Come Monday

For Judy, with apologies to Jimmy,

… Yes it’s been quite a summer, muscle cars and Hawaii bound planes.
And now I’m off on my bike again, somethin’ for which I didn’t really train.
And darlin’ you love me so, that’s the reason you just let me go.
Come Monday it’ll be all right, Come Monday I’ll be holding you tight.
I’ll have seven splendid days on the bicycle ways, but I just want to be back by your side.

Leaving for my 26th Cycle Oregon tomorrow.  Doc cleared me to go [“I know it’s important to you given you have a tatto. 🙂 “],  my cancer case manager is an avid cyclist which might have helped too, but most of all, Judy, my super caregiver is OK with it.  Daughter Tracy and husband Keith are riding with me for their first time.  I’ve been gone so much this summer my training is woefully lacking, cancer or not, but I’ll give it my best shot.  Our Team Rubber Chicken says “death before sag” and I’ve never had to ride the van of shame but I’m not going to abide by that this ride.  You can see what I’m undertaking here: http://www.cycleoregon.com

I’ve been living with cancer for 6 months now.  So far my only sense anything is wrong are the chemo side effects.  At my chemo session on August 25th my platelet count was too low but my oncology doctor decided I could have treatment anyway.  We did have to eliminate the Oxaliplatin from my toxic cocktail as my neuropathy is no longer transient. We don’t yet know if it’s permanent but my finger tips and toes are numb all the time now.  Makes typing weird.  Doc said this was inevitable but that I lasted longer than many chemo patients.  They let me skip my chemo cycle this week so I’ll be at my best for the ride.  I’ve completed ten cycles now and have a CT scan scheduled for the end of Sept.

Overall, I’m feeling great.  Finally done with the morphine withdrawal / insomnia after a month of struggle but I feel no pain and take no drugs now.

As they say, no matter what, a day on the bike is a day on the bike!