Treatments started today

[Ed Caffrey]

Well, sitting here in a chair at the treatment center. They say I'll be here for 4-6 hours, depending on if I have any reactioiins to the meds. Had the CT scan of my abdomen yesterday, but still waiting to hear from my Primary Doc on the results. I look around me and am shocked by the number of people sitting in the chairs all around me....at least 15 others getting treatments. I suppose I should count myself blessed in that many are going through Chemo, where as they caught this stuff in me BEFORE it became a full blown cancer. I've learned a bunch today, just talking to the nurse who's watching over me.....she told me what I have is a precoursor to cancer, and most it's not spotted in most people until it's stage 3 or 4 cancer....so again, I find myself blessed that this thing was discovered early, and that the chances of this treatment knocking it out are good.

Again, I want to say thank you to all my friends in the knife world for the prayers and well wishes.....my family and "knife" friends are what's kept me going through all this.

[miketheknife]

I hope you have very little issues with your treatments. Thoughts and prayers! GOD speed!

[Doug Lester]

God bless and keep you. Hang in there bro.

Doug

[Walt2]

God Bless, thoughts and prayers sent.

[TexasJack]

Been in that chair - not fun! Hang in there, Ed and know that we're pullin' for you!

During in-office chemo I'd put on the iPod and listen to music while I read books on my Kindle. It was good not to pay a lot of attention to what else was going on. Invariably the stuff made me have to pee at some point and I'd have to pull that tower of chemicals down the hall to the restroom. Then I had to spend the next 2 days with a portable pump pushing the less toxic stuff slowly into me. (It's like having scheduled flu.) I truly hated dragging that thing around.

Just take one day at a time.

[Rick McGee]

Hang in there Ed. We're with you all the way.

[cdent]

Got you in mind Ed, hang in there.

Craig

[James Scott]

We are praying for you Ed, remember God is with you.
James Scott

Ed,The most important thing is to 'fight hard'.The kind thoughts and prayers of your friends are so good and mean so much,but the bottom line is your spirit.My wife had breast Cancer and then I was found to have Rectal Cancer,Radiation,Chemo, cut some gut out etc.I will never be the man I was at 40 but now at 77 I'm back making knives.
As well I framed and had on the kitchen table in front of me
THEY CONQUER
WHO BELIEVE THEY CAN

Virgil [70-19 BC] Roman Poet.

[R. Yates]

ED,

You Know as well as I do it is all about the Fight and the Good Lord above and his Will Just remember As it is in Heaven so shall it be on Earth ! and NO there are No Health issues in Heaven or Cancer many folks do not read that last part Brother Ed . I Pray you will Fight and Live these words and Be Healed In Jesus Name Brother Aman . My Lil Girl Beat it and is Now a survivor of 7 years and she was not to be alive past 5 yrs old she is Now 16 and very Healthy thank the Lord .

Sam

[racjarrett88]

Prayers sent, good luck

Austin

[Kostoglotov]

Prayers sent

[Gary Mulkey]

Ed,

You've had a tough time of it for quite a while and all my thoughts & prayers go out to you. I know that it's easy for someone miles away to offer suggestions but I'll try to put it in words that I'm sure you can relate to. Look at this as a military objective where the objective is tough but attainable. Use the tenacity that you were taught while wearing a uniform and hang in there until the objective is met. We're all with you.

All my best.

Gary

[Ed Caffrey]

Well, back for round two. Saw the Doc at 8:30am, and am about 2/3 done witht he second treatment. So far so good, the steroid they shoot me up with before they plug in the IV bag is the worst....gives me that fuzzy, disoriented feeling. The drug itself (rituximab) dosen't seem to cause me any reactions. In fact, after the first treatment, I felt lots better about 2-3 days after the treatment....hope that part of it keeps up. Hopefully today will go a bit faster, and I can get back to the shop before the day is over.
Again, many thanks to everyone for your well wishes and prayers!

[cdent]

Great little update Ed.