Author: Bruce McLarty

All started normally today: wake up, get cleaned up, make breakfast, take meds. All good so far. Mom arrived at a decent time. I was ready to go. We leave and make our way to the treatment center. I get strapped in and we’re underway with the radiation zapping. Or so I thought. They had to recalibrate the machine midway through the blast. That only took 45 minutes. I’m laying there strapped in with the mask, and it seems like forever.

Finally, they say it’s good to go. Some kind of mess up between A24 and A29—whatever that means. All I know is it’s a metallic slide on the spinning thing that goes around my head. He showed me what it was. It was all robots and machinery to me.

Then I met with my Radiation Oncologist. That was a quick 1-2 minute visit. He just asked if we had questions about the treatment so far. Not much really, just said the fatigue was bothering me. He said that’s to be expected. So all in all, it was a good day at the treatment center. I was a bit wobbly laying on the table for some extra time, or the fatigue got me. I was stumbly in the bathroom after the zapping. Then on the way in the house, I was wobbly too. I had to catch myself on the storm door to stabilize. Take it easy, go slow. Don’t rush things. You aren’t the you you once knew.

I had a sandwich for lunch. It was tasty. I had some bean dip with lunch and a donut after. I am hydrating with my Nectar Hydration packs. That really helps. I’ll continue using it. My mom just left to beat the rain. It’s supposed to rain a lot this afternoon. I may nap this afternoon. I’m feeling really tired today. Listen to your body.

I’ve been enjoying Kevin Costner’s The West on the History Channel. It’s been a great docuseries. I can watch it and just fade into the story. I wonder if anyone will get dysentery on the Oregon Trail episode. 🙂

Thank you for stopping by!
~Bruce

They’re the classic “good cop, bad cop” routine—but both are kind of jerks. Still, they’re aimed at one thing: slowing down or shrinking the tumor, ideally knocking it back enough to give you more time and quality of life.

⸻ Radiation • What it is: High-energy beams (often X-rays) targeted right at the tumor site—usually over 6 weeks, 5 days a week. • What it does: Damages the DNA in tumor cells so they can’t keep multiplying. • What you might feel: Fatigue, headaches, possible hair loss (especially in the area being zapped), some skin changes. • What it doesn’t do: Turn you into Spider-Man. Disappointing, I know.

⸻ Chemotherapy • What it is: Usually oral Temozolomide (TMZ) taken daily during radiation, then in cycles afterward (e.g., 5 days on, 23 off). • What it does: Works systemically to stop fast-growing tumor cells from doing their thing. • Side effects: Nausea, fatigue, low blood counts—possibly hair thinning, but less than with other cancers. Everyone reacts differently.

⸻ The Real Stuff: How It Feels

• Emotionally: You’re showing up every day to get zapped and take meds that mess with your insides. It’s exhausting in more ways than one. People might say, “You’re so strong,” but inside, you might feel scared, pissed off, or just plain tired of fighting. That’s human. You’re allowed to hate this.

• Physically: The fatigue can sneak up on you. It’s not just being sleepy—it’s a deep, soul-dragging exhaustion. But some days are better than others. And naps are a perfectly valid lifestyle choice.

• Mentally: “Chemo brain” and radiation fatigue can mess with memory, focus, and word-finding. It’s frustrating—but also, it’s not you being lazy or forgetful. Your brain’s under siege. ⸻ Some Tips That Help (Sometimes) • Keep a routine, but make it gentle.

• Stay hydrated and eat what you can (small, frequent meals help with nausea). • Lean on support—family, friends, pets, or people who get it (whether in person or online). • Ask your care team about anti-nausea meds, fatigue management, and mental health support.

• Bring gallows humor if that’s your style. It doesn’t cure cancer, but it sure helps endure it.

Thank you for stopping by!
~Bruce

Good afternoon, I got up today and had breakfast. I watched the news and took my meds. I got ready for the day. I took my chemo meds and made my way to the treatment center. The valet was nice; she kept the Jeep close. We went inside, and they pulled me back for my radiation treatment. The tech had a haircut. I complimented him on it.

Radiation only lasted about 9-10 minutes. We were back on our way to the valet. We collected/requested the Jeep and were on our way home. I had my nectar hydration additive water bottle prior to the treatment. I’ve since had two today. It really does help keep side effects at bay.

I use AnyDesk to dial in to work remotely. This is usually reserved for personal use unless you buy a license. Well, they must be on to me dialing in to a business each day. Last week I was waiting 99 seconds to connect. This week it said 999 seconds. 16 mins! Are you kidding me? I switched to a TeamViewer trial. That’s ridiculous.

I got some remote work done and had lunch. That was just some rotisserie chicken breast and some buffalo sauce. Yummy and zero points on my WW app. Tonight I just tossed in a Kirkland Signature (Costco) lasagna. I hope it’s good. The directions said 375 for 50-55 mins. My convection oven runs differently. I set it for 350 for the same time. I’ll make a salad with it.

That’s about it for the day. Tomorrow, Mom is going to take me to my appointment and bloodwork. Another 8:30 a.m. radiation appointment. Bloodwork is scheduled at 12:45 p.m., but they said just come there directly after.

Thank you for stopping by!
~Bruce

Today our neighbor brought some homemade guacamole over. It as delicious. He brought some chips and guac. Then we chatted a bit and he prayed for me. What a nice young man.

We got to skip making the egg bites today. We made so many last week we have enough for this week. It feels like I’m not doing something by not having to make them this week. I feel like I am missing out.

I haven’t had the symptoms like yesterday. The fatigue isn’t prevalent like it was before. The vertigo is there. My double vision isn’t bad. Yesterday was a difficult day for sure.

I got up and watched the pre race today for the Spanish Grand Prix Catalunya. Then it’s lights out and away we go. It was a good race. McLaren obviously topped the sheets with a 1,2 win followed by Ferrari and LeClerc. Max came in 4th. Those papayas are so quick. Max got into some trouble with frustrations at the end.

This afternoon I took a nap while my wife was on the phone with her friend. It was nice and I needed to recharge. One thing I have learned through this process is to listen to my body. If I need a nap, take it. If I need to go slow, slow the f down big boy. Hydration is also key. Nectar hydration packets really do help with symptoms. I have had 3 so far today.

Tomorrow starts a new week. More radiation starting Monday, all week long. Bloodwork and radiation Tuesday. Radiation and Dr. appt Wednesday. More radiation Thursday and Friday. Chemo each day. Hopefully this week will be like last week. Easy peasy.

I am doing my best. It sucks. I’m staying positive. I will attack this head first. We got this.

Thank you for stopping by!
~Bruce

Today was early, Pancake wanted us up. He started banging on the door around 5am. We wanted to sleep til at least 7:30am. Not happening. Chippy woke up and started crying hearing his brother.

I took my morning meds and had some breakfast. I took my Chemo meds a bit later. I have had some fog today. Brain fog. Slight slowing of speech. Just really fatigued today. My double vision is back today. I may have only taken 1 steroid this morning instead of my normal 2. I can’t recall how many I took. I took one at lunch and will take another at dinner.

Chip stayed away most of the day. He came in to eat some breakfast around 4pm. Brat. Pancake ate his Chip’s food today like usual. I took a few naps today. Like I said, the fatigue is strong today. Took me a bit to get motivated to make some lunch and get ready after. I had my lunch early though. Just the motivation wasn’t there.

Again this fatigue is no joke. I am exhausted. I am tired. I am spent.

Thank you for stopping by!
~Bruce

Today marked my 4th radiation appointment. Quick visit. The valet lady left our car up front because she knew we would be just a few minutes. I timed the radiation blast, and it was only 8 minutes. I think the waiting room was longer. lol
I managed to get a pic of the setup with my face in the mask strapped to the table. It’s quite strange.

This morning, around an hour after my radiation therapy, I had a head sweat. This afternoon, another. But this time, my head hurts a bit. I’ve told my care team about the headache afterward. They said that it is normal. I took a nice nap for about an hour. I woke up, and my mom was ready to go. She took me to my appointment today. Mom is going to come up on Tuesdays and Wednesdays to help drive me to my appointments. Then my wife will take me on Mondays, Thursdays, and Fridays. Mom can take me on bloodwork and doctor appointment days. That way, my wife doesn’t miss too much time away from work.

No real side effects just yet. Constipation has been lifted. I went quite a bit yesterday and some today. I was told chemo meds and radiation were cumulative, so the side effects may not show up right away. While I can, I’m enjoying some tasty things before it all goes to shi+.

Yesterday, funny story, I thought one of the radiation techs had a box of donuts. It was a blanket. I was craving some donuts. I said, “Oh, donuts.” She said, “No, blanket.” Dang. Wishful thinking.

Last night I made some Chicken Philly’s. I actually stood at the stove and cooked. It didn’t take long, just a few minutes. I was tired afterward, but it felt good to smell, see, and sauté. We had a salad with it. Quite good.

Tonight we are having tacos. I wanted something different. Last week we had Qdoba and it stunk. This week, basic tacos.

Thank you for stopping by!
~Bruce

Another day, more radiation.
Got up early, around 5am. Had breakfast, meds, coffee. Watched the news. Got the day started. Zofran for nausea, then time for chemo meds. I took them. Time to get dressed and head to the treatment center. We leave at a nice early time. Pull up and valet. They’re starting to get used to us and know us. Daily trips there will now be the norm. I check in and wait maybe 5 minutes. They wheel me back and strap me in. I noticed there was no green laser light so I thought maybe just maybe it was a placebo kind of effect. Not so. I ask the tech after and he said they turn it off for some patients so it doesn’t blind them. I am a creature of habit so I tell them it was like Picard with the 4 lights.

Easy enough, these appointments are only 15 minutes for the radiation. I’m glad I have the oral chemo and not the port for infusion. That would keep me there for hours. In and out is a breeze. Upon entry to the radiation appointment, there were some free beanie hats. I nabbed a blue one as it’s my fav color. Didn’t try it on til much after on the way home. Way too small. I may bring it back tomorrow for someone else to have. I mean, this was really small. How did I not notice this would not fit my melon of a head. I mean small, comicly small.

The constipation wasn’t as prevalent today. I did have a couple bm’s. The head sweating from the radiation/chemo started after we left. I had a couple of sweaty bouts today. Fatigue is there. I have had a couple naps today. Maybe 45-an hour each one. No loss of appetite just yet. I have some protein shakes for when that happens. I have been hydrating with water and Nectar hydration multiplyer. It’s pretty tasty. I had a lemon flavored one this morning and a watermelon flavored one this afternoon. This seems to help with side effects. Stay hydrated everyone.

My wife took me to my appointments this week. My mom is going to take me tomorrow. We will work out a schedule for both of them to take me next week. I will discuss tomorrow with mom to see what days she can take me to alleviate some stress and time for my wife. It’s always nice to have some help with things. When help is offered, we will take it. Plus it will be nice to hang with mom outside of the house. I have a couple errands to run tomorrow and her being retired will allow me to go a couple places.

I’m waiting on some refills for my chemo meds. The doorbell rang but I couldn’t get there in time. They didn’t leave a note on the door. I hope I didn’t miss the delivery. I was asleep and didn’t get to it in time. Oh bother, very frustrating.

My mom is going to bring my nephews Nintendo Switch for me to use. I couldn’t see getting one on limited income, especially at $200. I will borrow his as he doesn’t even use it. I ordered a game cartridge for it that has 150 old school Atari games. Very nostalgic. It was only $14 on Amazon. Much better than spending $200. Thank God kids don’t stick with things lol. They’re charging it up for me today so I can use it asap. It should be fun. I haven’t played any Atari games since the 80’s. Hopefully it will be just as fun as I remember.

Thank you for stopping by
~Bruce

Good afternoon everyone,
I had my breakfast early like usual. Took my meds then waited to take my chemo meds. Those have to be taken an hour before the radiation. I also had to take some zofran for nausea. Today was my second day of Radiation therapy. My appointment was at 7:45am. I got there at 7:30am. Waited in the area for like 5 mins and they brought me back. Snapped me in and Radiation was underway. After the radiation we met with the Radiation Dr. That all went well. He was only there for like 2 minutes to see if we had any questions regarding the treatment thus far. We did not. Said he would see us next week then. Got finished and they discharged us for the day. Tomorrow will be round 3 at 7:45am, then on to the 8:30am appointments.

I have really only had a few side effects so far. Last night I had some head and neck sweating. Chemo side effect, so they tell me. Today on the way to the appointment I had a bit of nausea as I was drinking some water. Not bad at all. I have also had some constipation. No movement yet but the urge is there. I’m hopeful to poo soon. I don’t need any GI issues especially constipation. I haven’t had any loss of appetite just yet. I am hungry and snacky.

I have some Nectar hydration booster to help with nausea. I saw an ad on social media for it. Supposedly it helps chemo/rad patients battle nausea through hydration relief. I have had two packets today. Quite tasty, no sugar in it. I may have to get some more soon if I use 2/day.

During the radiation therapy, I felt a warm sensation on my brainstem. I felt like I was being cooked. Maybe it’s just my mind thinking of the radiation. Maybe it’s actually cooking my Tumor to shrink it down. I’ll ask tomorrow when I go. But I did feel the warmth. It was weird.

I like the early appointments for the Radiation so I can come home and rest from it. No anticipation and waiting around all day for the treatment. I am an early riser so this is ideal for me.

I spent the day by myself today. I prepared my lunch, ate it and rested. I ordered a new coffee cup today. I wanted a larger one so I could make more and it has a lid. I should be able to carry it without spilling or having to worry about a spill or slosh. I’m low on my stool softener so I looked online for the best deal. I have some coming from Costco, 400 capsules for only $6. Near $20 at Publix for only 100. Amazon was not cost effective either.

Thank you for stopping by. I’ll give more chemo/radiation updates tomorrow.
~Bruce

Today I got up and had breakfast. My phone started ringing at 7:30 a.m. It was the cancer center. Why are you calling me so early? They wanted me in early. I told them I couldn’t as I was ride-dependent. They called again at 7:45 a.m. Are you sure you can’t come early? Yes, I am sure, but I will come as soon as I can. My appointment was for 3:45 p.m. and blood work at 12:45 p.m. Y’all gotta just let me come when I can. I told them I’d try to be in around 2:15 p.m. I got there at 2:30 p.m. That’s earlier than my appointment. You should be happy.

The first radiation went without a hitch. Not too bad, wheel me back, strap me in with the mask. Make adjustments to the bed and we are underway. The radiation only took about 15 minutes. I just closed my eyes and went to a faraway place. I imagined I was soaring through the clouds like an eagle overlooking our great country. It was peaceful and serene. The table vibrated here and there when it was adjusting. It didn’t bother me. They gave me some kind of ring dog toy to hold on to. Kinda squishy, blue in color. I just held it and soared.

After this, I made my way to the second floor. Blood draw time. The tech there is so sweet. We talked about donuts. Oh, how I’d love a donut. She said she was not a fan of Dunkin. I don’t blame you, me either. I just like a plain original yeast donut or an old-fashioned sour cream donut. Sign me up for all of those. Don’t give me any flavors, etc. Just original.

I rode in my Jeep for the first time in what seems like months. It was nice to ride in Rooster. How I’ve missed that truck. My wife has been using my Jeep. I said, “Oh, you’ve put some miles on him.” lol She is confident driving it now. I can tell as she corners faster and has much more command of it without questioning herself.

I’m glad to be done with the first treatment. I know how it will go now. They took 3 appointments off my schedule, so instead of 33, I now only have 30—strike that, 29 more after today. I was told chemo and radiation are cumulative, so I may not feel side effects for a bit. I’m fine with that. Knowing what I’m in for makes it easier. I’m sure I will have some fatigue from it. Let’s hope the nausea and stomach issues stay at bay.

1 down, 29 to go. Let’s do this! I’m so glad the first one is under my belt and I am done with it. It’s a real relief. Tomorrow’s appointment is at 7:45 AM, then the neuro-oncologist at 9 AM.

So far, no side effects from chemo or radiation. Slight fatigue, but that could be just from the anticipation of the day. Idk. I’ll get through it. I’m going in headfirst, pun intended. One day at a time. We got this! So far, so good. Is that enough platitudes?

Thank you for stopping by to read about my day!
~Bruce

As you know, tomorrow, I start my chemo and radiation treatment. I’m nervous as stated before. I know I’ve prepared as much as I can for all possible outcomes. I’ve got some nausea meds, bags, hydration help, fruits, veggies, protein shakes, burn cream, and more. I don’t know how the treatment can go. I’ve read many different stories on how others handle the chemo and radiation. My appointment is at 3:45pm. They have asked me to come in at 3:15. I have bloodwork at 12:45 but they said at the last blood draw I can come closer to my other appointed time. That will make it much easier on me and my wife.

Today was an easy day. No appointments, no calls, light Memorial Day. I’ll take it. I cherish the easy days as I know I have some hard ones ahead. Here’s to the last of one of the easy ones. I pray that God will guide me through these hard days one day at a time. I know I can make it with his help. I have such a strong support system around me with family and friends. They have all made it so easy and have been so helpful throughout this diagnosis. I can’t thank them enough.

On this Memorial Day, let’s give thanks to those who gave their all for our Freedom.

Thank you for stopping by.
~Bruce