A few bumps in a smooth ride

Hello blog followers.  It has been two weeks or so since my last update, and that is due to a lack of new progress to write about and procrastination.  Radiation has continued to go smoothly, and I should be done getting treatment to my femur soon.  That should cut down on the usual hour that I spend every work day getting treatment.  One bit of news that I got last week is that radiation appears to be working since my chest tumor shrank a bit.  My radiation oncologist showed me the difference which was easy to see, but didn't appear to be more than a couple of centimeters.  He said radiation takes time to work, and we should see more progress in the next few weeks.  I will be getting radiation until about the end of the month so I am encouraged that my tumor will be much smaller by the time I am done.  

I have been feeling very well for the most part the last two weeks, and have been able to work regular hours in lab.  One small hiccup in that occurred Tuesday afternoon through Wednesday.  Tuesday was fine until my back started hurting to the point where I needed to lay down on my yoga mat.  Two hours of still being in pain lead me to go home with my labmate Shradha's assistance.  It was the most pain I've been in awhile which sufficiently freaked Shradha out.  I started feeling better about 10 minutes after I got home, and found out pacing around my apt like a caged tiger helped.  My back pain was back to normal Wednesday morning, but my stomach was very irritated.  I threw up every time I tried to eat and several times on the way in and back from radiation.  My nurse recommended I take the anti nausea meds I have from chemo, which worked very well.  That combined with a 5 hour nap seemed to cure me for the most part.  I was able to eat again by dinner, and was lucky enough to be able to spend some time at a friends Mexican 'BBQ'.  The food was great, and I wish I would have been able to eat more.

I'm hoping to have a smooth week to catch up on some lab work built up from a long, but enjoyable holiday weekend spent with my parents and oldest sister Amy.  Radiation continues this week, and I'm also hopeful that I'll feel good enough to take my freshly tuned up bicycle on a short (very short) ride to remind myself how it feels.   Wish me luck.