Did you know that cardio and weight resistance training are a great way to stay in the fight against cancer? But, what about after cancer surgery? Listen to Pete as he tells his experience coming out of two surgeries on his colon and liver and returning to the gym.

What can you do when cancer lingers? What can you do when you just can't shake "that feeling." ever? There's a part of cancer that is a cloud that can hang over you. You never feel quite done with it. Cancer lingers. Listen to Pete as he tells his experience with this and the daily practice he takes to deal with it. 

Pete and Shara began 2022 knowing that they were headed into surgery. This surgery was to remove all cancer seen with the scans. This would involve surgical removal of some sections of Pete's liver as well as a resection of his colon. 

Listen to both the perspective of the fighter and the caregiver as Pete and Shara recount their experience with this surgery. 

As I get deeper into chemo rounds, what side effects will I encounter? What kind of pain will I experience? Will I throw up every time? My friend had it bad, but then the cancer went away, is that what I can expect? 

It is tempting to compare and contrast your journey with others' journeys. Pete speaks to this near the end of this episode. You'll want to hear this! This will help you as a cancer fighter or as a caregiver. 

This is an honest and raw discussion around the real symptoms and side effects of a chemotherapy journey. In this episode, Pete discusses in detail the side effects he encountered on his journey through chemo. He also tells you some things he learned that mitigate those challenges. 

In this episode of Stages Podcast, Pete encourages us through focusing on the healthcare team that will surround us. Pete: "Your nurses, pharmacists, doctors, oncologists, all your healthcare workers are heroes and they will become like family." 

But, it is a two sided deal. We as cancer fighters need to talk and share our lives with them. They face cancer every day and work ungodly hours to help each of us experience the least amount of pain and suffering that we can. They are tireless in their care for you. They have become some of the best friends that I have in life. 

Just prior to his first day of treatment, Pete had so many questions still: Will I be having chemo on a hospital bed in my own private room? Will I experience any side effects while I'm receiving chemo?  If so, how quickly? What is infusion? How is chemotherapy administered? Can I bring someone with me into chemo for support? How long is the procedure? 

Pete had these questions and many more before Round #1 of Chemotherapy. Listen as he tells you his journey through that first round in the hospital and what he learned.

Pete had just been diagnosed with cancer and he's starting chemo for the first time. His head was swirling with questions: What is chemotherapy like? What should I know going into my first round? Is chemo the same for everyone or are there different types? Does everyone lose their hair during chemo? Result: I'm scared.

These were only the beginning of questions Pete had before going through his first round of chemotherapy. In this episode of Stages Podcast, Pete begins to tell his journey through chemo and answer these questions and more. 

How will I feel after radiation? What side effects does radiation have? 

Much of the fear that we have around radiation treatment is based on what we believe the answers to those questions are. 

In this post, Pete honestly describes his journey through recovery and how he felt. It was a battle and it wasn't easy. Each person's journey can vary, but this is Pete's journey. 

What is the actual radiation procedure like? Do you feel any pain during the actual treatment session? What should I or my loved one be prepared for?

Again, if this is our first experience with radiation, we can go to dark places in our thoughts as to how bad this is going to be. Assuredly, radiation is not a picnic. Simply put, when we're fighting a life threatening disease, often our battle options are deadly as well, because we're trying to kill cancer. It is a war. 

Yet, we must avoid throwing our hands up and expecting apocalyptic pain. Cancer treatments have come a long way since our parents and grandparents experienced them. The actual procedure might surprise you...in a good way. 

Listen as Pete tells his journey through his radiation experience and what the treatment sessions were really like. 

Timing Matters. When you discuss radiation with your oncology team for the first time, you will learn that timing is everything. So, there are a few variables to consider with your team before you can decide to pull the trigger on radiation. 

Listen as Pete discusses his experience deciding with his cancer team when to move forward with radiation and all that they had to take into account to land on a date. This was a very difficult decision to arrive at because each treatment choice poses a risk to other treatments.