Monday Dec 28, the first day of training - by Bob

I had my final bone marrow biopsy this morning. It hurt like heck, but I am glad it's done. I get the results next Monday at 8:30. I spent the rest of today with Chris playing Wii Nerf and running around. We had a good day overall. We are going go to sleep over at Grandma and Pop's house tomorrow night. He is all excited.I did my first "workout" on my way back to being healthy again.I walked for 20 minutes at Walmart. I need to walk for 20, so I figured I would see if there were any post Christmas specials that caught my eye. I left with a machette, some underwear for me, and wife beaters for Chris. I'll try and get my 20 minute walk in everyday and I'll increase it 5 minutes per week over the next 4 weeks.Michele and I then did our lengthy strength training session of:Pushups: 1x5Body weight squats: 1x5I'll do this Monday thru Saturday and increase a rep each day. The next week the reps stay the same for the days but I add a set per week for four weeks. Thanks to Alwyn for sharing his rehab program with me. The pushups kicked my ass (as hard as that is for me to admit).

Thanks,
Bob

The Day Before the Day Before Christmas - by Bob

Wednesday 12/23
I went grocery shopping for the first time in 7 months last night. It probably seems pretty small to all of you, but it was a big step for me. I am starting to feel stronger everyday. Today, I actually did a bunch of work around the house getting ready for Christmas. I'm a little tired, but overall I'm good. I pick up Chris in 2 hours and then we are going to Blockbuster to pick up some DVDs. Tonight we are just going to hang around the house. Tomorrow we have: breakfast at Cracker Barrell, going to see Alvin and the Chipmonks the Squequel, going to Michele's parents house, going to church, going back to Michele's parents for dinner, and then to my parents house for desert. I'll try and get an update in, but it might not ne until after Christmas.I hope everyone has a Merry Christmas and a very Happy Holiday Season

Bob

Blogs by Bob and a funny photo for Christmas

Thought you might like to see a funny photo of Bob for once! This is what happens when you buy a six year old a NERF gun.

Here's Bob's logs from the past few days:

Monday 12/21

Spent the day with Christopher doing guy stuff. We wrestelled, shot at stuff, and ate well. Overall, I am feeling better. No real working out as I was spent after running around with a 6 year old for two days. I do have a funny story. I snuck out and went to General Practitioner today as I was long over due to my yearly physical. Mostly I just wanted to touch base and ensure he had received my records from my Oncologist so that we were ready to go next year. They wouldn't even schedule the appointment until they had received my records after I explained to the nurse what I had been through weeks ago. So, I know the Doc has my records. He is a great guy. But, he walks in and asks how has your health been? Are you f'ing kidding me??? I had to get you these records and he obviously didn't even look at them. I said great for someone who just went thru chemo and he might want to look thru my file. It ended up fine, but I was a bit upset at first.

Friday 12/18

Last night my freaking stomach was killing me. I don't know if it was chemo related or my stomach just hurt. I took some of my anti nausea meds and I felt a little better. I slept from 10 last night to 11:15 this morning. Michele was scared as I wasn't answering the phone and she was ready to send my dad over to check on me. But, I am okay and I was just really tired.I am going to pick up Christopher from school and gthen we'll workout together. Yesterday we did some push ups, sit ups, mountain climbers, racing, and wrestling. He kicked my butt on the mountain climbers which he does all the time in karate class. He is all excited as after the new year he is going to sign up for weapons class at his karate school. As if me getting punched and kicked wasn't enough. Not much planned for the weekend. But, I'll update the log on Saturday or Sunday.

Love and Thanks,

Michele & Bob

"Bob Youngs and the Restless" an article by Glenn Buechlein

“We should give as we would receive, cheerfully, quickly, and without hesitation; for there is no grace in a benefit that sticks to the fingers.” —Seneca

I became acquainted with Bob Youngs well over a decade ago when the internet and lifting forums were still in their infancy. Like many aspiring lifters, Bob served as my guide when I was somewhat lost in the dark, weightlifting wilderness. He was my Virgil. In the Divine Comedy, Virgil escorts Dante on his pilgrimage through hell and purgatory. Bob accompanied me on my trip into powerlifting’s dark side, everything Westside Barbell. I only had the pleasure of meeting Bob in person a few times, but he always served as a steady source of knowledge whenever I sought it. Whether it was in the flesh or by way of the computer, Bob reminded me of a big ole Teddy bear, soft spoken, reserved, and gentle. It seems as though a reassuring smile was constantly etched on his massive mug.

Beginning in the mid to late 1990s, I picked Bob’s brain on anything to do with Westside Barbell. I was restless for knowledge and relentless in its pursuit. The master I sought wasn’t easily accessed, so Bob acted as a gatekeeper. He allowed hundreds if not thousands of lifters to gain a glimpse behind the curtain to see the great Oz. What was once mysterious and opaque was no more. Bob entertained each and every one of my queries, graciously sharing information regarding innovative lifts, percentages, technique, and programming. Thanks to Bob I became well versed in max efforts movements, dynamic day, and GPP. I became like a missionary myself, spreading the word and philosophy of this new program I had discovered. Quiet education.

I always possessed an inner thirst to know how I stacked up against the best of the best, and Bob again served as my source. I bombarded him with weekly inquiries regarding how much the top guns at Westside Barbell were hoisting on various lifts. I anxiously awaited Bob’s email replies. I had the inside scoop on how much Kenny Patterson floor pressed, George Halbert’s close grip record, and Chuck’s training weights on speed day. This was like heaven because it provided me with goals or benchmarks to shoot for. Plus, I knew the information was accurate, not embellished. Quiet motivation.

I generally shared all my workouts and training weights with Bob as I prepared for an upcoming bench meet. He would offer insight, but he never told me exactly what to do. He allowed me to learn from my mistakes. Instinctively, he knew that I alone had to discover my own personal style. I consistently underestimated my ability, and Bob would prop me up where he knew I should be. I was afraid of failure and was trying to be too safe. Bob’s experience allowed him to suggest my opener and what I should ultimately shoot for in the meet. More often than not, he was right. Quiet inspiration.

“Yesterday is history. Tomorrow is a mystery. And today? Today is a gift. That’s why we call it the present.” —Babatunde Olatunji

This past summer I became reacquainted with Bob when I clicked on a blog detailing his diagnosis and ongoing struggle with leukemia. I awaited each update by his girlfriend in the same nervous fashion that I used to when awaiting Bob’s replies to my now seemingly insignificant questions about lifting. There was lots of pacing, fidgeting at my desk, and chomping at my fingernails.

This past summer I took a six-hour essay test so I could qualify and become a licensed school administrator. The scores wouldn’t be available for a month after the test. I spent a week obsessing and worrying about not passing and the embarrassment that would ensue. While I was sweating this relatively small life event that turned out be nothing, Bob was fighting for his life.
This past summer I dealt with an aching knee that caused me much discomfort, so much discomfort that I often had to spend time contemplating how to devise my workout around the pain. While I was worrying about a workout, Bob was fighting for his life.
This past summer I routinely took my four-year-old daughter to the park and then for some ice cream afterwards. Sometimes we worried about what park to go to because some didn’t have shade trees and we might get hot. While I worried about what park to go to with my little one, Bob was fighting for his life.

Bob continues to be my guide. He taught me many things this past summer. I now have an even deeper understanding of the struggles someone with cancer goes through. Education loud and clear. I now know that it’s easy to complain, but I remember just how good my life is and that I shouldn’t take it for granted. Motivation loud and clear. Lifters take pride in being hardcore. I now know what hardcore really is by reading about Bob’s daily challenges and how he takes them on with fortitude and perseverance. Inspiration loud and clear.

“Life is what happens to you while you’re busy making other plans.”—Lennon

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Glenn “Apollo” Buechlein is a teacher in Indiana with a 700-lb plus bench press at 242 lbs. Best known as “Power B,” Glenn’s gym is in Washington, Indiana. His gym is perfect—steel, chalk, dogs, and pure mayhem.

(Reprinted with permission by www.elitefts.com) Elite Fitness Systems strives to be a recognized leader in the strength training industry by providing the highest quality strength training products and services while providing the highest level of customer service in the industry. For the best training equipment, information, and accessories, visit us at www.EliteFTS.com.

Pain Management Doctor's Visit

Family and Friends,

Bob was finally able to go to his old pain management doctor now that all the chemotherapy is over with. He will be switching from the dilaudid and fentanyl patches (which he was able to get off last month) and will be now taking Nucynta, Soma, Xodol and Lidocane patches. Bob has used this pain management doctor in the past and is very happy to make the switch so that he can eventually be able to get in shape soon.

Please continue to keep him in your thoughts and prayers and happy holidays!

Love and Thanks,

Michele

Tuesday December 15th- from Bob

Tuesday 12/15
Well, I had planned on starting to do a little bike today, but my body still isn't ready. I'm hoping to get on the bike next Monday. I still get winded going up the stairs and my heart rate and blood pressure go through the roof. So, I am going to do some Wii fit stuff tonight with Michele. It isn't much, but I need to start somewhere.
Here are the issues I am having:
1-Resting heart rate is around 100. Need to get this down.
2-Blood pressure is good. Usually 120-125 over 75-80. The problem is the slightest bit of movement shoots it up. Basically I'm in terrible shape.
3-I am very weak. I need to start getting in some resistance training. I will most likely do that next week as well.
4-I still have some areas in my quads that don't have full feeling back. I need to start hitting those areas with the foam roller.
5-I have become more inflexible. I need to get some mobility and flexibilty work going in the near future as well.
6-My diet needs a little cleaning up, but overall it has not been too bad.

Thanks,
Bob

The weekend and today - from Bob

Weekend of 12/12 & 12/13
It was a great weekend. Christopher slept over on Saturday night. Life felt normal again for a little while. Michele and I spent most of the afternoon finishing up Christmas shopping and buying my Mom a birthday present. I was really tired afterwards. The smallest bit of walking still wears me out. I'm going to start on the bike tomorrow and doing some light resistance training with thera bands. I'll outline my needs and goals tomorrow. After taking a couple of hour break, we picked up Chris and then headed to the Christmas light show with Michele's family. They had a small fair and we played some games, did some sand art, and he ate some cotton candy. The light show was okay, but really loud. My son doesn't like loud. He did okay and we made it thru most of the show before it was time to head out. On Sunday we woke up and Michele made us breakfast of pancakes and bacon. Chris LOVES bacon. We then watched some Ben 10. In the afternoon we went to my parents house to celebrate my Mom's birthday. Chris, my Dad, and I watched some football. It was a great weekend.

Monday 12/14
Had my Oncologist this morning at 8. I didn't get a copy of my blood work, but everything was improved. I do know my platelets were up to 44,000. So, hopefully no more transfusions for me. I go back again on Thursday and should get my Picc line out then. I do have to have my next bone marrow aspiration sometime next week. This should confirm that I am cancer free and can get back to leading a normal life after I get back in shape.I'm going to spend the rest of the day laying around reading and watching TV. I'll pick Chris up after school and then just relax after I drop him off.

Thanks,
Bob

More from Bob 12/9, 12/10, 12/11

12/9-
Another lazy day of resting. We did have family dinner and that was fun. Other than that I pretty much just watched the idiot box.

12/10-
More blood work:
WBC-3.5
Gran: 52.4
RBC: 3.00
HGB: 8.8
PLT: 16,000

Everything went up except my platelets. So, to be on the safe side my oncologist had me get a unit of platelets transfused. This took up most of my day waiting for them to arrive and then getting the infusion. Luckily I have nothing to do, so it's no biggie. When I was done I went home, had a snack, and then took a nap.

12/11-
Again not much going on. I'm going to pick up Christopher from school and then go to my parents house. I'm sure we'll end up watching iCarly and Scooby Doo.Tomorrow Michele and I are going to pick up Christopher and he is going to sleep over for the first time in over 6 months. So, it's a big day for all of us. We are going to go with Michele's family to see a laser light Christmas show. It's at the Jupiter Hammer Heads stadium (single A baseball). They also have a bunch of other kids activities. This will also be our first time going out to an event like this. It feels really good to be starting to get life headed back to normal.

Bob

From Bob 12/6, 12/7, 12/8

12/6, 12/7, 12/8
I'm sure you are getting sick of me telling you I feel like crap and I'm tired. So, I won't. I'm going to show you my blood work. Basically chemotherapy is poison and it "re-starts" your bodies production of healthy blood. The problem is there is a lull until the re-start happens. This is a time where I am very immuno compromised and have little energy. Here are the normal ranges for a healthy persons blood work:

White Blood Cells (WBC): 4.1-10.9
Granulocytes (Gran): 37.0%-92.0%
Red Blood Cell (RBC): 4.20-6.30
Hemoglobin (HGB): 12.0-18.0
Platelet (PLT): 140-440

My Blood work on 12/7:
WBC: 1.3
Gran: 8.7%
RBC: 2.72
HGB: 8.0
PLT: 9.0

On this day I had to get 2 units of packed red blood and one unit of platelets transfused. So, I spent the day in the hospital getting blood.

Blood work on 12/8:
WBC: 1.0
Gran: 38.9%
RBC: 3.25
HGB: 9.3
PLT: 19.0

My blood work is starting to come around. My Oncologist thinks my body is starting to produce it's own healthy blood slowly now. So, I don't have to go to the doctor tomorrow. I go again on Thursday. I may even get my Picc Line taken out, which I have had for about four months now. I can't wait to get it out. You can Google Picc Line, but it's basically a central line that has three lines sticking out of my arm for IV attachment. I have to shower with my arm wrapped in plastic wrap until I get it out. I'll check in again tomorrow.

Bob

Today and this past weekend....

Family and Friends,

Bob is back in the hospital for the day receiving 2 units of blood and one unit of platelets. He also needed additional nupogen injections because his white count was very low. Here are the counts as of this morning:

WBC- 1.3
RBC- 2.72
Hemoglobin- 8.0
Platelets- 9,000

Bob is in good spirits, but not too happy he has to spend the whole day in the hospital.

Here is Bob's blog from the last few days:

Friday 12/4
Still feeling tired. Went to my Oncologist to get my last Neupogen shot. The plateles from yesterday didn't do too much as my count were still very low. So, I needed 1 unit of platelets and one unit of packed red. I again had to wait around for the call from the hospital as I need those both to be irradiated. They got everything in at about 3, so I headed over. I got done about 6:15. I then ran to my parents house as we were taking Christopher to see some Christmas lights. One of the parks in the area puts up a cool light show that you drive thru. They even had special 3D glasses that Christopher thought was the coolest thing ever invented.

Saturday 12/5
I felt okay when I woke up. I got caught up on some laundry and other minor chores. In the afternoon we had to go to Toys'R'Us to get some of Christopher's presents. We also ran to Office Depot and the Post Office. For some reason this wiped me out. When we got home I was tremendously tired. I spent the rest of the day on the couch and went to bed early. Bama rolled over the Gators and Texas lucked into a win. Cograts to all of the Southside Barbell members who put up PRs at the Southern States. Great job!!!

Please continue to keep Bob in your thoughts and prayers.
Love and Thanks,
Michele

Bob's blogs from the past few days

Family and friends,

Sorry I haven't written in the past few days. To make up for it, I'm attaching Bob's blog so that you can see exactly how he's feeling. Hope everyone is doing well.

Tuesday 12/1- Overall it has been an uneventful day. I received my Neupogen shot again. They hurt like heck going in. My joints are still killing me. Stairs are the worst for me. I did get outside and meander around a bit. The boredom of laying around is starting to get to me. I watched a couple of movies and read, but I cannot take much more of the captivity. The problem is my energy levels are still very low, so I cannot do much more than sit anyway. Oh well.

Monday 11/30- First of my follow ups with my oncologist this week. I have to go in everyday for Neupogen injectons all week. But, I'll meet with the doctor on Mon, Wed, and Thurs. The Neupogen hurts like hell and make your joints even more sore if possible. I was going to start working out a bit today too, but after my office visit decided to wait until next week. The plan is to monitor my blood all week. My counts usually start to near the bottom around Thursday. So, we're thinking I'll need a blood transfusion on Thursday or Friday. Then, my counts should begin to climb next week and I can start doing some light working out. I'll keep you filled in on my progress through the week.

Sunday 11/29- I had a great weekend. I was still pretty tired all the time, but it was awesome. Chris and I slept over my parents house Saturday as Michele was out of town at a wedding. We watching GI Joe the movie and a bunch of other cartoons, we ate like pigs, and had a burping contest. It was a blast. We hung out Sunday at my parents for most of the day and then went to my aunt and uncle's house for my Thanksgiving dinner. It was just a great weekend. I needed to stop and take a break a couple of times, but overall I was okay.

Please continue to keep Bob in your thoughts and prayers. We are still awaiting the results of that specialized blood test. When Bob goes to see the oncologist we are hoping she'll have the results. So far no news is good news.

Love and thanks,
Michele