Ilan of Life: A story of a fruit shake in pictures

Another round is done. Got home Friday. It's half time - 3 rounds down, 3 more to go. This round was tougher. I'm sleeping a lot more which I don't really mind because it's a good way to pass the time in the hospital. What's annoying is that Stanford hospital changed their policy, and family members are no longer allowed to stay overnight in the rooms. It's not fun being at the hospital alone at night. I don't really need someone there, but it feels better when someone is there.

The results from the CT I had 3 weeks ago were good. The doctor was very happy. She said the tumor is stable, not growing, and even slightly smaller. She also showed me the scans. She showed me a part in the center of the tumor that is dark which, from what I understood, dead cells. So that's good news, the tumor is dying, and the chemo is working.

I'm more tired during the chemo, and don't feel like doing much. I have started reading some books. The harder part is the mental side, staying mentally strong. I keep thinking of how much more I have left till I can try getting back to 'normal' life. How much time till I can maybe go back to school, and get a job again. Right now there isn't much I can do. I cannot do any sports that I like because of the medical port. I'm stuck at home most of the day, and my days are pretty empty.

I have quite a lot of material, and notes I wrote on paper. Usually what happens when I have too many ideas is that I get overwhelmed, and don't know where to begin. I think I will be able to organize all those thoughts this week, and maybe next week I'll have loads of posts.

I've been drinking a lot of fruit shakes. It's not cheap, but I'm sure maybe body is pleased I'm drinking them than some sodas.