The Daily Grind

I wish there were a lot more to report in terms of excitement, and I probably forget that Leukemia is enough excitement for anyone.  On the physical front, my mouth still hurts a lot, enough to make talking on the phone more than  a minute or 2 kind of a pain, plus saliva starts to build up and and I become intelligible.  I spoke with Lynn the other night before bed and she emailed me 5 minutes after the call and pretty much said she had no idea what I was saying.  I think I sound like a cross between Mushmouth (from Fat Albert) and a 6th grader who just got braces and has a lisp.

I can't thank everyone enough for all the cards, gifts, meals (for the family) and support .  It's very humbling.  If people don't know that I am from Ohio or don't know who the greatest player of all time is, they will when I get a chance to wear some of the new #44 stuff.  The staff at the hospital can't figure out why I have all this stuff from Ohio and want to know if I watched the Michigan game or am looking forward to the next one.  It is just too much to explain all the time.

I am now in day 5 post chemo and I think some of the beat down it gave me is starting to dissipate.  The body rash is starting to subside and I feel like there is more energy in slightly longer doses.  Still, concentrating on any one thing for more than a half hour or so is tough (save the ADD comments).  apparently, my nose is thinner as well, at least that is what Lynn is telling me, and I hope that is OK?   The doctor has said that I will start losing hair in the next few days and it will all go...  no big deal, but it brings up a huge question. what to wear?  My buddy Cons thinks my head is too round and has always said I will look like Charlie Brown if I shaved it, so I'm thinking that covering it up may be a good idea and will keep my ears warm.  So, what should it be? 

The thought was that I would need another transfusion today of blood and platelets, but I was just informed that while my levels are still extremely low, the latest results from this morning indicate that the platelets have leveled off, and they are detecting (previously undetectable) some uptick in white blood cells being regenerated (they are still at basically nothing compared to regular levels).  This is where we cross our fingers and hope those white blood cells are the good ones that are coming back.  We won't know until the next bone marrow biopsy in a couple weeks.  So, at least for today, some decent news.

Without reviewing every show on throughout the day, it is hard to beat Everybody Loves Raymond and King of Queens for consistent laughs.  Obviously there is a big audience for it, but I still don't think My Two Dads is worth a sh*t.  The game show network still is a staple, but anything involving Jerry Springer is off limits, how this guy continues to get an audience is beyond me.

I love the comments, keep 'em coming.