Tomorrow is next visit to Cancer Center

Tomorrow we go up to Anschutz for lab work (PSA test), Xgeva injection (bone strengthener) and visit with Dr. Flaig (oncologist).

Please pray for the PSA to have gone down demonstrably!


- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

Relocated the motorcycle

Even though we bought this beautiful enclosed trailer to haul the bike off of our mountain to get to a spot where it can be unloaded in order to take a ride, this became more of an ordeal than we anticipated, and also made it hard to take a spontaneous ride on a beautiful day.

So today we rented a storage unit in town with electricity, heat, running water, and a bathroom (believe it or not -- how perfect is that!) and we took the bike down there and got it in the unit.  Now if a winter day dawns unusually beautiful and warm, Marshall can just drive into town and get the bike out within 20 minutes rather than the hour it was taking with the trailer.

The trailer will still be invaluable for hauling the bike to shows, but using it for a spur-of-the-moment ride just wasn't working.

He's still not feeling great and today was exhausting for him, so he is now resting.  But if the weather tomorrow is as awesome as it is today, he is looking forward to a nice ride tomorrow.  He is meeting a friend in Pueblo for lunch and hopefully he can ride the bike.

I signed up for a crafts fair at the end of November and I need to get busy making jewelry, so while he's out gallivanting on the bike, I can crank up the music and be creative (:-)  

PS:  Here's some interesting background on the storage unit we rented:  the prior "resident" of this unit was a taxidermist who did not believe in using chemicals, so he used beetles to "clean up" the animals (I think I understood this correctly).  This unit is where that "cleaning" was done.  Gross.

Could it be shingles?

Last night I posted a message on the "For Ladies Only" prostate cancer forum listing some of the weird symptoms and pains Marshall has been experiencing. I got four responses saying it sounded like shingles.

So I spent the night consulting with "Dr. Google," and I learned that it is possible to get shingles without getting a rash (and that is called zoster sine herpete). We are pretty sure that Marshall got the shingles vaccination last year, so I checked with "Dr. Google" on that and he said that if you get the vaccination, it is still possible to get a milder version of shingles. So far so good since if Marshall is getting shingles, it is definitely a milder version.

Shingles tends to show up during times of stress, and I think we can safely list cancer as a top cause of stress.

So then I checked symptoms of zoster sine herpete and here are the ones Marshall is experiencing:
pain on one side of the body that affects the spinal nerves
weird skin pain on right side of abdomen (tingling, sensitive to touch, burning)
stabbing pains in abdomen on right side (Marshall's are intermittent)
vertigo (the lightheadedness in the car Wednesday??)
loss of appetite
feeling dizzy or weak

So we are feeling way more comfortable that what is happening right now is not cancer-related, but we will check with the oncologist on Wednesday. Shingles isn't fun -- I had shingles about 28 years ago and I still remember the excruciating pain -- but better shingles pain than cancer pain!


- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

Lightheaded -- while driving !!!

We went to Pueblo today to get Marshall's iPhone set up and we stopped to get the mail before leaving Westcliffe. There was a magazine in the mail and I was reading it as we were heading out of town.

All of a sudden I realized Marshall was veering off of the road at a very strange spot. I looked at him and said, "What's going on?" And he said, "I don't know." He said he had gotten very lightheaded and didn't know why. So he pulled off the road (thank goodness he was able to do that). That was kind of scary. I drove the rest of the way to Pueblo and by the time we went just a few miles, he was feeling better. So now we have another question on our list for the oncologist -- does cancer cause lightheadedness?

He's also had a very weird tender/sensitive spot on his abdomen for no apparent reason. And it doesn't go away. Another question on our list.

But the rest of the day was fun. He got his phone set up and we went to lunch. I got to piddle around in Hobby Lobby while he sat in the car figuring out all the cool stuff his new phone can do. And then we came home.




- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

A bit of pain in back and ribs

We spent yesterday at Eskridge Veterinarian Clinic in Canon City selling low-cost spay/neuter vouchers.  We were there three hours and only sold 6 vouchers, so that was disappointing.  We need to figure out better ways to get the word out.

Anyway, Marshall's back was hurting a bit so when we got home he rested the remainder of the evening.  This morning when he got up, he also had rib pain on the right side.  So he took some Tylenol and rested.  We went to town around noon to have lunch and pick up the mail and now we are back home again.

I did a little internet researching on some of the cancer forums and found a guy who had intermittent rib pain because he carried a trash can up a flight of stairs and since the muscles are so weak (because of the cancer and the hormone therapy), they pulled against the bones of the ribs and caused pain.  He said his pain lasted three days.  That kind of fit Marshall's situation since he did help carry the table and chairs we used yesterday at the clinic.

So we take it one day at a time.....

Delightfully boring

I hope we keep being this boring. Marshall continues to feel good and has a good energy level. We've been running around doing all the things we normally do and it continues to be wonderful.

Tomorrow we are going to Canon City to sell low-cost spay/neuter vouchers at a veterinarian's office. The group we volunteer with -- Pet Project -- is big on promoting spaying and neutering.

Tuesday we will probably go to Pueblo for the day.

And I think winter has arrived. The temperatures for the next few days are going to be in the 20s.




- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

5 days of feeling good

Marshall has been feeling really good the past five days, the various side effects died down and his energy level picked up. So we have spent the past five days running around doing "normal" things (going to breakfast, shopping in Pueblo, lunch with friends, errands, etc.)

He hasn't smoked since mid-September when the CT scan showed spots on the lungs. I am so proud of him ... and so relieved.

Marshall's grandson, TJ, is doing his paperwork to go into the Navy. That's kind of scary to me, but he really wants to do it. Here's a photo of him at his graduation with his mom (Tanya) and his brother (Brandon). The lady in the background is Marshall's ex-wife Charlene. (Catherine, if you are reading this, hasn't Brandon grown since that day 8 years ago when he wanted to be your boyfriend??)




And since I've posted a photo of TJ and Brandon, I should also include the granddaughter Alexis (she is going to be a real heartbreaker). This is a prom picture.




- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad