DAY 137: Do I really have one more?!?

The inpatient portion of Round 7 is complete and I am back at home in the 'recovery' phase. My counts are down, which means I have the typical dietary limitations and quarantined lifestyle that I have come to expect over the past several months.

More great news: I was able to check two chemo drugs off the list for good, meaning that I don't have to take them again (Cytoxan and Adriamycin). Cytoxan is the biggest culprit for nausea and Adriamycin causes heart problems, so these are two that I surely will not miss.

Friday, I will go to the clinic and get my last dose of Vincristine and over the weekend I will take my last doses of Dexamethasone. Two more I will be able to check off the list.

Then, I will be left with three more drugs for which I look forward to calling it quits. If I stay on 'schedule' (a term I use jokingly), I will be out of the hospital by June and ready for a few months of recovery where I will learn to re-use my body. Undoubtedly, it will be a slow process of learning how to function in normal ways, yet again. Like a little kid learning everything, I expect it will be a pretty exciting time for me.

I have met two other Burkitt's Lymphoma patients at Emory (these are the guys who are my contemporaries, ironically enough). One of them has their first baby due in 7 weeks and is on Round 4 of treatment. They are newlyweds and clearly a lot of life changes are all happening at once. He was supposed to go back in for his Round 4 last Tuesday, but won't be able to do so until this Thursday due to his bloodwork. I can imagine the frustration when things don't progress at the clip we've set forth in our own minds. It takes me back to the whole 'I am REALLY not in contol' truth of all this. Hang in there, Jon. You will make it before you know it and start your new family.

My co-workers did a really nice thing for my upcoming birthday: they had a caricature drawn of me in a boxing ring, knocking a big 'cancer' gorilla out. 'Gotta be tough to go 8 rounds with the beast!' In the drawing, I have a six-pack and huge biceps... clearly a mockery of where things stand, but otherwise it might not have been a fair fight, right? Thanks to all of you for your kind notes and gestures. It has put a smile on my face that will stay for quite some time.

I have signed up for a softball league with my church for this summer, and I am VERY excited about the upcoming games. It will be several weeks before I can get on the field, but the thought of having a goal out there motivates and excites me. My wife will play and I am very proud of her! I will enjoy cheering the team on, and talking the prerequisite trash to all the other teams as they fumble about. This is good livin', as far as I'm concerned.

My mother came down from Nashville to help take care of me over the weekend, and my sister is here now. We were able to celebrate Candace's birthday Monday as well as our 6th wedding anniversary on Sunday! Six years... and so much has happened. If you haven't already, I encourage you to read Candace's blog entry from Mother's Day. She lost both her mother and father in 2005 and has shared some very touching thoughts. Thank you, baby, for sharing.