Happy Birthday to Beth...

Today is Beth's birthday and we celebrated in a low key fashion. I had to run to Dr. Sodhi's office to pickup some herbs then went out to Maple Valley to get some water and visit with my dad. I haven't been feeling to good today so I came back early in the afternoon to rest before going to dinner tonight. Beth and I went to the Teapot Vegetarian House restaurant, which is near the Wellness Center. We actually had plans to eat at another restaurant, but it was closed when we got there. We tried plan B and it was also closed as well! For those of you that know Beth, you could probably imagine how frustrated she was getting by now!

We did have dinner with her friends at the Cyclops Cafe in Belltown last night. It was a more festive evening with a larger group than the two of us. Our group consisted of Lisa, Rachel, Tristan, Jenn and Ian, besides Beth and I. We started off with some appetizers and cocktails, as you can tell by Beth's picture, while birthday gifts were being opened. Beth got a few pretty cool things. Tristan also brought me a gift, she knitted me a beanie to keep the chrome dome warm. Not only is she crafty, she is also sweet and cool. We then ate some really good meals, though, my Mahi Mahi was a little bland since I couldn't do the dairy and vinegar that made up the sauce that was to go over it. It was a nice cut of fish though. After dinner, Beth was surprised with a big, rich chocolate cake brought in by Jenn. Quite a tasty treat to end the festive evening...oh no, I couldn't partake, cancer cells love that chocolate cake!

As I said, I haven't been feeling well today. I am pretty sure the chemo is taking its toll on me. I have been telling people that I hope that the chemo is doing just as much damage to the cancer as it is to me. Based on the way I feel, I have to believe its doing serious damage. I have these little sharp aches and pains hitting me all around my torso and waist. It also feels like my lymph nodes are firing off every now and then, the ones in my neck will swell a little bit and then shrink down. There is one lymph node in my upper right groin that has been aching as well. I pointed it out to Dr. Chue last Friday and he felt around. He and Dr. Chen will keep monitoring it but didn't feel it was worth getting overly concerned with right now. Besides that, I have been dealing with a nose that wants to bleed every time I turn around. I have to keep tissue with me at all times. We have been dealing with freezing dry weather lately and I know that isn't helping the nose at all. My sinuses have been dried out and achy since the onset of this cold weather. The rain came back today so hopefully the humidity will come up and my sinuses will feel better. I am looking to bounce back the next couple of days in preparation of a good holiday weekend....oops...maybe I should have said Christmas weekend! I have chemo scheduled for Thursday this week so Beth and I can try to head to California on Friday. I am looking forward to getting down there but not wanting to do the travel bit. I think it will all go well, but 11 hours of driving can be a bit much. Flying was never an option, I can't risk being exposed to that bad air!