yah baby!! I survived!! woo hoo! Not only was it a very non-painful afternoon (just a couple of painful moments), I only lost 4 teeth, and got 3 temporary fillings! Wow, the dentist and people at TBCC dental clinic rock! The freezing was out about 2 hours after is was done, but it's not too bad for pain. Thank goodness for pain killers! Now if I could just get the last 2 extractions to stop bleeding, I'd be one happy guy. Ah well, my last cycle of chemo starts in the morning, so only 4 more treatments at the PLC and I'm done. I'm looking forward to the next few days as I heal from the dental work.
Next Johnism: Live for the moment, but be prepared for the future! (And have lots of fun doing both!!!)

Well folks, the next big step is here. I get 7, yup 7 teeth yanked today in 2 hours. I am looking forward to getting it done and start the healing! As usual, I'll be a bit morbid about it and take a before and after picture! 8-)  Something to scare the kids with next Halloween!! HA!

I'm feeling great, in good spirits, and expecting things to go swimmingly well.
Wish me luck!

talk to you soon,
John

1st day of medical testing for my stem cell transplant now complete! Well, the testing didn’t go quite as well as I had hoped. I wound up getting my head and chest x-rayed, saw a psychologist, research nurse, dentist, blood work and had an echo cardiogram done on my heart. All in one day. The first of 3 days of testing!! The worst part was the dentist. I had expected at some point to have a couple of teeth extracted, but there is a very, very good possibility of having 7 extracted in the next few days…..

Crap. That made me a bit down the last couple of days, but I now realize that it’s my own damn fault so it's time to suck it up and deal with it! Just another part of the adventure! Yay…..

Only a few more chemo treatments till stem cell day. I still feel great, eating way too much crap, and putting weight on. And boy, does time seem to be flying by. I still have lots to do and arrange for before stem cell day, I'll get it done, but now I feel a need to hurry up and complete it all as as soon as possible. The people at the cancer centre are amazing and incredibly helpful. It has been a very reaffirming experience for me to see that there are so many giving people in the world. And that’s on top of all the fantastic people that I consider my support group! Which is pretty much everybody I know!!

A bit of a sad day today. I found out that today was the last time I get to see my original oncologist, one of the guys who saved my life last May 15th long weekend. I still have one more cycle of chemo and the next 2 weeks before my stem cell transplant, but it feels like time is moving way to fast! My official last day at the treatment centre will be November 13! Whoo boy, Friday the 13th, lucky day!! My wife and I were able to say goodbye to the doc and shake hands, but man, to me, that was very lacking. He is on holidays after this week so we well be sending a nice card and BIG baskets to the 2 doctors, and nurses, and admins that have helped me to continue my life and also provide much joy and inspiration to my wife and myself. It was even sadder to let the nurses know that November 13 will be my last chemo treatment with them. ..

Wow, things can certainly change quickly. I saw both my hematologist and BMT (Bone Marrow Transplant) doctors this last week and received some interesting news. Apparently, both doctors are expecting my chemo treatments to stop being effective over the next little while even though there is no indication of that yet. Stupid cancer. Yow! I'll worry about it if it happens, not a second before!

Even more interesting, they have found a donor for my Bone Marrow Transplant! Whoo hoo!! My younger brother is a full match and is going through the medical screening now. The date for the transplant has been set for December 2, 2009, but I will be admitted to the hospital for a week of conditioning (chemo every day for 5 days) on November 24, 2009. No idea how long I will be in the hospital, it depends on how my body reacts to the new stem cells. I'm hoping I'll only be in the hospital for about 3-4 weeks and that's what I'm working toward. I thought I had 3 months to get in shape, that's now down to about 6 weeks!! Double yow!!

I am feeling great, very few side effects, and eating better than I've been able to in a long while! And REALLY enjoying seeing everyone at work again!

I am looking forward to this next stage of my little adventure and the new experiences it will bring. While I am in the hospital, I will be working remotely, and updating my blog pages.