epilogue

 In the words of The Stranger, played by Sam Elliot in the Coen Brothers film The Big Lebowski, that about does 'er..wraps 'er all up.  I'm flying to LA tomorrow and will meet my Foreigner buddies, band and crew alike, to start back up with them. I'm officially back full time with the band, and we have quite a healthy schedule throughout the remainder of the year. I plan on making this my last Rectifyin' post (God willing), as I am now cancer free and done with all my treatments.  I'm all healed up from my March surgery, feeling strong, and ready to rock! I have been hitting the gym regularly, eating very well, and taking lots of supplements-vitamin D, B complex, Omega 3s, antioxidants, etc. to build up immunity. Honestly I have never felt better.
 This blog has been a real source of healing for me, and I have so appreciated the comments, feedback, and support that I have received. Thanks to everyone for reading and caring! Though I am feeling quite healthy now, I realize I can never again take my health for granted. Cancer recurrences happen all the time, and I plan on doing all I can to avoid that happening to me.
 Goodbye all. Be kind to yourselves and others!

Michael

The Last Supper

 Just to clarify, tonight was the last supper for a couple days or so. Tomorrow I will be ingesting nothing but clear liquids..mostly water and green tea. This is because Friday it's time for my long awaited Ileostomy reversal. Woohoo! Yes, I'm actually psyched to have my surgeon re-route my small intestine from it's current position where it exits my stomach a few inches to the right of my belly button, back down to it's proper home where it meets my colon. Reunited and it feels so good...yes I have the Peaches and Herb 70s classic buzzing in my head too. I think my colon may be singing along too...though he hasn't seen much action in 6 months, so he's probably just humming very quietly.
 I'll be in the hospital for about 5 days following the surgery where I'll be healing from the incision, and working my way back up to solid foods in the fashion I employed following the first surgery: IV drip, then liquids, then liquid diet of soups, etc, then the final leap to solid foods.
 I will have the blessed fortune of being surrounded by my family this coming week, and I am so grateful for this. This marks the 4th and hopefully final chapter of my cancer treatment and recovery that began with (1) chemo/radiation, (2) tumor removal/ileostomy surgery, and (3) more chemo. I am entering into this feeling strong, healthy, calm, and extremely supported. Thanks so much to all my family, friends, and fans.  See you on the other side cancer free!

love,

Michael

Chemo is done!

 Just a quick installment to report I am all done with chemotherapy! I wrapped up my 8th and final cycle this week. I'm feeling great, and I started juicing again to detox the system of any remaining chemo agents still floating around. I still seem to be hovering around my lean mean weight of about 150-155 lbs, but I am eating well and have lots of energy.
 The last hurdle will happen next month on march 15 when I do my ileostomy reversal surgery. This is apparently less invasive and taxing than the original surgery I did to remove the tumor, but I will be spending a few days in the hospital following the surgery, and I'll be taking it super easy after that for a little while to recover.
 That's it for now. I'm about to catch a plane for New Orleans. Foreigner is doing a private event there smack dab in the middle of Mardi Gras weekend. Looking forward to enjoying a bit of the revelry, and of course sampling some beignets from Cafe Du Monde!

Risk Versus Reward

 I have made some changes to my chemotherapy regimen. Initially I was being infused with both Oxaliplatin and 5FU, but starting with cycle 5, I discontinued the use of the Oxaliplatin. The tingling pins and needles in my fingers and jaw (neuropathy) was getting worse, and since there are cases where that can become chronic, I decided I wasn't willing to take the risk of any long term nerve damage. This wasn't an easy decision to make, but after a lot of thought and consultation with different doctors, friends, and family, I decided to press forward with the chemo, but only with the 5FU and not the Oxaliplatin. I now have only cycles 7 and 8 to complete, so I'm scheduled to be done with all chemo on February 4. Thankfully, I'm feeling like the end of all of this is in sight. I will have my ileostomy reversal in mid March, and after recovering from that, I will be considered "cured", with regularly scheduled scans to follow. I have been feeling strong and positive, and I even managed to put on a whopping 3 pounds! 

 I have continued to do lots of local fun gigs, and I had my first show back with Foreigner on New Year's Eve in Vegas. I'm leaving tomorrow for a couple of weeks with the band. We're starting the run at the Hard Rock Cafe in Hollywood, Florida, continuing with a "Rock Legends" cruise out of Ft. Lauderdale for 5 days, and then finishing up with a couple of casino shows in Minnesota. 

 That's all for now. Thanks for all the continued healing vibes people! It must be working because I'm doing really well.