Chemo vacation

Next week I begin round 12 of Temodar. The ultimate plan is for me to take chemo for 24 months if my body can handle it... and according to last week's blood tests, my body is handling it quite well. In fact, my platelet count is the highest it has been since I started. Freakin' sweet!

Knowing all of that it must be confusing to read what I am about to reveal...

I am going on a chemo vacation.

You read that right. I am stopping Temodar for a number of weeks... to... have a laparoscopic shoulder surgery.

If you are a new reader, let me explain. In 2009 I dislocated my shoulder 7 times! The first time was while playing Wii tennis, the second time was while throwing a ball for a dog, the third time was when I was opening the blinds to my kitchen window... you get the picture.

Now I am going to attempt to make a long story short by typing in bullets.

• I saw an orthopedic surgeon in May 2009 and he said that I needed surgery to tighten up the joint but that there was "no way in hell" he would operate on a chemo patient. (That was a direct quote.) (Not really.)
• At that point I had only finished three months of chemo and I didn't even know if it was working yet. I figured cancer was the biggest fish to fry, so I said, "Screw you, throwing/tennis arm."
• After I dislocated my shoulder again in October (while performing a barrel roll during my office Halloween costume contest) I thought, "Enough is enough!"
• I talked to my neuro-oncology crew and they said that I was doing well enough that I could take a well-choreographed break from chemo to have surgery.
• I talked to the orthopedic surgeons and they said that they would be down to operate if I stopped chemo six weeks before surgery.
• I worked it out with my oncology posse (and Super Awesome Nurse) for me to do my 12th month of Temodar in the beginning of February, then have an MRI on Feb. 24. If the MRI looks good...
• I will have shoulder surgery in March.

Even though I am going on a chemo vacation for a number of weeks I still have to complete another 12 months of Temodar when I get the green light from the orthopedic surgeon and my oncology team (about 4 weeks after surgery).

Am I scared about the surgery? Heck, no. Nothing seems like a big deal after you've had a knife in your brain.

I hear the worst part about shoulder surgery is the painful recovery. At least the brain doesn't have pain receptors.