Hello hello is everyone still out there?

I am still here, and cancer still sucks.

I did go back for more drugs on St. Patricks Day, and I am definitely suffering the after effects. Haze. Nausea. Haze. Nausea. Depression. Annoyance. Haze. Nausea.

But that WAS the last infusion of THOSE drugs.

That is the so-called good news. The bad news is that I still have four rounds of different drugs in my future (Taxol and Herceptin) but the way the story goes the side effects are not so traumatizing. Sorry to be the bearer of bad tidings to those of you who thought I was done with this whole mess.

When I went back for that last infusion, they decided that my white blood cell counts were a little low and told me that I was going to have to a shot of Neupogin (boosts your white cell count) every day of the next week and what's more, I was going to have to learn how to give it to myself.

So I threw a tantrum.

The result of that tantrum is that I found out that if you won't give yourself the daily shots, then you have to go to the injection clinic every day and have them do it.

The third option, which is not available with MY health plan is to go to the Oakland Coliseum bathroom and have Jose Canseco stick you right in the butt with a shot that not only increases your blood cell counts but helps you hit home runs. Giants fans laugh all you want, it is only a matter of time before your friend Barry is enhancing his retirement income by offering a similar service.

Since I will not be doping a la professional athletes, I have found a free service for people with cancer that includes use of a gym for the next four months. As it turns out, the gym is a YMCA that is tucked into those big buildings at Page Mill and El Camino. So, now I have a free gym (and help from personal trainers) three blocks away. My personal goal is to look better than Sharon Stone by the time I am done with this mess.

Well, that is all the news that is fit to print for now. Thanks for all your well wishes during this difficult period. The struggle continues so keep in touch!

Carolyn