Category: Uncategorized

30 April 2024

A guaranteed way to make it rain is to wash your car. Another way is to add water to your pool. I did that yesterday to the pool and this morning it poured down rain, then rained a second time and it looks like we are due for some more. The weather report did not include any rain chance last night but when I looked this morning it was at 55%. The rain at least added a little safety factor for when I’ll be away and Denyse will not have to add water when she cleans the pool.

Since Denyse is doing my pool, it must mean I’m on the road again! I’ll leave tomorrow sometime around 10 am and drive the Turnpike to I-75, then I-75 to I-10 to Quincy, Florida, just west of Tallahassee. It’ll take me around 7 hours with pit stops.

The next day I’ll be staying at Roosevelt State Park in their “lodge.” I miss the old lodge where there were lots of parties on the lower level. There was always some event going on there when I was a kid. It had a classy feel to it. It was like stepping back in time.

The lodge that replaced it looks nice but reviews say it is dated and needs improvement on the infrastructure.

Somewhere in making reservations, either through a conversation with cousin Jimmie or with the park itself, I found out rooms 106 and 107 have been recently renovated. I chose 106. There is supposed to be a small kitchenette in each room. The old lodge did not have rooms to rent. The addition of the word “Harris” comes from Carl Harris who was the park manager for years.

I’ll be there three nights and visiting with Archie, Tanis, Jean, Roger, Jimmie and Stephen. From there, I’ll roam about for a while before I head home. I have no idea how many days I’ll be gone. What will determine the length of my trip will be how well I feel driving 7 hour days. The Jeep is comfortable but I don’t know if I’m up for that long of a drive. I’ll find out tomorrow.

After physical therapy today, I’ll stop at a grocery store to pick up some snacks for the trip and then gas up the Jeep. Then I’ll start loading the Jeep with most of my luggage and stuff and save the really important stuff (laptop, iPad, iPhone, insulin) until tomorrow. I’ll be posting regularly every day on the trip.

Stay tuned!

19 March 2024

What glorious weather! It was 67°F when I started my walk this morning (later than usual) and it energized me enough I completed 1.4 miles. It’s one of those days people say is the reason they moved to Florida.

Because of my walk mileage, I passed some plants (and homes) I hadn’t seen in a while. One of the first things that drew my attention was Goldshower.

I had planted a few of these along the fence in the back yard but they never bloomed like this and I eventually took them out. When they bloom, they are pretty awesome.

Next up was a shrimp plant. For years, I couldn’t understand why they called this a shrimp plant.

Later, I noticed the blooms on one and realized the blooms do look a little bit like shrimp. This is a member of the Acanthus family of plants.

Finally, I found a shaving brush tree that was recently planted and not too tall that I couldn’t get a decent photo of the bloom. The blooms are really spectacular.

You can see the female portion of the plant (style and stigma) sticking out from the anthers and a bud getting ready to open. It’s estimated there are around 400 pollen bearing stamens around the stigma.

Today was assessment day at physical therapy. Shannon had me redo some of the things we did the first session. There was definitely some improvement but there’s still room for getting better. My balance is still way off. I am still in danger of falling without a cane. My stamina is improving but I have a ways to go.

Insurance will cover me for 10 more sessions so Shannon scheduled me through the month of April.

Tonight I’m meeting an old friend, Robert and his son Michael at Flanigans. Robert taught on the same campus I did and I haven’t seen him since the last time I stayed with him and Lynn in Alabama on one of my trips. It’ll be great to catch up with him and his family.

Stay tuned!

10 February 2024

Wow! I’m still recovering from yesterday. I’m dragging through my Saturday morning chores: change bed linen, empty garbage bins, clean the bathroom, vacuum, and mop. Then it’s two loads of clothes to wash and then dry and then fold and then put away. The Boy Scouts trained me well!

That got me to thinking how much my routine has changed over the past year or two. I used to hop in and out of the shower, shave, get dressed and out the door in minutes. That’s out the window. When I shower now, I have to remember if it is a day for an infusion at the cancer center and if it is, make sure I use Ivory soap (very little scent). That’s all while maneuvering in the shower while holding on to the grab bars. Hey, at least I can lift my legs over the edge of my pink tub still!

Shaving is different also. My beard has returned but even coarser than before. Yet my skin on my face is still a little thin and I have to be more careful of cuts. Then, if it is a cancer center day, no cologne and no aftershave. Of course, I produce hair in places now that never used to have it (and no longer have it where I once did – talking to you, testicles). When I do shave (not too frequently these days – too lazy) I also have to trim nose and ear hair. My eyebrows are getting bushy again to the point I have more hair there than on top of my head. Maybe I should start gluing the clippings up there.

Getting up in the morning is also different. I used to just hop out of bed and head to the bathroom, pee, then turn the computer on and go the kitchen. Now, I throw my legs over the bed and wait until the vertigo goes away and ease myself onto the floor. I remove the wrist braces and store them, take two Gabapentin for pain, pee while holding on to the towel racks so I don’t fall into the toilet, go turn on the computer, go back to the bedroom and pull on my compression socks before I dress, then dress. As I work my way to the kitchen, there are the morning pills to down. I think I get a day’s worth of exercise just getting to the kitchen.

I’ve timed making my coffee and preparing my bowl of fruit and yogurt with taking my blood pressure, determining my dissolved oxygen, and checking my temperature. Oh yeah, don’t forget the insulin injection every morning. Oh, and the gel I use for arthritis on my fingers. Then there’s the Metamucil. Fortunately, I’m usually awake enough not to use the Metamucil as sugar, although I have been known to sugar the coffee grounds before brewing. I’ve also forgotten to brew the coffee grounds and put them directly into my coffee cup.

Sometime around 3 or 3:30 pm it’s time for another Gabapentin for pain.

Bedtime means waiting until as late as I can to take two more Gabapentins, an Allegra to keep me from itching all night, and a Temazapam to help me sleep. After reading at bed time, I put TheraTears in my eyes, don my wrist braces and arrange the pillow between my legs before dozing off. I sleep pretty well and usually get at least 7 hours a night but that’s only after everything is arranged perfectly.

I take 8 pills in the morning and 6 in the evening in addition to those mentioned above. What’s strange is even though I take a multivitamin, various doctors have asked me to take three other vitamins: B6, B12, and D. I’m sure I’m excreting the excess through my urine all the time. Either that or I’m fertilizing the hair in my nose and ears.

Every 14 days I have to peel a continuous glucose monitor off and stick a new one on. There’s an app for that. It warns me there are “x” number of days left on my monitor and then the app starts screaming when it’s time to change. Good thing, that. Otherwise, without apps on my iPhone I would constantly forget medications and glucose monitors.

Walking continues to be painful, even if it is just around the house. I think the compression socks help a little. Because of the neuropathy in my hands, I have a real problem manipulating small objects. It’s still hilarious to trim my fingernails. I approach it like a great lab experiment and cry “Eureka!” when I successfully complete the task. You take you victories where you can.

I think what I’m getting at is my life is anything but boring. Who has time to be bored when an app on your phone is going to start ringing that it’s time to do something else? It gives new meaning to the saying “Better living through chemistry.” You gotta laugh a little at life.

Stay tuned!

1 February 2024

Miracle of miracles! I have my Jeep back. Neyma called at 1:45 pm yesterday afternoon and said my Jeep was ready to pick up. Nothing else. When I asked what to do next she said go to Enterprise and get a receipt and bring it over. No news about a sensor, no info on anything, just come get the Jeep.

The Enterprise office on SR441 was very busy. There were about six people in the building waiting when I got there with one person trying to do everything. It took me about 30 minutes before she could check the car and give me a receipt.

When I walked up to Neyma’s office, she said the paperwork was with the cashier. No apologies, nothing. At least the cashier was nice. The headlight did indeed cost $397 to replace. Everything else was done except the sensor. It may be that I don’t even need one. Who knows. I received no information from Neyma and there was only one item on the receipt that said no charge for parts, labor, other.

Driving back, I thought the air conditioner wasn’t cooling. Wouldn’t that be my luck that it was broken and needed repair? After further examination, someone had turned off the air button on the console. Whew! I did have to readjust the seat and mirrors. The headrest is what it should be. I’ve yet to see if the headlight works.

Today as I drove to physical therapy, the check engine light came on so that means that did not replace the sensor and I’ll have the pleasure of going back to Hollywood Chrysler Jeep one more time to get the sensor replaced. That is, if they remember who it belongs to when it comes in. And remembers to call me.

Today at PT, Shannon walked me through some exercises she wants me to do at home. They were pretty simple and I should be able to do them without a problem. My real problem is my back is getting worse. It’s particularly bad if I am on my back while in bed and also as I get out of bed or bend down to put something in the trash. Hopefully, these exercises will help.

My flow cytometry results came in today. The reason Dr. Velez ordered the flow cytometery is my monocyte and neutrophil levels were high. He wanted a better picture to make sure there was nothing more than the chemotherapy affecting the levels.

Overall, everything looks normal. Here’s the jargon. “No immunophenotypic evidence of a B- or T/NK-cell lymphoproliferative disorder, acute leukemia or circulating blasts is identified. Monocytes are mature with no significant antigen atypic. In general, a low-grade myeloid neoplasm cannot be excluded with flow cytometery.”

Here’s where I get to use a little of my immunology background while working towards a PhD at the University of Mississippi Medical Center (didn’t complete it). The “T” in the above statement refers to T cells which their immunity is conferred from the thymus gland. The “B” above is for B cells which named from their discovery in an organ in chickens not found in humans, the Bursa Fabricus. “NK” refers to natural killer cells. B, and T/NK are important components of a healthy immune system in certain concentrations. If the “normal” gets out of whack, they can indicate disease. Natural Killer cells are exactly like the name suggests. They seek out and destroy cells and viruses not supposed to be in your system.

There are five types of white blood cells (leucocytes) neutrophils, basophils, eosinophils, lymphocytes and monocytes. There are three types of lymphocytes: B cells, T cells, and NK (natural killer cells).

Neutrophils are like amebas – they engulf and digest bacteria and viruses and project on their surface proteins from the digested organism and allows other cells to recognize those proteins and begin a defense against anything with those proteins.

Basophils increase when you come in contact with an allergen or have an inflammatory response. Eosinophils become more numerous when you have a parasitic infection. Monocytes fight fungi and viruses. Lymphocytes have specific responses depending on which of the three types: B cells, T cells and NK cells.

A lot of B cells (lymphocytes) in your blood stream can indicate several types of cancers including multiple myeloma, Hodgkin lymphoma, and chronic lymphocytic leukemia.

If there is an increase in NK cells, it indicates a possible autoimmune disease or viral infection.

The good news is I don’t seem to have any real problems with my B, T or NK cells.

Tuesday was the Herceptin infusion and I can tell my energy level is lower today so it looks like it takes a couple of days for me to feel the effects. The real question is how long does it take for me to get over the effects of the infusion.

Stay tuned!

24 November 2023

It was a great Thanksgiving! There were seven people and me and everything came together and everyone seemed to have a very good time. The turkey Wade cooked was moist and perfectly cooked. Everyone raved over his cranberry sauce and gravy. My dressing turned out well.

Thanks to Joel and Keith for a beautiful lemon cake, Barbara made a delicious sweet potato soufflé, Wayne brought a huge broccoli salad and Tom and Kurt furnished the wine. This is a fun group of people and there was much story telling, laughing, and discussion.

Everyone pitched in on the cleanup and everyone was gone by 7:30.

I overdid it. Not only that, but in getting dishes out of the pie safe, I tripped over a lamp cord and hurt my back. By the time everyone left for the evening, I was Done in. I got out of bed around 5:30 am but went back to bed after a cup of coffee. Then I slept again until 11:30. I’m still dragging.

I suspect tomorrow Wade will want to go early to Sawgrass Mills to the Ralph Lauren store. It’s kinda tradition for him and he sometimes loads up with clothes suitable to San Francisco’s cold weather. I’m sure we’ll go back to Rosies for more BLT’s.

The weather was perfect last night. It’s a good thing we did Thanksgiving out on the patio. Today, rain is forecast and it would have been a mess with everyone in the house. The gods of fortune looked down on us.

I plan to cool it today. I need to recover some strength and not try to do too much. Hopefully everyone had as good a Turkey Day and we did.

Stay tuned!

9 November 2023

One thing I forgot to mention in yesterday’s post was Dr. Fingado stated that a lot of people never have peripheral neuropathy abate. Instead, he said that a lot of peoples’ brains seems to accommodate and people learn to live with it. That was not good news for me.

Last night before I went to bed, I decided I better take a Tramadol and Temazapan. My fingers stilled ached so later I added two Advil to alleviate the inflammation. It seemed to work.

What a difference a good night’s sleep makes! Maybe I’ve turned the corner on the Taxol effects. I had a little more energy this morning as I got out of bed around 4:30 am. My watch says I got 6 hours and 17 minutes with a little over 1 hour as of REM and 4 hours and 37 minutes of deep sleep.

Dare I say it? My neuropathy doesn’t seem as bad. It’s not great but isn’t as bad as yesterday. Or maybe Dr. Fingado is correct and your brain corrects for it. I also don’t seem to be staggering around the house due to lack of balance this morning.

Usually, when I get out of bed, I spend the rest of the day with a runny nose and spend most of the morning clearing blood clots out of my nose. So far this morning, nada!

Maybe this daybreak is a new beginning? Keep your fingers crossed for me.

This morning is fasting for blood draw. I hate fasting. It interrupts my routine. It’s not like I’m gonna die of starvation but I like my morning routine. I also get to fight I-95 morning traffic to the doctor’s office.

The main reason for the blood test is to test for cortisol. It’s a hormone produced by the adrenal glands (they sit atop the kidneys) and it is sometimes referred to as the stress hormone. Dr. Jellinger was concerned about the amount of prednisone I was taking for chemo and wanted to make sure I didn’t go cold turkey and suffer adrenal drop. Hopefully, it’ll turn out to be normal levels. I’ll know in about a week.

After the blood draw, I’ll head back and stop by the neighborhood Publix and pick up my Declofenac prescription for my pinkies.

Well, it took two trips to Publix. I was there a little after 8 am and the pharmacy part didn’t open until 9.

My energy level is good today. I began my yearly cleaning for Thanksgiving by attacking a set of shelves that I keep canned goods. I figure if I do a little each day, I’ll have everything ship shape for Turkey Day. Even though my energy level is up, my stamina is not. I had to sit down, work a crossword puzzle before completing the task. I get out of breath and a little dizzy, particularly with the stooping down. At least I got the one lower cabinet done. Next is the upper cabinet, one cabinet at a time.

I’ll probably nap this afternoon and tackle another cabinet.

Stay tuned!

17 October 2023

It’s hard to believe but I walked out of the cancer center at 1 pm. It’s a new record for the time. It was still four hours but it seemed much quicker than normal. Pat also indicated it was a slow day and she had more time to pay attention to me. That she did. She brought me a third warm blanket (actually it was two blankets each time). She’s so funny. She walked up and asked “Are you ready to get out of here?”

As she was unhooking me, she asked if I wanted to ring the bell to signify the end of the Taxol treatment. She then said I probably wanted to wait until it was the end of all the treatments and I said yes, I’d wait until I totally through with the Herceptin treatments.

I quizzed her about the Herceptin. She confirmed that I would no longer be given Benadryl nor Dexamethasone. I still would be given Pepsid (to line my stomach) and Zofran (for nausea). I need to talk to Dr. Velez about adding weaning doses of prednisone because of the long term effects of Dexamethasone.

Joel picked me up a little after one and we went the back way to my house in order to avoid I-95. I was home by 1:30 and I climbed into bed and slept for 1 hour and 45 minutes. I was bone tired. I still am.

Speaking of bones, on Sunday’s phone call with Jimmie, she suggested an ointment/cream/gel to use for the aching joints in my hands. She couldn’t remember the name but later texted me Diclofenac Sodium Topical Gel. Duh! I’ve been using that for several years for (wait for it) arthritis in the hands. I actually had been using the 3% solution but I ran out of that and have the 1% at the house. I started using it last Sunday night. It takes a while for it to be effective but it certainly helped with joint pain – especially the 3%. I’ll probably call Dr. Fingado (hand doctor) and see if he’ll re-write the prescription for 3%. If Jimmie hadn’t mentioned it, I’d still be casting about for something to relieve the pain. And it is very painful.

Tonight is left over meatloaf. For some reason, the idea of meatloaf appealed to me and when I made my list for Whole Foods, I included items I would need to make it on Monday night. I hopped online to find a recipe (easier than thumbing through recipe books) and found one I could use and modified it. I always like to add bell pepper to any recipe for meatloaf. I didn’t add celery but Mom always did when she made hers. I had a serving yesterday and it was pretty tasty. The recipe called for sweet chili sauce (1/2 cup) and 1/2 cup ketchup and 2 tbsp of brown sugar for the sauce that goes on top after 45 minutes of cooking the meat loaf. You add the sauce to the top and then cook for 15 more minutes. Mama Mia! That’s some spicy sweet chili sauce! Tonight I’ll cut a bigger slice for dinner.

I feel like I’ve turned a page with my last Taxol treatment. Never say botanists don’t do anything for you. It was the discovery of the drug in the bark of Taxus brevifolia in Washington state that led to effective breast cancer treatments. It’s a nasty drug but it does the job.

Stay tuned!

30 September 2023

I have no idea what happened but after posting today’s blog, I had a burst of energy. That sometimes happens when I have hydration infusions but I was so wiped from yesterday, it was unexpected.

I went on a cleaning binge. I did my monthly deep clean of the house from top to bottom and then washed two loads of clothes. Add grocery shopping to the list and you can see it’s like someone lit a fire under me. I’ll probably crash before too long.

I was so hot after cleaning, I decided to go into the pool. The humidity was intense and it was hot outside but just as I was about to jump in the pool, I realized the heater had kicked in. Perhaps it was due to all the rain yesterday but I admit the heat from the jets in the pool felt pretty good.

I hated to get out but I eventually crawled out and had a cold water rinse to get the chlorine off me. When I looked up, I saw an almost full moon (yesterday was the full moon).

While grocery shopping, I remembered a recipe from Chef Jean-Pierre for chicken wings so I bought a pack. I’m cooking them now and I’ll probably have a few for lunch and save the rest for either tonight or tomorrow. He uses a dry rub at first and then coats them with a sauce.

I confess to running out of sesame oil. I usually have at least two bottles hanging around the house but I compensated by adding extra of the other stuff for the sauce. I test tasted the sauce and it’s pretty good. The recipe is below.

For the Dry Mix:

• 1 tablespoon Onion Powder
• 2 teaspoons Garlic Powder
• 1 teaspoon Ground Cumin
• 1 tablespoon Hungarian Paprika
• ¼ teaspoon Cayenne Powder
• 1 teaspoon Herb de Provence (optional)

For the Glaze:

• 2 tablespoons Toasted Sesame Oil
• 1 tablespoon Hot Sauce
• 2 tablespoons Acacia Honey
• 2 tablespoons Maple Syrup
• ½ cup Oster Sauce
• 2 tablespoons Worcestershire Sauce
• Salt and Pepper to taste
• 1 or 2 teaspoons fresh Lemon Juice
• 2 tablespoons Sesame Seeds

For the Dipping Sauce:

• ½ cup Sour Cream
• 2 tablespoons Mayonnaise
• 2 tablespoons Plain Yogurt
• 1 tablespoon Dijon Mustard
• 1 tablespoon Harissa or your favorite hot sauce
• 1 tablespoon Garlic finely chopped
• 2 tablespoons Blue Cheese
• 1 teaspoon Parsley chopped
• Salt and Pepper to taste

RECIPE INSTRUCTIONS

Makes: 15 chicken wings or drumettes (drumsticks)

Preheat Oven to 375°F / 190°C

Make the Dry Mix:

• Make your dry mixture and rub the chicken with a bit of olive oil and coat them with the dry mixture.  Place on a non-stick baking sheet or parchment paper and bake them at 375°F for 45 minutes
  

Make the Glaze:

• Mix all the ingredients and taste to make sure you can taste ALL the ingredients.
  
• Brush some of that glaze on the chicken and return to the oven and broil them for a few minutes.  Take them out and sprinkle the sesame seeds. 
  

Make the Dipping Sauce:

• Mix well using a small whisk and adjust salt and pepper to taste.

Stay tuned!