um, its a girl

Yeah, I can’t believe i didn’t tell you sooner.  You probably saw on Facebook anyway.  Yeah, it’s a freaking girl.  An Otepka girl is in the works, can u believe it?  Well, they’re only 80% sure, but we’re going with it.  And I’ve read that lymphoma survivors tend to have more girls, not kidding.  Soooo, what are we gonna do with a girl?

Mama is still feeling good overall.  Never had any nausea, so she lucked out.  She’s 6 months already, only 3 months to go.  WOW, this is going to go by fast.  The grandmothers are already spoiling us with clothes because they can’t help themselves.

The Dextro Tri last month went great.  I finished in 2 hours and 51 minutes.  1.5k swim, 40k bike, 10k run.  I was happy with everything, and I finally officially completed a tri- the swim wasn’t canceled.  Had a few probs along the way, but managed.  As soon as I got in the water, I noticed that the suction thing on one of my goggle eyepieces fell off. So I swam with half vision.  In the POTOMAC.  But really, the Potomac wasn’t as bad as I thought.  I was in a bit of shock for the first 10 minutes, but finished okay.  Then on the bike my spedometer stopped working, but it really wasn’t that important.  Fortunately the sun wasn’t too hot, so the run went really well.  It even showered on us a little.  Unfortunatley Noelle was out of town so she couldn’t cheer me on, but I had some of my peeps there in her place.

This was taken on July 2nd at my cousin Katherine’s wedding at the Philadelphia Arboretum:

another tri? why not?

So a week after St. Anthony’s, I signed up for another race.  Don’t know what came over me, but just decided to sign up and think about it later.  And it’s here in DC.  It’s part of an international series sponsored by Dextro Energy and the only one in North America.  Kind of a big deal.  And its in THREE weeks. It will be my first time swimming in the Potomac.  Should be interesting.  We start early, so hopefully we’ll beat some of the heat.  Noey will be out of town, so if you’re here, come on down and cheer me on!

Had my 4-month checkup on Thursday.  Had a clean PET scan- hell yeah.  Funny thing was that Dr. J came up after he looked at the scan and he asked how my hip was.  He knew that I had done the TNT tri and said the hip ‘lit’ up on the PET- and the bike crash was 2 months ago, wtf?  May want to get an x-ray to see what’s up, but it’s not bothering me.  But the sinuses looked clean, no signs of tumor, although he said there was still some activity in the ear/mastoiditis from the infection/eardrum issue I had in January. Not much follow-up on that radiation necrosis issue, but I probabaly do have a case of it, yet there’s not much I can really do about it except watch and wait and hope it heals on its own. I’d rather my face fall off than get cancer again anyway, right?

I have a new survivor friend – our friend Francie (friend Marissa’s mom/Tim’s mom-in-law) is so far getting great news after a breast cancer scare. She has an amazing blog and is a kickass writer.

Other exciting news – TWO WEEKS until we find out the sex of this kid we’re having!! Our appt is June 15.  Check back for the scoop. Mama is feeling great, sporting a beautiful bump, yet won’t let me post a pic of it just yet. 

Had our mid-year trip to Omaha for Kathleen & Mitch’s wedding.  It was an incredible night and they looked fantastic. They live here in DC, but it’s always fun to meet up with them in the ‘Ha as well.

We also got to celebrate sis-in-law Hannah’s graduation from Creighton Medical School.  Hannah and Mike are now off to St. Louis for her residency at Barnes-Jewish Hospital.  You go sis!

TNT Rocks.

Well folks, the race is officially behind me.  What an incredible weekend at St. Anthony’s Triathlon in St. Petersburg, FL.  Noelle and her dad and his better half, Jeanette, all joined to cheer me and my teammates on.  Unfortunately, the swim portion was CANCELED due to rough seas.  It’s probably a good thing; a couple years ago someone drowned when the water was this choppy.  Although my teammates and I were bummed to say the least, we quickly got over it and adapted to just the bike/run “duathlon”.

I gotta admit, it was tough to finish.  The bike was actually really enjoyable with the flatness and the breeze. I finished that in 1 hour and 21 minutes, and tried to stay between 18-20 mph.  I also managed to dismount and transition to the run safely, sans accident.  I mentally prepared myself during the last couple miles…”slow down, unlock shoes early enough, look left/right…” Sad.  My transition times were good 2-3 mins.  The 10k run was tougher than I thought with the heat, but I paced myself well and finished Just under my 54 minute goal (53-something).  Someday I’ll get below 50 minutes.

As expected the entire experience was pretty moving, especially after everything I went through.  The night before, we went to a TNT Inspiration Dinner.  A new TNT teammate/fellow ‘honored teammate’, Kait, delivered a rousing, motivational talk in front of nearly 1,000 people that got us prepared for the race the next day.  Kait and I are both lymphoma survivors who went through treatment in our mid 20’s. NOT a time you’d expect to go through such a rough health patch.  But both of us came out with flying colors.  It was fun having both of us train and do the race together.  Not every team has honored teammates who actually compete/train with the team.

Following the race, we had a TNT victory party.  I went all out with my teammates and celebrated being done with 5 months of training and completing the race.  Some great comraderie.   At 4am, we finally called it a night and headed back to DC Monday morning.

I’m still reveling in the afterglow – and have even signed up for another race.  I’ll be doing a non-TNT race in June with some of my TNT buddies. More later on that.  And I DO plan on doing St. A’s next season with TNT. So be ready to support me once again!  You can still donate on my current page until the end of May:

http://pages.teamintraining.org/nca/anttry09/cotepka

And our pics from the weekend – just see the Flickr link in the margin, or click here.

Thank you all for your support – messages, donations, thoughts, etc.  And it’s what this blog was originally all about!

National Capital Area Chapter

Rudy’s getting a cousin

4) (see previous post) – I’M GONNA BE A DAD!!!

Noelle is 3 months pregnant- she’s due November 1st, and naturally, we couldn’t be more excited.  My beautiful nephew Rudy is soon going to have a cousin just 14 months younger.

I know I’ve turned into a monthly blogger, but I’ve really had some big news items, huh?  First the Big C that I beat the hell out of, then the wedding excitement, followed by the triathlon for the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society, and now – A mini-me!

Baby Mama is feeling great, she says. No nausea/’morning sickness’. She had recurring headaches the first several weeks, and now her biggest complaint is fatigue.  She only has a bump and is not showing to most people.  I can’t wait to see that belly blow up.  Our next big appointment is in mid-June when we find out the sex.

The first image (2 shots really) is from 10 weeks (2 wks ago).

This one is from 7.5 weeks (‘jelly bean’):

Woo hoo!!!  Will update you all again sometime after the tri (it’s this Sun Apr 26 in St Petersburg, FL) about both the race AND the mini-me.

news

Wow, have I got a lot of news.

1) had a bad bike crash after my last post.

2) the race is in like 4 days.

3) I’ve raised almost $8,000 for the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society

4) I’M GONNA BE A FREAKIN’ DAD!!

Yeah, that’s what happens when you dont post more than once a month huh?  Well I’ll summarize the triathlon-related stuff so I can get to the baby-daddy news.

1) So I totally crashed while going at least 20 miles an hour in Rock Creek Park at a group ride several weeks ago.  I can only blame stupidity. I wasn’t paying attention and got too close to the curb and went flying. Locked into the shoes/pedals too.  I was nervous for a couple weeks that my chances at completing the tri were shot.  Fortunately, I found a top sports massage therapist in the area who DONATED several vigorous sessions to my cause.  His name is Terrel Hale and I can’t thank him enough.  The injury really slowed down my training, but I’m going to be fine and will be able to compete this Sunday without a problem.  I am still a little nervous about the run, but am hoping the adrenaline and some advil will help me out.

2) I can’t believe it’s finally here. I tend to doubt myself, but honestly- I am ready.  I have seen the biggest improvement in swimming.  The scariest part will be in the beginning, when everyone is thrashing about in the water to get their spot.  I have no doubt I can finish that mile, I just hope I dont get my teeth knocked out- or do the same to someone else.  The bike should be okay.  The course is flat as a pancake.  I admit I have had nightmares about getting a flat tire.  At least I know how to change it.

3) Fundraising. WOW, you people are AMAZING!  Thank you for all your support along the way.  I could NOT have done this without you.  It’s going to make finishing even more emotional – I dont know what it’s going to feel like to cross that finish line.  But thinking about my journey, your support, and what the LLS stands for – I hope I can handle it all.  I just wish you could all be there with me.  Know that you’ll be with me in spirit though.  I’ll especially be thinking of my own personal honored teammates – Scott Jochim and Tom Diesing.  Fellow Omahans and leukemia and lymphoma survivor buddies of mine I’ll be racing in honor of as well.

4) OKAY, this deserves a separate posting.

PS

So sorry I failed to update you on those abnormal scans.  They’re still inconclusive, but sounds like it is bone erosion – aka necrosis – a decaying of the bone.  Sounds scary, but it’s a slow process and it may never be a problem.  If it is, it will probably be years down the road.  Worst case would be some type of reconstructive oral surgery.  (Yet keep in mind I downplay everything!)  It’s taken a while for all the NIH teams to come to a consensus on what the best way forward is, but it looks like the best move is no move for now.  “Watch and wait” as they say.  If there is any official change in this news, I’ll for sure let you know.  Meantime, check back in a few weeks!

necrotic maxilla - bone erosion on the right (left really) side of the jaw

March Madness

Hey all – still in the throes of TNT triathlon training.  It has not been easy to fit everything in.  Working out 6 days a week plus work??  Fundraising has been fantastic though.  Not sure how I’ve done it.  Guess I’ve been blessed with some amazing people around me.  That or pulling the cancer card has saved me!

http://pages.teamintraining.org/nca/anttry09/cotepka

So far I’ve gotten into a routine that goes something like this (you’ll see there are two team events per week):

Mon – PM strength training

Tues – AM team swim

Wed – AM cycle class

Thurs – AM run, PM swim

Fri – off

Sat – team bikeride

Sun – run

There are actually more 2-a-days, but I don’t always get those in.

Here’s a note I sent to a couple teammates we haven’t heard from – I wanted to send a little motivational note and see if they were still planning on doing the triathlon.
“Hey – it’s Cris – one of your honored teammates . I rang last night but just wanted to check in and see how things were going.  Anyway, things are okay on my side I’d say. I’ve had some unexpected health issues during the training, but at least the cancer is still gone.  Training is going okay, but I’m not exactly doing everything that’s on the schedule.  It’s my first tri- and I find the workouts hard to fit in along with the work schedule, so I’m doing what I can. Overall it’s been going well, though.  I just pulled a calf muscle last week on the treadmill and that kinda pisses me off.  Not really sure how to treat that one.  I just hope everything works out for the race.  I am both nervous and excited- can’t imagine what the finish line is going to feel like – probably a rush of emotions for me.  Yet I’m so nervous for the swim.  What the hell??

Enough about me – hope things are going okay for you.  I totally understand if you’ve thought long and hard and just can’t do it this time around and aren’t ready to recommit, but wanted to get out there and see what you’re thinking.  Who knows, maybe you’re having a good training week. I know mine varies week to week.   Just let me know what your thoughts are.  We’d love to hear from you.

Take care,
Cris O.”

whoa

Hey all – training and fundraising are going AWESOME.  I’ve reached way beyond my minimum and am not stopping anytime soon.

A bit of a surprise though – just had my first “abnormal” CT result at one of my 4-month checkups, which happened to fall around my 2-yr remission date.

I just posted a message to my Team In Training group page – thought they deserved the news just as much as you all do.  Here it is – over 130 triathletes racing for the Leuk/Lymph. cause received this message.

— In TNTSpring09TriTeam@yahoogroups.com, “criso…”

Hey TEAM,

How did you survive the brutally cold Sat morning bikeride? I was
cursing myself at every loop, but I made it.  Still need me some
booties and better gloves before it finally warms up. Although
apparently the groundhog wasn’t in our favor Monday…

Just thought you deserved a health update. So every 4 months I go for
my checkup – and last Thursday’s marked my 2-yr point.  And oddly
enough, for the first time, I received my first “abnormal” CT result.
Here I am in the middle of training, I expect the usual in/out
treatment by the docs, and I hit a blip.

At the same time, it’s nothing to freak out about – still
inconclusive, but we know things are not as they usually appear. The
radiologist mentioned “bone erosion” and “inflammatory mass”.  OK….
Anyway, the docs – and I myself, based on how I’m feeling – believe
it’s most likely associated with the damage caused by radiation to the
sinus area and nothing worse.  To be sure, they’re sending me back on
Wed for a PET scan to see what pops up.  Based on that, we’ll figure
out what’s next and find out what’s causing this change.

This is probably all going to be nothing and some other side effect
that I’ll get used to, but I wanted to write about it because I feel
like you’re going through it with me since we’re all training for this
cause now — and I wanted to journal a bit about what was going on
real-time.  It’s funny how this has never scared me – and even though
I’m kind of in limbo now, I’m more annoyed at the wait than the
impending result.

I rarely take my clean bills of health for granted, and this was just
another reminder of that. But I have to admit, it’s really pushed me
on those workouts!

Just one of my own “mission moments” to get you through the week – and
I promise to send out the good news as soon I get it. See some of you
at Tuesday night’s swim -

- HT Cris

(HT = Honored Teammate)  Crazy huh?   I’ll be sure to do the same to all of you readers and post a message as soon as I find out what’s going on.

L, C

Go to my fundraising page!

If you haven’t already done so, check out my fundraising page and ready my story… the story you readers already know:

http://pages.teamintraining.org/nca/anttry09/cotepka

I just launched the site a few days ago and I’ve raised over $3,000 already!

Please forward the link to anyone you think may be interested in supporting this cause with us.

Thank you all!

Team In Training

Happy Holidays All! Sorry I’ve been my usual bad blogging self. I thought my life was supposed to get easier after the wedding?! I guess I just have to attribute it to laziness. I’m a manager at work now, and have been working a little more, too.

One other huge thing that has kept me busy is that I’ve decided to be a part of the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society’s (LLS) Team In Training (TNT – apparently they don’t want to use TIT for some reason).  TNT is the largest endurance sport fundraising program. You can choose from a list of marathons, half marathons, or triathlons. Once you pick your race, you set up a webpage to raise cash for the LLS.

I decided to do the sprint/olympic triathlon.  It’s approx 1 mile swim, 25 mile bike, and 6 mi run.  The LLS cause really hits home for me, naturally, and it’s something I’ve wanted to do for the last couple years since I finished training.  What’s most impressive is the coaching that is provided throughout the training. We’re spread out in a bunch of different teams with captains, and each week we have a training schedule to follow.  There are a couple group training sessions a week (1 swim on Tues, 1 other on Sat AM).  We all keep in the loop via a Yahoo Groups web page. I’ve been impressed how the whole system functions!

There’s always an Honored Teammate in TNT – each participant may choose someone to run in honor, memory of, etc. TNT also chooses Honored Teammates for the whole event – and guess who was chosen as one of those? Yep, and it helps for those who are doing it just to stay in shape and/or to raise money for a good cause, yet have no one to race for – they can participate in honor of me, if they like.  What’s cool is that I’m the only Honored Teammate actually participating in the event with everyone else.

I’ll let you all know when my fundraising page is up and running.  Have a great holiday week!