Hi, Nicki, You asked if I had gained any weight back. Unfortunately, I stopped my weight loss at about 150 pounds, thanks to the peg, and I am still at 150 to 155. That's not too bad for me, as I was heavy at 210 before treatment started. Of course, that was over the holidays and I intentionally packed it on as I knew weight was going to be a problem. Thank God for the peg, though, as I would have been in big trouble without it. Also, I wouldn't worry too much about chemo. I had no bad reaction to it as they give you some good anti-nausea meds prior to starting the chemo and then they knocked me out, so I slept through the whole thing and had no problems. We all react differently, of course, so there is no guarentee, but my general feeling from this site is that most people get through chemo OK, with not too much difficulty.
I know Tom's feelings about 10' tall, we all think we're bullet proof. The reality is something we have to remember is full of opportunity for humility and tests of strength and courage. Tom will have ups and downs throughout this treatment, just like regular life. Laughter is the best way to deal with it. And remember, the poor folks who help treat us during this time see all of the wasting on 100's of patients a year. They hate this disease as much if not more than we do. So go into this thing with the image that, when the fight is over and you have won, that the experience wasn't that bad. And, when looking back at it, it was certainly worth the pain of the treatment to end up surviving the disease. If I had not been treated, I would already be dead now. So look forward to being on the other side of treatment. You can make it. With lots of prayers,