Surviving With Leukemia? Thriving With Leukemia!
I didn't choose to get Leukemia. But I do choose how I tackle it, everyday.
Note on posting: Yep, this is called “The Daily Wrestle.” And we’ll get there, as I get the daily rotation down. I am taking the rest of 2021 (not very long lol) to figure that out. Feel free to comment or reply to this email with ideas as well.
The Leukemia Topic
Leukemia is obviously going to be a big part of this moving forward, because it’s a big part of me! I can’t escape it—not since December 28, 2020, anyway. While many were running from COVID, I was finishing up 6 months of blood work and doctor visits (most of that timeframe being my fault—I’m a guy and we hate going to the doctor) with a diagnosis of Chronic Myeloid Leukemia.
When they send you to a “Hematologist/Oncologist,” you just assume you’re going for the Hematologist part. That there’s something up with my white blood cells, they’ll run some tests, prescribe some medication that I will take to make it right, and someday it’s a distant memory.
NOPE.
Instead I found out I was now a cancer patient.
What that meant to me, my family, my friends, and more is a topic for a future date. I am staying in the now for this one.
I am on a treatment medication called Tasigna. It’s a TK Inhibitor. According to CancerResearchUK.org:
Tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs) block chemical messengers (enzymes) called tyrosine kinases. Tyrosine kinases help to send growth signals in cells, so blocking them stops the cell growing and dividing.
Here’s the shitty part: Tasigna has some side effects that can really kick your ass. And they’re quite disadvantageous to someone who is fitness and goal oriented, like myself.
Major side-effects of Tasigna:
Nausea, vomiting, and diarrhea
Muscle cramps and bone pain
Fatigue
Rashes
Now I don’t get that first one in that form. But it DOES impact my stomach on a fairly consistent basis. The muscle cramps and pain comes and goes, along with the fatigue. Some days I am fine and crush a CrossFit workout, and other days I feel like I can’t lift nearly as much as I did the week (or even day!) prior. I don’t really get rashes, just kinda itchy at times.
You know that weight-loss and fitness are two of my big things. Studies have shown that Tasigna actually leads to weight gain in patients. Men on average gain 14% of their weight by the end of year 2 of treatment. I am happy to report that I haven’t gained anything (outside of the normal daily fluctuations) since starting treatment. But I also haven’t lost anything. It essentially halted my progress—the thing I hate Leukemia the most for.
The Struggle
Life is all about choices. One thing you will learn is that I am pro choice in all aspects of life. It’s not a political stance. I am pro choice and pro consequence. You do you, but you live with the consequences of that.
But here’s the thing: I didn’t choose this. I didn’t wake up one day and say I wanted to have Leukemia. It wasn’t like buying a car with research and a test drive. This was put on me, for reasons I will never know.
“It Can’t Win; It Won’t Win”
Like I said, life is all about choices. While I didn’t choose this, I am choosing how to tackle it. I doubled down on the fitness, even though the results have stopped. My oncologist says that the focus on resistance and cardio training help with the treatment, and since our goal is remission (CML does not have a cure at this time), I am doing whatever I need to do to get there.
Do I have my moments? Absolutely. They usually happen at the end of a workout where I didn’t perform near the peak of my abilities. You might notice me off to the side quietly cursing someone out. Who am I talking to? I am not sure. Whoever or whatever decided I should have Leukemia, that’s who.
Setting The Example
Listen, I want the best things possible to come from this. I want to set the example for people, prepare them for anything that may come their way. I know it’s working. I get tons of feedback on my posts, my attitude, my general demeanor despite being a cancer patient. I’ve been called a warrior and an inspiration; not just over the past year—I heard those two THIS PAST WEEK.
I am less than a week away from the anniversary of my diagnosis. I am not sure what to do. Do I post anything? Do I ignore it and keep trucking along? Do I throw it a birthday party? I really don’t know.
But I can tell you what I am not doing. I won’t be depressed about it. I won’t be mad at it (I might be). I won’t be asking for sympathy.
I will be a warrior. And I will be an inspiration.
If you want to donate to the Leukemia Lymphoma Society, you can click on the image above or click this link to visit their website.
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