo infusion now,  WELL past the drugs effect times,  and I never went off the cliff.  Never felt bad.  Had to HUNT for any symptoms.  Was pretty strange feeling SO good after getting those drugs,  sitting there just waiting for the truck to sneak around the corner & hit you.  Many days second-guessing how you felt,  second guessing every little ache or tired moment.  The expected crash never came to pass.    Had to ask the Docs if this was normal or not,  getting the drugs I did and NOT feeling like crap,  especially after feeling SO bad on my first visit to chemo-land 5 years ago.  In typically reassuring doc-speak,  it was,  "sure,  sometimes people have no effects,  and have differing reactions,  we really don't know why."

Whee.  Reassuring that the understanding of giving you such potent cytotoxins is SO well understood.  Especially when it's YOU they are getting pumped into.  Even started to wonder if I got the right drugs,  etc.  I REMEMBER getting something,  and seeing the name on the bag.   Cancer brain makes one have strange thought processes at times.  I DID get the drug,  and both my blood counts,  my obviously shrinking spleen (When you can FEEL your own internal organs,  that is a hint something ain't right....),  and my new found ability to actually push on the pedals of a bike with at least some limited authority

says it did SOMETHING.

Got over what fatigue I had,  and got over the dread of the NOT-arriving crash,  and started riding my bike again.  A mountain bike,  thank god.  Slow,  out of shape,  but can already just "tell" my blood is fixed again.  Was able to get my heart rate over 150 (and even 160),  for the first time in almost a year.  Actually feel like I can ride again.  A Pretty damn sweet feeling,  after having that taken away for so long.  I even Strava-ed the hell out of those rides.

Check it out,  158th out of 358 on the Heil/Wild turkey loop,  fresh off Chemo.  Better watch your sorry Strava/KOM Ass,  ya'll.  I'm BACK.  Oh,  and 11,  count 'em 11 Personal Records on all them there segment thingies on that loop (Maybe that had something to do with never me Strava-ing that loop before?  Nah,  I'm just kicking butt...)

Am I done with the medical nonsense yet?  Nope,  got a whole second set to start up on Valentine's day.  Some Mutated Mouse Antibodies that will hopefully kill off a bunch more of the Hairy little bastard cells that the Chemo did not get.  Lower "Minimal Residual Disease" is the intent,  with the hope that less leftovers to regrow means a longer remission,  and I want that.   An IV once a week for 8 weeks is the plan.  Eight full hours to get the first one in,  a very detailed infusion protocol to mitigate any adverse "reactions" to the Mutant Mouse cells.  That should be fun.

One more set of treatments to go.  At least these are not poison,  so SHOULD be low impact.  Of course after skating thru this Chemo,  now I worry the "benign" treatment will be the one to cause me grief.  We shall see soon enough.

I look to have some news on the Bike racing & Upgrade front coming soon as well.  Might have been a bit of a common sense outbreak down in the Springs.   Scary.