I’m not coughing.

That feels important. After all, a persistent cough is how this whole process began. Additionally, my voice sounds full again and I don’t find myself clearing my throat all the time.

Targeted therapy and chemotherapy started a little more than four weeks ago. That’s quite an improvement in one month. So, let’s say Round 1 went decisively to the Lynches.

Round 2 started the Friday before last, on July 3rd with a chemo infusion in the late morning. Kathleen didn’t try to zip my fly in front of everyone this time, so I’m afraid there are no great stories to share from the trip to Froedtert.

Apparently, patterns develop and repeat themselves during treatment. If that’s true, we might have a good idea of what to expect in the rounds ahead. On the day of the infusion, I’ll feel fine. For the next four days, I will feel tired and uncomfortable, experience appetite loss, and be on the edge of nausea the whole time. This is the period of feeling like something at Land’s End’s Not Quite Perfect Store. I will slowly get the body’s systems back online during days 5 and 6. Then on day 7, I will feel like myself again. For this round that was Friday, July 10th and I’ve felt pretty darn good since. Kathleen could tell I was back to normal because I had enough energy to complain about household internal operations and question anything that didn’t instantly make sense. I’m back.

I get asked about side effects a lot. For me, it’s feeling like I’m on the edge of nausea. And being on the edge of a nosebleed from the low platelet count as the chemo wipes out the red cells, white cells, and platelets. As my mother would say, “Charming.” The targeted therapy pill has a listed side effect of skin rashes. I’m surely manifesting that as the skin on my neck and torso is dry, red, and super itchy.

There’s nothing more boring than a status report and this has kind of been one of those. But you’re long overdue for an update. Why so long? Well, I felt so good over the weekend that I didn’t feel like writing. And then Kathleen and I spent two nights looking for and debating replacement photo options for the top of the blog page. Anything worth considering is surely worth over considering. Right? Like I said. I’m back.