Power-up

As I am half way through the seventh week of being chemo free I find myself heading in the opposite direction of the way I normally go at this point in time. What I mean is that at this point I am typically getting chemo and my energy levels tank and I am sleeping more, eating more, and generally feeling icky. At the moment however I am feel really good, I've been making an effort not to eat as much (the scale was a little intimidating the other day...) and my energy level is pretty good. I spent a good three hours visiting five different stores in the area looking at BBQ/ grills with a friend this afternoon and it was after not eating hardly anything for lunch (accident) and during the normal time that I would be taking a nap. I'm home now and I unloaded the dishwasher and am typing a blog entry. Really a lot more energy than I would normally have had.

On another medical front I am not entirely sure what I think about the fact that I supposedly have pneumonia. I really don't feel like I do. I am thinking that perhaps on Monday I'll give my doctor a call and have them re-xray my chest to double check. I figure at that point it will either be worse, or possibly a mis-diagnosis. As my doctor(s) couldn't see anything but the radiologist claimed it was there I think I'd like another crack at it (with a different radiologist). Also if it IS getting worse I'd like to make sure it's dealt with before it's REALLY worse. I am taking drugs now... or at least trying to take drugs... those pills are huge.

Thanks for the continued prayers and support as I enter this time of "spare time" and energy. (You all generally refer to it as "being healthy". Maybe I'll give it a try...)

~B.
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That was unexpected

Today I was told by my doctor that my platelets are too low to start chemo. (low 70s) Because of this they are going to try a new "experiment" on me. They are giving me an extra MONTH off. Then next month they are going to do a PET scan and if my tumors haven't started growing again, then I am going to get TWO MONTHS off. Then they will scan again to see if they are growing and if they are then they want to try a new treatment (see below) and if it's not growing, then I get another two months off.

The new treatment is based off of a finding just recently that there is a protien in my tumors that is also in prostate cancer. (Which is a highly documented disease) They are going to try some things that work on prostate cancer on me and see what happens. (When the tumors start to grow back.) If that doesn't work then they would probably go back to what I am on now.

Overall some very exciting news... I feel like a caged animal who has been set free for the first time and I am looking around wondering what I am going to do next. Thanks for the prayers and support, this is some fantastic five year news!

~B.
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Five Years!

Five years of cancer

Well folks, as of this weekend I have been diagnosed for five years with cancer. Seventeen percent chance of surviving five years, and here I am. Two states lived in since then, six places of residence, and at least five hospitals I have been treated at (who knows how many if you count ER trips). No one saw the cancer thing coming (you can read up on the whole thing in the archives, starting May 2007) and since then it's pretty much been anyone's guess what is next. Ups and down in my health to some rather huge degrees.

Despite the craziness, unknowns, confusion, and fears. Because of the family, the friends, acquaintances, and complete strangers God has brought me safe thus far! He has been my shield about me and a light unto my dark and confusing path. And here, at the five year mark I can say, with full assurance, that it is well with my soul. My body has taken a pounding, but despite that I have learned things about myself, and most importantly about my savior.

Please join me in thanking God for all He has done, and praying for my future. Even if I was to be declared "better" tomorrow it wouldn't make my future any less unknown without God's guidance.

The past five years have been something I couldn't have planned in any way. Thank you for the blessings you have bestowed upon me friends! Here's to many, many more years being and doing what God wants me to do and be!

~B.
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cheMOTHERapy

I talk a lot about how I couldn't have made it this far in my cancer treatments without Lisa, and while that is very very true, there are other women in my life that have gone a long way to helping me get to where I am today as well. First and foremost, my mom, Jenifer Morrell. Thank you for the prayers, the support, the encouragement, and always cheering me on to continue fighting. This fight would have been a lot more difficult without you around.

Another mother that has encouraged me through this fight is my mother-in-law, Nancy Massingill, who has helped us with her nurse's training and been a supporter of us in prayer as well. She's been Lisa's champion to keep fighting and to help her as well as me.

Both Lisa and I have been supported by our mothers and they have been behind us all the way through this. There are also mother's of friends who have become involved in our lives as well and helped support Lisa and I in our fight. Overall a lot of people who have helped, but the title of Mother has really stood out to us as people who have helped carry us through some very rough patches. Thank you.

As I told my mom in a card recently, "You can't spell chemotherapy without Mother."

~B.
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Always learning

The other afternoon Lisa and I were hanging out on the couch and Niko was with us and he started acting all strange, and so I took him from Lisa and attempted to calm him down. This appeared to be working and generally he calms down more when he gets near my face so I moved him up closer to where he likes to be by my head and without any kind of warning he attacked my lip. It hurt, like mad, but some of the reason it hurt as much as it did was that it was completely unexpected.

Being as this is the second time in a month and half that he has physically removed skin from my body I had a very serious conversation about removing the small green one from our apartment and keeping. In the end it was decided that we would choose to attempt to do something about it instead of "accidentally" leaving the cage door and balcony door open.

I found a site (birdtricks.com) that I honestly couldn't tell was real or a fraud but after a LOT of internet research I figured I would give it a try. (BBB searching, Whois tracking, forums, reviews, etc etc) They claim to have a six month money back policy, but frankly if it's a scam it doesn't matter what they promise. This is getting long. Anyway, I sent them some money and they are shipping out the full training videos, but they had some up on their website and I spent two and a half hours watching some of them the other morning and there is some really good stuff in there. The videos could be edited down to loose the sales pitch in a lot of them (I already bought it...) but it has helped me and is helping me to tweak Niko's schedule and how to train him to be a better bird. (So far he's a little confused about some of the changes.) We'll see if they are worth it in the long-run.

I am drawing all sorts of parallels between parrot training and life in general though... as I am sure those of you that have children are aware, it seems like half of training something that really doesn't understand you is your attitude and how you respond to things. Always something new isn't it?

Hopefully we can post some "stupid parrot tricks" or something here in the future... and hopefully it can happen without anymore blood being drawn. (On either side...)

~B.
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