So,

Haven't been updating as much as I should. Turns out the mucus nausea is my new obstacle. The toxic phlegm is making me ill, literally. If I don't actively cough it out, it gets swallowed and drips down, etc. and makes me vomit. If I cough it out too much, I trigger my gag reflex and vomit. I swear I am the most delicate flower in the known universe!

So, been spending a lot of time mitigating those symptoms -- finally hit on some combinations of Mucinex, anti-nausea meds and a very regimented cycle of hourly hacking that means I am not vomiting (as often).

This cancer really does keep you on your toes, doesn't it? You get one thing sorted out and another thing rises up to take its place. Ah well, nearly done now. Finished my last chemo and Monday is my last radiation treatment. That's right boys and girls, as of COB today, I have 1 rad left!!!!

Let the healing begin.

Or so I hope .

Now maybe I'll be able to document and record the journey with a little more fluidity and consistency. Between staying busy, my self-care regimens, my general fatigue, and just being the lazy bastard I am, I really never did record things as I went -- I'd like to record them after, though. It's been (and continues to be) a highly complex journey -- in some ways every bit as tough as I read it would be. In others (thankfully) it has not been nearly as bad as I heard. In a few it has been a walk in the park. It's a highly individualized process, I now see, and what sucks for some does not equally suck for others.

So, that's where The Hellion stands today - i.e. still standing. Sometimes barely, and the last 2 rads may yet finish me, but I don't think so. I'm confident -- I'm going to pull through . I'll let you know the final verdict next week.

To those that continue to provide outstanding support and advice -- keep it up -- I thank you and I'm sure everyone else agrees. To those that are undergoing treatment -- let's all stay strong -- we will all get there if we believe we will. It's tough, but let none of us succumb! To those reading this and worrying about your treatment to come, I can only say that for as tough as treatment sometimes is on me, it was waiting to the start the journey that proved most difficult. It is easy to fear the unknown, and hearing the stories can be frightening - believe me, I get that - but the doing is what matters and you can and will do it. I know it's easy for me to say, but really, don't worry about the treatment to come. Follow the advice of the OCF sages and start strong and confident.

Now, let's hope my last two rads don't finish me off or turn me into a raving cry-baby or this post is going to make me look pretty foolish.

I'll leave you with a song -

One of these days I'm gonna change my evil ways
(One of these days)
Until then, I'll just keep riding on and on and on and on and on

Cheers,

The Hellion