Midway through round 2.

               Take a seat, I've been up most of the night thinking of this description of the two rounds.

Round one was like a great artillery barrage. They set the Big Berthas and the 80 s up on the hillside and simply unloaded on the poor unsuspecting and townsfolk  below. Reducing every village to rubble and causing the people to scurry off to safety  or die from the rain of metal from the sky. The ground shook. Wells were toppled. Churches were reduced to ashes. Smoke and ash enveloped the place - only to be renewed tomorrow, and the next and the next and the next....

In this battle plan I was given one chemo drug a day - lasting about 4-6 hours - and then the rest of the time I tried to sleep it off, or I would just lie there devastated, in ruins myself. And await the next barrage I knew was coming. My blood numbers went to 0. My hair to the floor. My energy to nil and my attitude to hell in a hand basket.

Enter 8 days of R&R, recoup time at home. My sister came up and stayed with me - what a wonderful visit with my beautiful sister, and by the 4th day I was a member of the human race again - a weak member but I felt myself coming back. Food began to have taste again. I even ate a steak on the Saturday before returning. ... But all the time dreading the return to the battle field. One that I knew I was going to lose. My dread even caused a minor panic attack on my part on Sunday night, complete with crying and the confession of fear and sorrow. In other words a full blown pity pot party.

Monday morning didn't lessen my anxiety any. My first drug was the one drug in round 1 that caused me seizures. Luke called it the Exorcist Chemical! I demanded to be put out before the chemical was applied. They complied. I achieved Nirvana right when the Rat Poison was reaching it's target. Like ships passing in the night, neither knew of each other's presence! It did it's thing and I continued to pick daisies in the meadow near the babbling brook. And such was the beginning of round two. The battle plans have changed.

I an being hit with no fewer than 4 different chemo drugs a day now - round the clock - literally 24 hours a day. Between each chemo add a layer of "bladder protection" drug that takes about 1/2 hour. Eye drops inserted 6 times a day. At least one bag of blood a day. In short there is somebody hoovering over me, changing bags, inserting needles, taking readings, I think they even pulled out the Geiger Counter once! It's a flurry of activity. Before I had hours to get over the treatment, now I catnap an hour or two at a time. It's 5:45 am at 6 I await the first of the "bladder protection" treatments.

It's like the infantry has arrived. People and chemicals are scurrying around everywhere throughout my system! And what was once rubble is now being moved, and stacked. MASH units are being set up. We are taking control on the ground. My blood numbers have ALL risen!!! I love eating. My attitude is fantastic - despite the lack of sleep. I'm sitting here now with a cup of coffee, that I walked down and got, myself - my first coffee since I started this sojourn.

Now I don't know what tomorrow is going to bring. And I know that I have to go through Round 1 again, aptly named Round 3 the next time. But I am so far removed from the devastation of that first go round that I'm ready to take it on again. All the thoughts, prayers, concessions made to the gods on my behalf seem to be working. Thank you all.  Take care of yours - and mine in your safe keeping. Stay cool. Good Friend, Chemo Bob   (Your own personal Chemo-sabe!!!)