The Gift After the Poopstorm!
Looks like I got a big ol’ gift for surviving three days of hell.
Round five knocked me on my ass—easily the worst three days so far—but then, just like that, it passed. Well… mostly. My mouth and tongue are still acting a little weird, but I actually ate yesterday and got about 75% of the taste back. Not bad. My legs and feet are still doing their usual dance, but that’s old news—I’ve been dealing with that for a year or more.
What I am really curious about is how I’ll feel once session six is behind me and this whole chemo chapter gets the stamp: “Graduated.” All in all, I’d say my chemo experience has been mild compared to the stories I’ve heard. But I’ll also admit—I probably made it look easier than it was by refusing to let it run my life. I kept pushing, stuck to my schedule, kept moving. I didn’t give chemo the keys to the house. I saw it for what it was: a necessary evil, and I tried to stay one step ahead of it.
Maybe if I’d followed all the rules—drank more water, rested more—it might’ve gone even smoother. But I truly believe blasting everyone with my nonsense and staying connected was a huge part of why I got through it the way I did. I had a support team bigger than I ever expected, and we should all feel proud. Because yeah, this wasn’t just me—we did it.
Only one more session to go.
If it were up to me, I’d fuel up today and get this last one done. But no, we wait two more Mondays. The silver lining? Looks like I get two decent weekends in a row before that final plunge—at least for now.
This morning on the porch, it hit me—what the hell am I gonna ramble about when chemo ends?
It’s been weirdly easy to sit here and tell y’all how good or poopy I felt. To give the play-by-play on what Penthouse Dude and Basement Dweller were up to. And let’s give credit—we (not just me) kept that damn Basement Dweller in check. He popped his head up once or twice, but we shut that nonsense down quick. This building I live in—me—has held strong through it all.
But in just a few weeks, I lose my chemo excuse. Then it’s time to take full control again. And I’ve still got some serious “poop” to get in order before I’m ready to run at this life full tilt.
Here’s the crazy part: I think my clock might tick a hell of a lot longer than I thought it would. So now I gotta figure out what to do with that time.
Truth is, I may go quiet for a bit while I shift gears. I know, I know—I’ve been saying I’m gonna shift for a while now. But it’s tough. You brace for the end… then realize it might not be coming anytime soon. And suddenly you’ve gotta figure out how to live again.
A lot of my hesitation is fear. Fear to just put it all out there, to do something bold and maybe a little nuts. I still get caught up wondering what people will think. And after coming this far? That’s ridiculous. Because let’s be real—not one of you saw this version of me coming. Hell, I didn’t.
Some of you knew there was something in me, sure—but not this much. And now? I’m loving where I’m at. I want to build this vision. I want to leave this wild ride on my terms and walk into whatever comes next with purpose. I’ve got some wrongs to right. Maybe I fix them all, maybe I don’t. But I’m damn sure gonna try.
One of my favorite lines says, “Quicksand’s got no sense of humor.” And like clockwork, Penthouse Dude had that tune cued up this morning. I’ve spent enough years trapped in that quicksand. I’m done with it.
Bottom line—I need to get past this last sliver of insecurity. Stop sweating it. Just do the thing. That’s what you all told me from the start, right? Finish this my way.
Sometimes, you just gotta say “duck it” and go for it.
Super grateful for the good days this round gave me. Gotta use ’em wisely. Here’s to a quick recovery after session six, and one hell of a graduation.
Let’s go make some poop happen.
Enjoy every day folks!
– A Simple Man
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