Chemo Is No Joke!

So just a quick post. After 2 good days almost symptom free and the removal of the pump filling me with drugs, I've had 48 hours of misery. The first 36 vomiting every hour or two and the last twelve with extreme nausea and fatigue. I can only hope for some relief tomorrow. All I have to say is that chemo is no joke!

Surviving Chemo Day One, Day Won.

Receiving chemo drugs at the Mayo Clinic this morning

No complications. Only hope they all go this well. Left with a big appetite which is good and oh . . . this contraption which is a pump to continue the chemo for another 48 hours.

Not a man purse. Not a "fanny pack". This could save my life.

Oh and best of all it allows me to begin light workouts. 20 pull ups for starters. Going for a walk and then I'll try some bicep curls later. Tired of these stick arms. Lol. 

#capoeirastrong 

Road Trip

Just arrived in MN after a two day, 1800 mile road trip with my son. Chemo begins tomorrow.

Testing out my chemo port . . .

… so it's 4 days after the port was installed and the pain has subsided. I thought I would try some basic capoeira moves and take it for a spin.

Tomorrow I head back to Minnesota where I'll get my first chemotherapy treatment on Thursday. Yippie!

This is the port for the chemo drugs #healing

Capoeira, Cancer and Chemotherapy

trying to escape hospital after surgery

So a lot has happened since I last posted here. In March of this year I was diagnosed with colorectal cancer. Three weeks after my diagnosis I underwent surgery to remove the cancer. Luckily, the testing indicated that the cancer had not spread. However as the cancer is a very malignant type the recommendation was chemotherapy and radiation.

playing capoeira 8 weeks after surgery in Orlando, FL

Concerned with my quality of life and my ability to continue teaching and playing capoeira, I researched carefully the benefits and dangers of chemotherapy. I have been convinced by doctors and more importantly family that my best chance for preventing the cancer's return is to begin aggressive chemotherapy. Thanks to my sister Catharine, I have been able to come to Rochester, MN for the summer to receive my treatment at the Mayo Clinic. Just yesterday I began the process by having a port surgically inserted under my skin. This will be used to administer the chemotherapy more effectively.

port used to administer chemo

In researching how chemotherapy will affect my ability to train capoeira, I was unable to find anything posted online. For this reason I have decided to post here about my experiences in the hope that in the future someone will find this helpful. I am a very private person, but having a very public persona as a professor of capoeira means that others may wish to follow my story. All I can report so far is that the surgery to implant the port was fairly simple. There is pain and discomfort afterwards, but no need for pain medication.

I begin chemotherapy treatments next week after a cross country road trip with my son. I'm hoping to continue teaching and training capoeira as much as possible. #capoeirastrong #superação