Appreciate your prayers and thoughts during a difficult time

General Discussion
41

@Gomez_Adams,

Nah, I hear ya. I definitely am easing into things, but man I am feeling super awesome! The healing has been going very well; that and an amazing diet has been working wonders.

I’d say I’m working at about 3/4 of my regular pace as I do take some downtime to ensure I’m at my best each day, but looking at me, it’d be hard to believe any of this actually happened.

The color in my skin is back (less anemic), I’m eating regular portions, and got the energy to get things done. Most importantly to me, I feel useful again… Going through a backlog of work that’s been piling up in record time.

Thanks for the concerns however, I am definitely not taking this lightly and each day is a miracle in my eyes now!

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Which has been the diet exactly?

Happy to hear indeed! :congratulations: :slight_smile:

We are among lucky ones, as dying is teaching us how to live.

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@Ilia,

The diet def isn’t a veggie one, but does include veggies. When I say it’s been working wonders there are a few key points.

  1. I am eating better – even more so since diagnosis of diebetes – as my housemate who’s like a mom to me has been tailor making my diet in many cases to adjust carb, and sugar intake while making sure i’m getting lots of veggies and a balance in other areas.

  2. I’ve been eating a more balanced breakfast – I used to just have a few slices of toast, bowl of cereal and a coffee or tea – in contract, i now have eggs more often along with lately a slice of sour dough bread topped with homemade chicken salad along with some yogurt and a tea.

  3. not missing meals – I was notorious for skipping lunch especially as I get wrapped up in my work. Now I take the time to eat something at each meal and do a better job of making a balanced meal when I do.

I still eat some “bad” foods periodically, but as the doctor told me when I was getting treatment the number one goal when eating in general is “balance” and the second is “portion control”. Aside from those points monitoring my blood sugar level periodically helps me understand how each “choice” I make affects my overall health and allows me to better adjust to ensure I’m not going overboad or making really bad decisions.

I should alter my last point however, as it’s probably better to state that “ever breathe we take is a miracle” as noted in a song that has been keeping me focused lately :slight_smile:

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44

Hi Everyone,

So, I met with the surgeon on Monday, and while my surgery recovery has been going super, the battle is far from over.

The updated diagnosis based on their study of the mass, partial colon, and 20 lymph nodes collected during the surgery revealed that 1 out of 20 lymph nodes were cancerous.

To make a long story short, I’m now considered “stage 3”. This means I’ll be undergoing chemo for around 6 months, and am now booked to see the cancer society folks next Wed, Feb 16, 2022.

The surgeon explained that this will involve both IV and oral (pill) chemo therapy, along with the side effects I should expect from both forms.

It’s never easy hearing that your condition regardless of what you are going through has reached such a serious level, not to mention… I’m not dealing with one issue but rather 3… Anemia (hopefully should clear up as my iron level returns to normal), Type 2 Diebetes, and now Stage 3 Cancer.

Regardless, I’m aiming to remain as active as I absolutely can during the treatment, and plan on putting up a fight to beat this nasty disease.

“It won’t take me, without a fight!”

Thanks as always for everyones amazing support throughout this tragic situation.

I’ll keep everyone updated as things progress, and in the meantime I am still around to do what I do best, provide technical support :slight_smile:

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45

I cannot believe i missed his thread. I’ll be following it now as your battle continues and will most assuredly life you up in prayer for God’s comfort…whatever form that takes.

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46

I’m so sorry to hear it’s going to be a longer haul to get through this, Peter. We’re all pulling for you.

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Really sorry to hear this, mate. Chemo can be a miserable bitch, hopefully you’ll have a “smooth” ride during it.
Wishing you all the best!

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48

I may get into trouble for this, but it’s worth it if you get to see it:

Look into marijuana edibles. I’m dead serious. I don’t know if I would have made it without them.

They work far better at knocking out the nausea than the medications they give you so you can keep food down much easier and they also help keep your appetite up.

Godspeed, man.

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49

Hold on Peter. :tiger:

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50

Peter, sorry to hear it’s not yet over! Sooner recovery to you!

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Peter, I wish you all the good vibes to win the battle wishing your full recovery asap.

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Hi Everyone,

Just a quick update.

Met with my oncologist today to go over game plan.

He explained the process we’ll be employing, but first let me say…

The original timeline indicated that chemo would be up to 6 months and plainly put I was stage 3… Has been clarified.

The good news today is the oncologist indicated that I was more early stage 3, meaning he plans on 3 months of chemo and is confident that’s all it’ll take.

It’ll be one week IV chemo, one week oral chemo, one week break, repeat.

Aside from the usual side effects which may have me feeling a bit out of it after IV treatment for a few days, and a few days near the end of each oral week, he’s confident that given my overall health and age that things should go pretty smooth.

As there is a bit of a wait list, I’ll likely be starting the treatment sometime mid March.

I’ll finish by saying support in every area has and is continually amazing.

The doctors, nurses, friends, family, customers, cancer support programs and last but absolutely far from least this community has made each day since the diagnosis brighter and easier to get through.

Today I’m focusing on the future, one I intend to have looking back and proclaiming, “I beat it!”

Cheers!

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Be strong as you are, keep going on, and take the rest you need in between, also the rest in your head i mean.

Succes.

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54

Hi Everyone,

The day has come, or rather has been scheduled.

Monday (Mar 7th) afternoon I will be getting my first dose of chemo at the local hospital. Fingers crossed I experience the “least” amount of negative side effects so I can push on…

In other news, I have also started a part-time gig at a warehouse doing case picking for a national grocery store which has been super rewarding so far.

*** Note: I’m not doing this job as much for the money (while more money definitely helps in a many ways) but rather for the physical labor to improve my overall health. ***

There were 3 objectivs in taking on this job.

  1. Physical labor helps keep my diebetes under control, and myself in better shape in general. Much needed.

  2. Due to the nature of the job itself, I feel a sense of reward knowing I’m contributing to an essential service in some capacity – this in turn should keep my mind occupied while the chemo as I understand it will definitely try to mess with me mentally as a result of the drugs used for it.

  3. YES, extra income is always a great thing to have when you’re working to accomplish things in life, including but not limited to paying down some large bills :slight_smile:

As I’ve explained to some, my financial situation is pretty healthy at the moment, so just to clarify for those joining the conversation, I’m really only seeking advice, and motivation as I move through this rather difficult chapter of my life.

Don’t be surprised to see me pop into the forum throughout all this craziness and continue supporting the community, it’s not only a passion to help others but therapy while I go through the insanity of life.

Thanks to all who’ve read, and contributed to this thread, all your thoughts, prayers and advice has been super helpful in keeping my spirits lifted and me moving forward.

Cheers!

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Hi Everyone,

Day #4 of Chemo Therapy…

It was a less then perfect day. Not sure if it had anything directly to do with the chemo, but my stomach was definitely feeling a bit knotted today, although I never lost my appetite or experienced any serious effects.

It was a bit mentally draining as I don’t like feeling useless when there is so much to do.

A close friend and housemate out of respect has been altering their schedule to try and take my healthcare into consideration. It’s definitely appreciated, but I don’t want people around me to have to go to extremes affecting their lives for me.

Much of my day has been spent sleeping, ugh.

Hopefully I’m feeling better tomorrow.

As always, appreciate everyone here and hope you all are in good spirits and health during this crazy world wide pandemic.

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Sip warm chicken broth. It’ll help settle your stomach.

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Dude, prayers are with you, and this is a temporary stop anyway. Hope you’re doing well.

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Hi @tpnsolutions how are you now?
I hope well, and hold on. :tiger:

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59

Hi Everyone,

Big thanks to those who’ve recently joined the conversation and have provided words of encouragement.

This week ends the first cycle of chemo and so far there have been minimal side effects.

The biggest and most notable side effect to date has been nerve damage affecting my hands and feet. The feeling in my hands is sort of like arthritis in that flexing my fingers has a slight bit of pain. The feet feel surges of pain periodically though both symptoms are tolerable at the moment.

Next Monday I’ll be back at the hospital for another round of IV chemo and two more weeks of pills. Knock on wood things continue to go well.

As a result of my overall physical fitness, and side effects of chemo which also include reduced energy for prolonged periods I have reduced my weekend part time job (which is physically demanding) down to 15 hrs or 5 hrs per shift.

The weekend job is more of a means of being paid to workout while creating a distraction from the effects of chemo and contributing towards a rewarding essential service.

The company leadership since learning of my condition has been extremely supportive of my commitment and situation.

While not behind the computer saving the world (wide web), facilitating an essential role within the grocery store logistics business I’m also delivering food since 2018 through gig apps including but not limited to Uber Eats and DoorDash.

Needless to say I’m keeping busy, and all this activity along with all the amazing support from friends, family and this community have kept me in good spirits as I continue to redefine the fight against cancer.

Kudos to you all!

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Peter, we wish you sooner recovery! We’re all rooting for you!