No miracle

On Tuesday, I had my second PET-CT scan. As before, I arrived at the hospital early and with an empty stomach.  I was given the sugar fluorodeoxyglucose (FDG) and asked to relax for an hour.  Ok, not quite right, I was ordered to lie motionless for an hour.  The last time I had a PET-CT, this was so relaxing I fell asleep towards the end.  This time, it was a bit less comfortable.Once inside the body, the sugar goes to places of high metabolic activity.  If the muscles are resting, these are the brain, the heart and not...

Back to normal

On Wednesday I would have had another chemotherapy session, had the treatment program not been over after round 12.  I was happy that things ended when they did.  My body was stricken, barely holding up, though I was too focused on the fight or too stubborn to recognize it.  I needed the rest. Now that I’m fully beyond the twelfth round, I should be feeling better than I have in nearly six months.  I didn’t have such a long recovery...

Off days

This post doesn’t contain much worth sharing.  It’s a plain and rather boring chronology of the past two days.  It’s also very long.  The post is purely for myself, as a reminder of how things are sometimes – when I don’t expect them to be like this anymore.I wrote about Thursday and Friday already.  Here’s a brief recap for completeness’s sake and to turn this into a complete story.  On Thursday night, I was too weak and exhausted to ride the trainer.  I didn’t go to bed particularly early – which I probably should...

Fighting on

With chemotherapy fading into the past, I realize that no one is helping me anymore in my battle against cancer.  I don’t take any medication.  The treatment options have been exhausted for now.  Medicine makes no effort to defeat the cancer.  I’m on my own.I’m still  fighting the cancer, except now the only tools I have are my immune system and my good spirits.  I’ll keep living and eating healthily and continue to exercise on alternate days.  I would much rather prefer to lounge on the sofa and read books or...

Healthy for now

This whole corona business is starting to get on my nerves.  The restrictions aren’t particularly onerous in Switzerland, but they’re there, and they weigh on people.  Without childcare, days at the office, business trips or anything to leave the house for except panic buying, the days blend into one.  They’re all the same.What little distraction I have comes from going to the office for quick stints once or twice a week.  The coffee makers are still producing excellence, and a few people are still around for chats.  What...

Rest day

My last chemotherapy session yesterday started so early in the morning that I had to tape a flashlight to the handlebar of my bicycle because it was still dark outside. A few weeks earlier, some idiot had stolen the bike light that was there before. Who does this? In Switzerland! Violating a bicycle inside our building’s parking garage. There are no punks living in the building, no teenagers. I have no idea whom to suspect.Anyway,...