Posted April 12, 2024
Round 4 is done! I'm finding each round to be more challenging to get through. I've heard that it's common for this to happen with each round and I also heard that the last two rounds are the most difficult. I believe it. I'm so glad that I've only got two more treatments to go, while at the same time I'm dreading them. I've been able to still work mostly normally which I'm super thankful for and I'm still able to be active at least parts of most days.
I've found some familiarity in the side effects of each round. Day 1 is infusion day and this day has been a pretty good day on rounds 1, 2, and 3. Round 4 was more difficult as I was much more sensitive to the smells and tastes of everything from water to some of the medicines they use. Days 2-6 are interesting because I take high doses of Prednisone on those days. This gives me energy, which I'm thankful for, but it also makes me very distractable and hungry and makes it hard for me to focus on things. Days 7-10 or so are some of the most tiring and then I have about a week and a half of feeling pretty good before it all starts again.
I'm finding one of the worst side effects as far as work goes (and that you'll probably notice in some of my videos) is that my voice gets very tired from about day 3 until about day 8 or so. This makes communicating very difficult some days which gets pretty frustrating. On those days I do get to enjoy things that I don't always take time for though like watching movies and playing games.
Overall, while this is not a fun process, it is still manageable. I only have 2 more treatments to go and hopefully at the end of them this will all be behind me. I so appreciate all the emails, and YouTube and Facebook comments/messages from you all. It's really great to have so much support while I go through this. It's not lost on me how lucky I am to have all of you to support me through this and how most people don't have such a large support network. Thank you!
Posted February 29, 2024
The first round of treatment is complete and today I'm at the cancer center for treatment number two. The first round of chemotherapy went pretty well overall. It definitely wasn't fun but it could have been much worse and it went better than I thought it would.
The two worst side effects for me so far have been fatigue and bone pain. Even with those side effects I have felt good enough to work a somewhat normal schedule which has been really nice. I've been taking time off when I need to but there's also something really comforting about being able to do most of my normal activities, including going to work to film videos. When I was first diagnosed I was worried I wouldn't be able to keep working so it feels really good to be able to both take time off when I need to but also work a sort of regular schedule as well.
Each treatment consists of an infusion of 4-6 hours and then various other medications in the days following the infusion. Infusion day is actually a nice break from my regular schedule and a time when I can sort of just chill and play Tears of The Kingdom...something I usually don't take much time to do. It's not my first choice of how to spend my time but there are some positive things about it too.
My hair is falling out and you'll start to see that in my videos. I haven't decided whether I'll wear a hat in my videos once it's all gone or not. I guess I'll decide that on filming day. I can say that my head is much colder with less hair!
I really appreciate all the support and positive comments I've seen. Health issues are hard to deal with but a good support system makes it so much easier and my viewers have been a great support. I can't thank you all enough.
Thanks for reading today and I hope you (and I) have a good one!
Posted January 29, 2024
I want to start off by saying how much I appreciate you, my audience. Without you watching TronicsFix content and supporting me/us through the years I wouldn't be able to do any of this. No, I'm not quitting YouTube BUT the truth is, I'm sick. In December of 2023, after some bouts with severe abdominal pain, they found a mass in my abdomen which was surgically removed and I was diagnosed with lymphoma.
As scary as this diagnosis was/is, the good news is that in many cases it can be cured with treatment. Everyone is different so that may or may not be my story but I am hopeful.
- Please note: I have a really good team of health professionals that are giving me the best care and advice that I can get. I'm not looking for any advice on treatments right now and if that changes I'll let you know.
So how does this affect our business and video production schedule? Honestly, we really don't know yet. My treatments will be starting soon but there's just no way to know how I'll handle treatment. Some people handle it fine and can work like normal, others just can't. I'm hoping that I'll be able to create my normal number of videos but the most important thing here is that I take the time I need to get better. Unfortunately, there's just no way to know. I can promise you though that I'll do everything I can to get better while still producing as much content as I can. That all being said, you'll probably notice a few changes:
- I might look and sound quite different. I'll have a port in place that may be noticeable and I'll likely start wearing hats and maybe even throw in a wig, lol. I will be losing my hair, both on the top of my head as well as on my face so that will be a big change. Most of you have never even seen me without facial hair!
- My videos may be shorter or may be videos that are easier to produce. Even if I do well with treatment, I'll have a lot of doctors appointments to go to and I'll definitely need some time to myself which means I'll likely just not have as much time to put into making videos. They may be shorter but we will do our best to keep the quality the same as usual.
- You'll probably see TronicsWife a bit more and she might even make her own video or two for the channel. She's enjoyed being in a few of my videos so if we can think of some good video ideas for her she may just make some herself.
Again, I really appreciate every one of you who supports our business. Thank you in advance for your support and I'll be sure to update you all periodically.
Steve