Round 6: Brack - 6, HL-0…Half Way to Being Cured and a Few Upsides

Yes this round started off a little rough so we had to go to the scorecards to determine the winner. After a quick tally it was decided that I won on points! Getting a round of chemo while fighting a virus or upper respiratory infection is tough. Fortunately things turned around with the help of a Z-pak and extra rest since I was home for the holidays. With Round 6 over we are on the downhill slope. A couple things of note this round, other than the low grade fever for the first 5 days, was that my mouth and tongue were more sensitive. I had salt and vinegar chips at lunch on Thursday, normally something I enjoy. This time though it felt like acid on my tongue – ouch! Also, the pain in the tissue/muscle on the inside of my left elbow continued. Not sure if it's an aggravated vein as a result of chemo. I'll ask the doctor when I go in for Chemo #7.

Round 6 Scores

In my Round 5 recap I listed a bunch of things I would rather do without. So in this round I felt like listing a few things I'm enjoying during my time with cancer:

• Spending quality time with Jen, mom, dad, and SeanP (round 7) when they accompany me to chemo sessions.
• Friends checking in each time after I finish chemo.
• Being able to empathize with my Chemo buddy Eileen.
• Getting emails from and catching up with old friends like Brant, GB, Julio, Bondy, Rodney, Shaf, and many others.
• Getting the unexpected phone calls from old friends like Soldy, Danita, Pisano, Fleming, and many others.
• The constant encouragement mixed with a reality check or two from Big and Little Murph.
• Catching up with Rob, my best friend from 3rd grade.
• Deliveries of white chocolate chip cookies from Kellie or oatmeal raisin cookies from Sharon.
• Milking "my illness" at home by getting waited on by my lovely family. It's a never ending search for a new way to blame my laziness on cancer.
• Getting a healthy, gratis pour of 25-year-old single malt Scotch or aged Cognac (when I can tolerate a drink) from Mike, the owner of my favorite watering hole The Judges Bench.
• Having the Judges Bench regulars jockeying to outsmart each other to buy me a beer.
• Blaming my normal stupidity on "chemo brain".

Lastly, keep my sister-in-law Twila's mom in your thoughts and prayers. She's having a difficult time with chemo in her fight with Multiple Myeloma.