Twisting...balloons !

Went to the Holiday Open House at Wright State University for A Special Wish Foundation, Dayton, Ohio. Vanngo went with me, her sister, Linda drove her there. Our clown alley, Giggles and Grins, provides clowns for the annual event. Alto did a Magic Show and I saw Mickey, Sparklelee, and Lullabelle doing face-painting. Zilcho was twisting balloons. Plucky, Tindy Ducks and a few more clowns were wandering about. It was an awesome time. A Special Wish is a great organization and does a lot of events and grants many special wishes through the year. You can learn more about it here:  A Special Wish .

Vanngo did a very good job of handing Yo-You balloons to the children and blowing a loud horn and announcing the arrival of a "Princess" whenever I made a Princess Wand balloon for one of the girls. I also made hats and alien swords and dogs.

                                                       Vanngo and Careful

                                                     Alvin and the Chipmunks

                                                                    3 Clowns

I have been doing pretty good, feeling more normal. I am still tired a lot and get fatigued, but I am learning to pace myself. One thing though, I have been practicing driving a car again--after a year of no driving, and have noticed that when I do a lot of physical activity (I have been attempting to exercise more), even though I pace myself so as not to be fatigued to the point of collapse, I end-up with sore muscles that take several days to go away. It used to be that I could chalk that up to the age process. It seems more likely to be a combo of aging and chemo.

I made myself some liver and onions yesterday. I prepared the meal the way my mother used to make it. Caramelize the onions with butter and sugar and then lightly flour the liver and fry it in some butter. It came out really tasty. I hope the iron and nutrients that the liver and onions provide will help repair my sore joints and muscles. Although, the mechanism of the Alimta is to starve the cells that ask for nutrients.

I have noticed that I have lost several inches from my waistline. I haven't weighed myself lately, but my last visit to the Oncologist showed that I weighed 161 which has held steady since February. I weighed 180+ going into this whole ordeal, had a robust belly which I could do without. So, getting down to 160 or so is not a bad thing. I graduated High School weighing 158 ! Of course, I fear I may be losing some muscle mass. I will have to ask the Doctor how my body is supposed to repair and replenish itself when the order of the Chemo is to deny it !

So, everything is going smoothly. My next event is in December. Our alley provides clowns for a Rotary Christmas Banquet for Special Needs children in Springfield. It is also a fine time and a lot of fun!

Life is good...Life is an Adventure !!!

Looking to the Future, finally...

Finished another Alimta Chemo on Friday, November 2nd. A friend from the church, Bill, drove me down to Kettering. It only took 1 and 1/2 hours! The first time I had an Alimta treatment it took 4-5 hours, but each time has gotten shorter. They give me a B12 shot and 2 premeds: one of nausea and a steroid for a potential rash side-effect. And, then the Alimta.
I have begun to feel a lot more "normal" and am looking forward to getting back to Mars exploration and more Clowning. I am hoping to start Careful's Funiversity Clown Classes...maybe in March of 2013 (see how far out I am feeling able to plan!). That way, when the classes finish, the graduates should have some Parades to go to and some gigs to attend since the weather will be nice.
My protege, Vanngo, is doing very well and should be able to become an Adjunct Professor! She clowns from the Heart and, I just discovered that a cousin and her played Circus pretend games growing-up so she has that experience!

Also, her husband, Gary, whom I have dubbed Grateful, has a long history of Softball coaching. So, our Funiversity will be able to have a Softball team and will be entering tournaments. I was on one of his teams this past August and it was a lot of fun !!!

On another note, a friend that I have recently had to have the pleasure of being re-acquainted with, Mary (and her husband, Rick), may also be able to join the Funiversity as Head of the Music Dept.
She is an excellent and experienced piano musician and would be a nice addition for the Clowns. We all know that Clowns need music for Entrances, Dancing, Kazoo Marching bands, a Chorus, etc. !

More about all of that later...I want to tell you about my peripheral neuropathy. It has been getting better. I used to feel like I was walking on broken glass and my feet felt weird. My hands were very sensitive to water. If I would wash my hands with anything but cold water, it felt like they were being scalded. I never could quite come up with a good description for the way my feet felt until recently when it hit me that they felt like when you are out in really cold weather and snow and your feet feel frozen, numb, tingly and stabbing. That is how my feet feel. I can't feel my feet to put on my shoes, yet they hurt in a stabbing, tingly way. I have been using Eucalyptus Spearmint Lotion as needed and I use Yoga Toes 2-3 times a week. The Yoga Toes make my feet more flexible. As we get older, our feet seem to gnarl up and get stiff, but these Yoga Toes stretch and space the toes so that they relax more and become flexible. Even after my neuropathy goes away, I am going to continue using these products because they really help keep my feet healthy and feeling fine.
And, I am still using SoBe Lifewater because it has no sugar and no artificial sugar and just the right viscosity for me. It also has some vitamins and natural juices. I was always looking for fruit juices--not from concentrate, but most of the juices you buy at the grocery have more sugar than sodas and a lot of them are now containing aspartame or sucralose. And, most are made from concentrate. So, I buy fresh fruit or look for Grapefruit juice or Apple juice that is NOT from concentrate. It is always hard to find, though, so my staple is SoBe !
In the morning I am going to go up to the church a wrap caramel candy for their annual Candy Sale. When I first was diagnosed with Stage IV cancer, I prayed to the Lord to use me here on Earth or in Heaven---wherever he need me. I have surmised that he wants me to do my Clown Ministry here on Earth for a time and, now that I am feeling better, I want to help out at the Church as much as possible. They have provided me with transportation all year to my doctor appts and Chemos when my wife was unable to take me.
So, this feeling of "Normal" makes me a little leery, but I trust in the Lord and I have a lot of support from family, friends, clowns and the church. I will just keep putting one foot in front of the other and soldier on !
Life is Good...Life is an Adventure !!!

No Complaints

The Chemo last Friday went well. The shortest duration yet. Only an hour and a half. And, aside from the B-12 shot, they only had to stick me once. My veins have held together really well through all of the Chemos this year ! I am fortunate that I don't need a port. Usually I come home with 3 stick sites in my right arm and one or two in my left. The Chemo can really take a toll on a person's veins. The staff at the hospital has been really good, though, so my veins are fine and they are able to get a good one right off the bat!
I talked to my Oncologist last Thursday and told him of the extreme irritability that I had been experiencing from the steroids. He allowed me to cut the doses in half. I was taking 2 tabs before Chemo Day and two after. And, they injected me with some the day of the Chemo. I usually began to feel angry at any little thing a day or two after the treatment. This time  I have not had that side effect. So, that is well. The steroid is to prevent a rash.
I have been feeling pretty normal and have more tiredness than fatigue. As I have mentioned previously, Alimta causes extreme fatigue. I am learning to pace myself and I obtained a book from the Library that lists the best practices for dealing with fatigue:

Limit your activities; do only those things that are most important to you.
Take several short naps or breaks during the day.
Try taking short walks or exercising lightly.
Maintain good nutrition; try to eat a well-balanced diet.
Ask for help when you need it.   
(Lung Cancer, A Guide to Diagnosis and Treatment. c. 2012 by Walter J. Scott, M.D., Addicus Books, Inc., Omaha NE)

Last week I was able to participate in the Heritage of Flight Festival. I was in the Parade on Saturday and, also, clowned around and twisted balloons afterward and on Sunday. A new clown that I am mentoring, Vanngo, joined with me in all of the activities. We also clowned around last Saturday (the 20th): We went to a shopping center and vended balloons, stopped by a restHome and visited with some good friends, then went to Church where we were informally dubbed Fools for the Lord. The sermon was about Noah and how he must have been ridiculed by his neighbors when God commanded him to build the Ark! I consider a large portion of my Clowning a Clown Ministry--as I visit hospital patients, nursing home patients and shut-ins. And, the smiles I elicit when I am out and about are my witness to the Love that the Lord shows to us each and every day! In fact, the Pastor at my Church has asked me to speak about my Cancer experience in Church this Sunday. There will be some other speakers also.

 

Vanngo has the potential to become a very viable Clown! She has been doing very well and when I offer Clown Classes (hopefully) after the first of next year, I am hoping she will be an Adjunct Professor! She hopes so too, as I don't think she could afford the classes and shouldn't have to take out a debilitating Student Loan in order to attend! We plan to go out Clowning around tomorrow (today, Wednesday) and are going to try to have a regular route on Saturdays of balloon sales, social visits and Church...

 

 

 

I have been feeling fairly normal since this last Chemo. I haven't had extreme fatigue, but I have been pacing myself. I have been feeling an overall tiredness, but I have been motivated. I have felt groggy and foggy, but I have cut down my coffee intake to one cup of coffee per day--and I mix whole beans with decaf coffee. And, halving the steroid intake reduces my wiredness.

 

I hope to feel well and confident enough to find a part-time job. I could use the money and the activity/self-esteem. I would also like to be able to afford and procure a Canine Companion by Christmas, our beloved dog, Matty, having passed away just last Fall.

 

There is still not enough hours in the day to accomplish all that I want to accomplish...but, I feel that I am doing a lot better and feeling a lot more normal. It is coming along in bursts and burps. Soon enough I may be able to have a more ordered Life again !

 

Life is Good...Life is an Adventure !!!