But first, some Blog maintenance issues. I warned you I’m new at this! Previously, I mentioned that only Google users were able to post comments.  Well, I discovered that was a setting I could control.  So, I changed the commenting to Public.  One tip however…when you open the comment window it defaults to “Anonymous.”  You’ll notice a tiny drop down button next to the word Anonymous.  Just click on that button and it will provide a space for you to enter your name.  If not, you can always type your name in the body of your message so that I know who it’s from.  We love your words of encouragement and it’s nice to know who it’s coming from. Now today’s update:  Last night my blood glucose was very high.  For those who aren’t aware, I’ve been a type 2 diabetic for about 18 years.  I’ve always had excellent control of my numbers through modern medicine, healthy eating, and regular exercise.  I can honestly say I don’t know what a diabetic episode is like (high sugar or low).  However, l

  Today was actually sort of amazing.  Never having experienced chemotherapy before leads to plenty of anxiety of the unknown.  Nurses, doctors, and friends who’ve undergone chemotherapy are quite frank about the side affects and I understand I will battle some of those in the coming days.  But, for me, today was a great day. I feel very fortunate that I went into today not experiencing any symptoms or pain from the actual cancer itself.   Of course, that may also change in the coming weeks.  Basically, I had a 5 hour down time in a comfy recliner with my iPad, my headphones, and no one bothering me.  It’s like I’ve been practicing for this my whole life!  I truly feel blessed because the whole time we were actually killing cancer too! I quick story that I can relate this to is when I had colon cancer 16 years ago.  I also feared the thought of chemotherapy back then.  In fact, when my sister Melissa and my Mom Willie had our “family reunion” in Phoenix after I got out of the hospital,

  The calm before the storm….or is it No Rain, No Rainbows????  Let’s explore that on the day before my first Chemotherapy treatment. The calm is easy to describe.  As mentioned in my previous post, 4-5 days with no medical appointments, or tests is about as normal as it gets.  I’ve been somewhat inactive since the laparoscopic surgery on April 13th left me with 3 holes in the abdomen and a three inch incision in my chest where the chemo port was installed.  In that time I was lucky if I got in 2,000-3,000 steps a day.  In the photo above, you can see us playing pickleball at Cholla Park with our dear friends the Balistreri’s and the Stauss’s. That’s when I feel normal!  Now I’m approaching my minimum 10K steps a day. I also, got to see an Arizona Diamondbacks game this last weekend courtesy of my old grade school buddy, Chris Wisener (second from the right).  Steve (on the left) and Peggy Byers are in town this week and I got to invite Steve to his first Diamondback game.  We’ve been

 Today’s post should be a little lighter news… This is the first time in a while we’ve had three days off without a single appointment or test!  It really makes us feel more normal.  Having Rachel visit us over the weekend was also a very special time (even though she did attend a few meetings with us)  She has been a huge support for us especially when it comes to nutrition.  I’m down around 10 pounds since November and going into Chemotherapy next week it’s important to not go any lower.  Rachel took Diane shopping and came home with a huge pile of healthy food.  Before and after Chemotherapy there’s a big need for hydration, particularly with electrolytes.  Rachel has a good friend, Emma who is part of a Boulder, CO company called Skratch Labs.  Today, we received a monster package of hydration products, healthy snacks and a recipe book!  Thanks Emma! Many people ask me, “how are you feeling?” Or, “are you OK?”   I think you should know that I am yet to experience any real pain or s

I’ve never tried to create a blog, in fact I’ve never even looked at someone else’s blog.  So, this project may start off a little slow.  My plan is to post frequently about what’s currently happening.  But, people also want to know when this started, what were my symptoms, and why did it take so long to get this diagnosis.  So I will, from time to time, create posts that will be labeled “Prologue”. That story will begin on November 19th, 2021 and I’ll add stories until I reach today’s date.  April 18th, 2022 Today I finally have a comprehensive diagnosis.  It’s not what we were hoping for but at least we can now proceed with the attack. I have Peritoneal Mesothelioma.  Most people think of Mesothelioma as a lung disease but of the 3000+ yearly cases of mesothelioma only10-15% occur in the abdomen.  The primary cause of mesothelioma is from exposure to asbestos.  Later, I will tell you the story of my time working around raw asbestos.   I would like to offer readers some advice.  It mi