Hello friends, relatives and countrymen. I’m sorry for my long absence from the blog-o-sphere but I’ve been on the colon cancer patient’s version of a whirlwind treatment tour. Let me give you a quick update as to where I am after the surgery.

It took much longer then anticipated for me to recover from the operation, but the wound is now healed and I have a kicking scar that’s sure to impress beachgoers. I’ve started an aggressive post-surgery chemotherapy treatment.

The treatments are in 21 day cycles (15 days of chemo, six-day recovery, and then start all over again — for six months). I’ve completed the first cycle and find I finally feel better after Day Three of the recovery period. As such, while I have some energy, I thought I’d update readers as to what’s happening with me — before I head to the oncologist‘s office to start the second 21-day cycle treatment.

The chemo cycle goes like this:

Day One starts with a 20-minute drip of steroids (maybe I can improve my 40 time and my bench press!) followed by a two-hour drip of a pronounceable-yet-hard-to-spell drip of Oxaliplatin. Reminds me of the old Three Stooges routine about not being able to pronounce Worstishe — I mean Worstishure … I can never pronounce Worcestershire. If you don’t know and love that routine you’re probably not a guy …

Tomorrow I begin Day Two of a 14-day round of a delightful chemo pill called Xeloda — of which I will consume 4000 milligrams a day. You’re never too young to make use of those daily pill dispensers to keep track of medications.

Those, when used in conjunction with a lazy-Susan, make for a very efficient process.

In a blog on Saturday, I will backtrack and recount my surgery experience.