larger view

I went in Monday for my first chemotherapy. That is is Thursday afternoon now and this is the first I'm been able to write about it shows that it knocked me down.

But I just got back from the doctor's office and learned I'm not checking out yet.

The plan was to get  chemo on Monday, play 9 holes of golf on Tuesday and see if on the third and fourth day if the chemo kicked in.

It kicked in before I got home on Monday. The predominant feeling all week has been tired, light headedness and side effects that began with (gee, I hate to use this word, but) diarrhea.

That quick was a very unusual reaction. But it didn't last. I probably have the other end of that spectrum now.

Here's the deal with chemo. Bowel movements are a window to your health.

Because chemo has strong effects, you are given anti nausea pills. I was lucky to get the best on the market.

But Tuesday, I started upchucking, and that continued into Thursday morning at rather long intervals.

I've been talking with Renee (she's the pretty nurse in the picture) every day, and once Wednesday night with Dr. Anthony Ciarolla, on my effects, so they decided to bring me in for an office visit Thursday afternoon.

It was like taking your car in to find it was mostly all right. My blood pressure,  heart beat and  lung capacity are all okay.

But I have lost 5 pounds. The biggest trick in all this is figuring out what to eat and drink, and then seeing if you can actually do it.

The first thing is when you are essentially in bed most of the time, you really don't feel like eating. Having the strength to eat and eating something that tastes good have been rare times since Monday.

I've been instructed to work on that and get up and around more.

My favorite foods aren't making any of these lists. But we tried spare ribs on Tuesday night, and while I didn't eat much, a few hours later I was face down at the porcelain bowl.

I had two fluid bags of chemo on Monday -- Taxotere and Cisplatin -- and I take four  5FU pills a day for a couple weeks. These are moderate strength. I'm glad they didn't start me with anything more heavy duty.

I met some nice folks. It was all men in the morning so we could leave the toilet seat up.

One man was in for his second treatment. He is a golfer so we had lots to chat about. His brother, once a heavy man but now very svelte, had been through chemo and radiation such as I will receive, and he was kind enough to show me his stomach tube.

(The tube is because you can't swallow with radiation and you need a passage way for nutrients. I'll get radiation in about 5 weeks.)

I couldn't have gotten through these four days without Mary. She has taken time off work, worried about me, massaged me, cooked for me and told me I was her rock. Well the rock isn't quite as sturdy right now.

But Dr. Ciarolla told me all these down times will pass. So I'm going to try to be less of an oddity or wimp. I want to be out in the swing of things.

I've been writing about this to demystify the process. I've talked with others who haven't had anywhere near as many problems. So if you develop cancer, maybe your road will be better.

We in the news business try not to make up facts for a pretty story.

I am glad I have so many people caring about me. Know that I equally care about you.