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February 26 Quiet on the set. Rolling. Speed. Action.Not much new to report. Last Thursday, my white cells were still too low to receive the chemo so I got a dose of Herceptin, a shot of Procrit and a shot of Neupogen. Neupogen helps boost white cell production. So, I've had a nice, unplanned respite from the chemo. Likely, things will get back on track this Thursday. I got a fair amount of recording in over the weekend. I'm working on an a capella version of "Lord of All Hopefulness." In non-musician terms that means voices only, no instruments. Tomorrow is my oldest child's 21st birthday. Amazing. He's a film student at Brooks Institute in Ventura and I visited him on the set of a film he was shooting last week. He's the director. It was very impressive. It totally looked like a Hollywood production: sets, actors in costume, crew members with walkie talkies, lights, camera, mic boom, sound engineers, monitors, cables running everywhere. In the midst of it all, in charge, is my son. I'm very proud of him. I can easily envision him making a living in the film business. What makes me proudest, though, is that he's a nice, decent human being and he still calls his mother for advice. February 15 Best Laid PlansI was scheduled for my fourth "long" infusion today but my white blood cell and red blood cell counts are too low. I feel fine, however. Dr. Lloyd was a little perplexed that I wasn't feeling fatigued. Apparently, I'm WAY anemic. He said that normally when he sees people with the counts I have, they're laid out flat. He says I'm tough. I did receive an infusion of Herceptin and another shot of Procrit. Anyway, I'll go back next week and we'll see how my counts are then. Presumably, I'll be ok to receive the chemo then. This will shift the remainder of my treatment off a week but looking at the calendar and upcoming gigs/events, it actually works out better. My tumor marker count from February 1st is 57, so the direction continues to be good. I have not experienced any nausea or hair loss with this set of treatments. I often don't even think about the fact that I'm in treatment. February 14 Major BootyHad auditions last Thursday night again for a bass player for the band and this time we found a winner. Paul Cooney will be joining the band. He's a very laid back guy, willing to jump in and try stuff, a quick learner and someone who, I think, will fit right in. Very cool. We've given him all the material and will give him three or four weeks to listen and learn and then we'll be into full bore rehearsal mode getting ready for some full band dates in the spring and summer. In the meantime, Albert and I continue to do "duo" gigs and had two last weekend and two this coming weekend. Info is on my website: www.cherylaranda.com. Click on the News/Schedule page. I want to say how grateful I am to Albert, my musical partner, for being not only a fantastic musician but a truly great friend. I look forward to the many tremendous musical collaborations that the future will bring. I also want to express my excitement at working with Steven and Jess, both relatively new to the band. Steven is a lead guitarist extraordinaire. When we rehearse and Steven is playing I'm constantly thinking, "Dang, that sounds sweet." Jess is rock steady with a great ear and I'm just really blessed to be making music with these guys. When we get some full band dates booked, watch out. We will be kicking some major booty.
Happy V Day February 01 3rd chemo and beyondI finished the radiation a week ago, Wednesday, and had my third big chemo infusion last Thursday. I made arrangements for my Sunday masses to be covered in case I didn't feel like getting out of bed Sunday morning (which I didn't - so I just watched movies all day in bed.) It appears that Dr. Lloyd will order a set of scans after the 4th infusion, so in about a month or so, we'll see what kind of improvement has taken place.
I've become a big fan of a movie called "The Secret". I bought the DVD and watch it frequently. It's got me totally jazzed me up about the ability of our minds and attitudes to influence our circumstances. I can't recommend it HIGHLY enough for anyone interested in this sort of thing. I use some of the suggested processes daily. If you're curious about "The Secret", the website is: www.thesecret.tv
My blood counts were at a sufficient level today to receive the Gemzar booster infusion. I'm a little anemic, apparently, although I feel fine, but I'll now be getting a weekly shot of Procrit. The last time I had the Gemzar booster I experienced no side effects. Next week all I have to do is go get a shot on Thursday. Next week I'll also find out what today's tumor marker count is. They should have done one last week but didn't so I had to request it on today's sample. Last night I went to a co-workers house to sit underneath his Beam Ray light. He's a big proponent of alternative means of therapy and owns a device which you can program to emit different light frequencies (depending on the condition you wish to treat.) Anecdotally, it's been effective for a number of conditions within his family (and even for his pets.) What the heck. It was painless. His wife provided a delicious dinner while I sat in front of the light. I'm willing to try most anything. In other news, we (my band NinthLife) lost our bass player. It's not that we left him standing on a corner somewhere but for reasons that the rest of us understand and support, Carlos has had to leave the band. Above and beyond appreciating his great attitude and bass chops, we have come to love him as a friend and know that he needs to devote his time in other areas. So, we're auditioning bass players now. Saw one last week, will see another one tonight and we have four more waiting to audition. Aside from ability, chemistry and group dynamics are important factors. |
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