Chemo 2 - over the hump

Haven't posted in a couple of days so a few random thoughts to pass along:

• Similar to the last session, days 3 and 4 (Wed. and Thursday) seemed to be the hardest days this week. Wed night I was definitely feeling in the 70s - GI tract not happy, really feeling bloated through my mid section. Laid down after dinner, watched some soccer and an episode of V, then was in bed before 10. Just kind of blech. On the upside, had a good sleep - no heartburn, no crazy dreams and woke up feeling pretty rested. Thursday I felt better than I had felt two Thursdays ago - got out for a walk in the morning, took another walk at lunch and then did a mountain bike ride after work. Then had a GREAT sleep last night and woke up this morning loving life. So it seems like Wed/Thursday following chemo will be the low point in the cycle. 
• More on the mountain bike ride last night. It was a beautiful afternoon for a ride and we did Rabbit Mountain outside of Lyons. Managed to stay upright on my bike and really did some hard work on the bike which I think helped me sleep well last night and feel good this morning. But the crazy part of working out hard right now for me is that everything feels good when I'm working out but I just don't have the power output I had prior to this illness and chemo. My lungs feel clear, my energy level feels good, muscles all set, I put the hammer down, and -  nuthin'. I feel like my powerful V-8 has been replaced by an undersized inline four. Sort of like when you get in the rental car, it looks fine in the parking lot, you get onto the highway, floor it to merge into traffic, the engine makes a bunch of noise but you realize that you're only going 47 mph and are about to get rear-ended by some giant tractor trailer. That's how I felt on the ride last night. I was absolutely red-lined trying to keep up with folks on the uphill sections of the loop we rode. It's just the craziest feeling. At rest I feel like my normal self but when I really try to push myself physically it seems like I've suddenly been transplanted into another body I don't really understand. But of course, as a backdrop to this whiny session is the BTBD mantra. I'm still super happy I can ride my bike at all and if I have to live with a puny 4 cylinder engine that keeps going for another 30 years I'm ok with that. And of course Lance is a great, great role model to show that you can get strong again after going through an illness like this.
• Finally, tried to drink some dark beer last night at dinner to help the GI system get back to normal. Only got through a 1/2 a glass. What a weenie! Just didn't taste appealing. Of course, I actually did order a beer, unlike someone else at the table that ordered wine. Wine? After a mtn. bike ride with the boys? That's just wrong. I may not be able to finish a beer but I can damn well order one!