Round 2

Hey Team Madonia! Sorry for the lack of posts, it has been very hard for me to do much of anything these past two weeks. I have been extremely tired during my two weeks of rest from chemo. I was able to make it to work 6 days these past 2 weeks which was a full schedule of 12 hour shifts, so I was glad that I was able to do that. However that along with the fatigue from the chemo and a couple other hiccups didn't leave me much energy for anything else. Other than the fatigue, the side effects from chemo were not too bad. My blood counts were pretty stable and the nausea subsided a few days after I was discharged. I had a couple days of really bad bone pain from my nuelasta shot which helps boost my white blood cell count. I have had this shot several times before and never had such severe pain from it. I also got an abscess in my gums from a previous root canal I had done. This seems to happen every time I get chemo so unfortunately there may be some extra dental work in my near future, yay! 

I have noticed that chemo has been much harder on me this time around. When I was 20 years old doing chemo, I still had energy to get to the gym and train through everything. Now, at the ripe old age of 26, I don't even want to get out of bed! I think a lot plays into this, including working 6 night shifts and having a house to take care of now. But I also think that I may have just been a little crazier 6 years ago! During this next cycle I will do my best to train at least 3 day a week no matter how light I have to keep things. I know this will give me more energy in, I just have to fight through the first few days.

I am working on having some different patients and parents of patients post on the blog to tell their story. I have the privilege of seeing some amazing parents and kids battle this terrifying disease and I really would like to share some of their stories! Not only do those people help motivate me through my fight, I think that they really help put life in perspective and make you appreciate the good things in life that much more. I have been told that the grey t shirts are selling like crazy so a big thank you to everyone who has purchased them! I love seeing the pics so keep them coming! 

Round 1 in the Books!

Hey Team Madonia! Round 1 of chemo wrapped up on Saturday. I was very surprised at how well I have tolerated it so far. I am very nauseous at times and a bit tired, but I thought this would be far worse. I don't want to be too optimistic as this next week could be very hard as my counts may drop (my blood counts). This will leave me more susceptible to infections. The effects of chemotherapy tend to be the worst about 7-10 days after completion. This is called the nadir, or low point. Although I may feel a little better, the chemo is still having different effects on my body. The hardest part of chemo is trying to stay occupied while feeling very sick for 6 days trapped in a hospital room. Everything you try to do makes you sicker. Eating, well that's out by about day 2. Video games = vomit. TV, lets face it, day time TV will make you sick even if you are not on chemo! Long story short, I am very glad to be home with my wife and puppy and out of the hospital room!

I will have two weeks rest until the next round of chemo. I will attempt to work a few days in between as long as I feel well enough.  Still gotta bring home the bacon!

A big thank you to everyone who called, texted, visited, wrote on my wall, posted Team Madonia pics, emailed, smoke signaled, telegraphed, and snail mailed! You guys are awesome and you have no idea how comforting it is to know I have you all in my corner.

A lot of you have been asking about ordering more shirts and I believe a new order will be coming very soon so just watch Facebook for the announcement.

The cutest Team Madonia Member, my niece Scarlett!