Hi everyone!

It's Joe again. I haven't blogged in a very long time but I never know what to say on these things. I wanted to let everyone know that all is well with me in the grand scheme of things. I've managed to stay out of the hospital as an inpatient for the fourth straight day so I'm pretty happy about that. Getting past Saturday night without having to get admitted at 2AM was a morale victory for me!

On my last blood draw, my white blood cells were still really low, so I've been hesitant to leave the house. One of the hardest things for me has been not being able to go outside or see people. I try to fill my days with various distractions like reading novels, watching movies, watching TV, and reading volumes of radiology textbooks(!). I just finished Angels & Demons, which wasn't bad, and now I'm working A Curious Incident of a Dog in the Night, I think it's called. It's an interesting novel written in the perspective a boy with autism. Karen and I have been watching various random movies like Family Stone, Glory Road, and Benchwarmers. I've actually tried picking up some piano too. Karen has some really ancient lesson books from like the 1940's. I'm still working on Grade 1.

Lately I've been feeling more and more like an old man. My days are full of routines now. I guess those kind of keep me busy too. I have to remember to take my meds at a certain time and my Metamucil (double dose!) at a certain time. I have to rinse my mouth after every meal. My mouth sores/cuts are still very slow to heal so eating has become somewhat of a chore. It's probably takes me at least twice as long to eat as it used to. I used to just attack my food. Karen always used to say that when a meal was put before me, I always got a look in my eyes and that I ate like I hadn't eaten in days! Also, the Neulasta I've been getting has been giving me random joint and sternal pains, mostly at night.

One thing that takes a lot of getting used to is being dependent on other people for things. Karen really has come through with flying colors with cooking, cleaning, laundry, you name it. She is my rock. Our parents on both sides also have been wonderful. They bring us groceries, supplies, and even good homecooked food. My mother-in-law's beef noodle soup is awesome. Of course, my own mother's home cooking is second to none.

So physically, I feel pretty decent. I think the chemo and Neulasta are working and hopefully my counts are going up. Mentally, I have good days and some moments of sadness. It's very difficult, but I'm learning to put my trust in the doctors and trust in God. Ultimately, this is all God's will.

I have my next appointment in the outpatient Heme-Onc office on Monday morning, so let's hope for good news! And continued thanks a million times over to everyone out there for all your support and prayers. Knowing you are out there, even if I don't know you, really makes me feel that I'm not in this alone. More than anything, I want to beat this thing, and with your help, we're gonna do it.

Joe