So, looks like I'll be posting here for a while longer. Just finished talking about today's tests with my oncologist, and when he started the conversation saying that we had some choices, I knew he wasn't going to be telling me what I'd hoped/expected to hear.

The PET scan still showed that despite continued shrinkage of the original mass and no evidence of metastasis anywhere else (lungs look good now) there's still metabolic activity going on down there in places where it shouldn't be. Bottom line, I'm getting two more rounds of original recipe chemo - we agreed that since we're still seeing progress, there's no reason to consider a different chemo mix, radiation, or surgery yet.

Instead of getting it removed as I'd hoped, finished today's visit with another dressing change for my PICC, and am scheduled for chemo 5.1 next Monday. Final (?) round is now planned for first week of January.

My new head/face fuzz may not last long after all...

Up here we're now well and truly into the season where covering up your head (and ears) isn't such a bad idea whether or not you have hair. As such, I'm now battling Bunny almost daily over which of us gets to wear, er, be devoured by, The Old One. Thanks again, mycroftca and forestcats. :-)

This is only peripherally cancer-related, but...

I'm riding the ferry back from seeing Trans-Siberian Orchestra's performance this afternoon in Seattle. I enjoy them every year, but felt *especially* like a wide-eyed kid today, watching the lasers make tiny rainbow sparks where they hit falling "snow".

Before the show, I was watching the crowd go in and Tweeting about how much they skewed older/formal and where I fit into that (though there was still plenty of long hair and leather in attendance). Once the house lights went down and the stage lit up, I was nine years old - but simultaneously with a forty-year old cancer survivor's very conscious awareness that I was *alive*. A strangely exhilarating duality.

I know it isn't even Thanksgiving yet (and boy do I have a lot to be thankful for this year), but Christmas 2009 is officially here for me - I'm hoping to experience it all through this new double vision.

(And I've decided that when my hair grows back, I'm going all the way to rock n' roll again, baby. I still won't be able to play guitar, but I can wear my leather jacket proudly to TSO *next* year... :-)

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Once again, posting from the ferry on my way across to the hospital in Seattle - going in today for surgery to replace my kidney stents. The actual operation is 20min, but I expect to spend most of the day there. Next week, the PET scan that'll hopefully certify all of this as officially over...

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Was surprised by this in today's mail - though PET scan certification is still pending, my graduation from chemo is now official. :-)

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My manager put me on to this one - not sure if the cartoonist is going through cancer himself, or if it's someone close to him, but he definitely knows of what he draws (and how to put on the geek spin). His site is below, but these are my favorite - the first is just setup, second is the (geek) kicker. :-)

Did I mention how amazingly generous and supportive an employer Infospace has been throughout this? They hired me when I was just having mobility issues due to a blood clot, and when it turned out to be cancer just a few weeks later, they didn't even blink. Both the company and the individuals within it have been outstanding in the way they've supported me. With that in mind, I want to pass on this little announcement.

I’m not allowed to use the site myself, but the company I work for just launched a sort of eBay-with-a-twist yesterday morning. Since the site is brand new and mostly unknown at this point, you might be able to swipe some really good deals. Could be worth taking a look at, anyway. Pass this on if it’s in any way useful or amusing to you.

From: Haggle [mailto:Haggle@Email.Haggle.com]
Sent: Monday, November 02, 2009 10:09 AM
To: Hendel Thistletop
Subject: It’s Haggle’s Grand Opening - Get an Extra 10 Bids Free

This message was sent to you by Hendel Thistletop at Hendel.Thistletop@infospace.com.

We wanted our friends to be the first to know; Haggle.com is live and the deals are waiting! Best of all, as part of our Refer a Friend program, you get a special bonus just for signing up: Sign up before November 5, 2009* to get an extra 10 bids free!

Sign Up Now: www.Haggle.com/?icl_CID=HA3845

This is a great time to get unbelievable bargains on brand-new electronics, gift cards, bid packs
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Want to extend this deal with your friends and family? Just forward this email or share the URL above. If they sign up before the deadline, they'll get free bids thanks to you.

Now, get in the game!
-The Haggle Team

P.S. It's easy to share this promotion with friends on Facebook and Twitter. Just cut and paste the message below and your friends can get an extra 10 bids free:

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*Refer a Friend offer of an extra 10 free Haggle bids expires on November 5, 2009 at 5:00 p.m. (pacific time).

©2009 Haggle LLC. All Rights Reserved

This email was sent by: Haggle LLC
601 108th Avenue Northeast Bellevue, WA 98004 USA

We respect your right to privacy - view our policy

Manage Subscriptions | Update Profile | One-Click Unsubscribe

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Held off until I was sure (ok, until the next day) - the final planned round of chemo is on for this week. Headed across for day 2 now. Met with the onco yesterday when he confirmed my blood results were ok, and he's still very confident everything's on track.

Just because it's been a while, and this one's a bit more entertaining than the others, here's a new bald pic. When we realized I was going to be bald for Halloween, "demon pumpkin" seemed an obvious choice for best use of all that freshly exposed skull estate - the makeup is 360'. More pix of our Halloween over on my Flickr page, www.flickr.com/photos/hendelopticon.

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I Tweeted (and thus Facebook'd) It at the time, but neglected to note *here* for the benefit of those not following me elsewhere that I again failed my white cell blood test last Monday (after getting all settled into my chair and hooked up to my IVs). So, everything got pushed back another week once more - I'm on the boat now, headed across to try again.

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On the ferry in the dark (and rain, glorious rain), heading out across the Sound to start my last scheduled week of chemo. Assuming that this morning's blood test results don't disqualify me and put the whole thing off another week again...

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Still nothing to see here. Had followup appt. this AM with the surgeon who did my orchidectomy; he just echoed my oncologist's statement that the chemo seems to be doing what it's supposed to be. "Pure seminomas are exquisitely sensitive to chemotherapy". I do have another minor surgery coming in Nov now, to replace the kidney stents previously inserted, but that's mostly precautionary. My next round of chemo is still expected to be the end of direct cancer treatment; everything else is just sweeping up.

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And that's about all there is worth saying on the subject as of Friday afternoon- not even enough of a change in hair status to warrant yet another shot of my shiny head. Just feeling the usual post-chemo lassitude and flat palate. One more round at the end of the month, but first... Haunt!

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I'm still nursing a wispy little all-but-invisible ancient Kung-Fu master mustache, because I just can't let it go while I still have a hint of choice. So why are the only areas of my body apparently unaffected by the hair-suppressing side effects of chemo my nose and ears?

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