Monday, September 30, 2013

September 30 -- 1 Down, 7 To Go

Hi all,
On Monday it will be 2 months since Arnie's internal re-arrangement (surgery).  Where has the time and summer gone?
This past Tuesdayy Arnie started back at chemo. 1 round down  and 7 more to go. While Arnie wasn't sure how his redesigned insides would react to the chemo, so far so good.  He has been eating well but is tired. He has had enough of room temperature drinks so he has been trying out the hot, sugar free offerings from Starbucks. I am getting an education at the same time trying to figure out the difference between tall and grande etc.  Can you tell Starbucks is not in my daily repertoire? This too shall pass and soon enough the cold factor will be gone and he will be able to eat and drink anything he wants (at least until the next chemo).  Ice cream sandwiches, here he comes!
The weather has been wonderful this past week and Arnie has been trying to get out and enjoy the sunshine. If you happen to drive down our street, you might just spot Arnie sitting on out front porch taking in the fresh air and keeping the neighbourhood safe.
Hope everyone has a good week,
Liz

Sunday, September 22, 2013

September 23 -- A New Man

Hi all,

It has been a while since the last update and we have heard from a few of you on this subject. In general, no news is good news but here goes nothing anyway! Arnie is doing well. He has taken to heart his Dr.'s orders and is eating everything in sight. He has also figured out that even though the insulin will take care of things, there really are some things he doesn't need to eat in excess (Starburst come to mind). He has managed to gain just under 10 lbs so we say "A job well done!"

We had a nice little outing this week to buy Arnie some clothes. We spent 2 hours choosing a new wardrobe so he can get out of his sweatpants if he so desires. Arnie is very much enjoying his svelte new shape and is planning on keeping it and showing it off! Coming soon to an event near you!

On Tuesday we begin the next phase of treatment, chemo again, to insure a positive long term outcome. We are looking at 8 rounds which will take us to the end of Dec. So,we begin our bi-weekly trips to Montreal. I am sure everyone will hear about my driving etc but for now he is restraining himself. Well, he did "help" me with my decision on where to park on our shopping trip so I guess he was getting warmed up.

Keep smiling,
Liz



Tuesday, September 3, 2013

September 3 -- Arnie's Excellent Adventure

Hi All,

Hopefully everyone had a great long weekend. The Raiders  won 2 of 3 games this weekend so not too bad a start to the season. Arnie was literally an arm chair coach (as jordi reported ) yelling at the computer as he watched the boys play.

Arnie's eating adventures continue as he adds new foods to his repertoire. He  began by eating certain foods that he knew would agree with him. Unfortunately, he had a tendency to eat the particular food in question until he just couldn't look at it anymore and so he would move on to find a new favourite food. It has been interesting trying to keep up and guess when he would get sick of eating a certain food. Anyhow, he has added yogurt and cereals and other wonderful choices to his list. Last night he even tried a beer.

Today, we met with the oncologist to discuss resuming chemo. All in all they are happy with Arnie's progress but would still like him to put on some weight. He will start chemo in 3 weeks and do 8 cycles. We will get to see the seasons change as we travel down the road to Montreal and visit the Royal Vic.

Keep up the good fight and we wish everyone a happy and healthy new year.
Liz