August 2023 – Travels with Fred

Cancer Update – Part 55

31 August 2o23

Yesterday, Casey informed me she was going to inject me with Filgastim to stimulate white blood cell production. Apparently my levels were low enough for concern. She gave me the first injection just as I was about to leave and then scheduled me for another on Thursday and another on Friday. All of this was under Dr. Arnaout’s direction but I think that was simply because he was the attending physician. I certainly don’t want him to take over my care. I’ll do the second injection after I visit Dr. Burgers tomorrow. I’ll also be back on a Claritin regimen. The Filgastim causes bone pain and Holy Cross did a study where Claritin mitigated the pain.

As I mentioned yesterday, I hadn’t eaten since breakfast and I walked out of the infusion center at 6 pm. On the way home I stopped at J. Alexanders and ordered there prime rib with baked potato. It was OK but again, the taste just isn’t there. I probably would have been better off with a hamburger and would have been much better off price wise. With tip, it was $56. I’m really surprised restaurants can stay in business with the difficulty in hiring staff, the cost of food on their end and the cost of food for the consumer.

I got a call around 8 am this morning about my second Filgastim shot. They said walk in any time before or after my appointment with Dr. Burgers. Out of my way to Dr. Burgers (but to kill some time) I got my prescription for the remainder of the Budesonide from Walgreens. From Walgreens, it was a short trip to I-95 and the Cancer Center off Commercial Blvd. I was early because the traffic flow on I-95 was not at a standstill.

The second shot went quickly enough and I had an hour to kill before Dr. Burger’s appointment. I simply went to her sitting room and waited and played Solitaire on my phone. Lorraine called me in and when Dr. Burgers came in, she examined the scar, checked for puffiness or swelling and gave me the good news. I can go back to yoga and swimming! She even mentioned in her review notes on the Holy Cross app that I was happy to get back to the water.

The one question I had was “What comes next?” After the chemo treatments, how do I know I don’t come down with cancer again in some form. She said I would undergo periodic examinations by her (every six months after chemo) and that Dr. Velez uses the new blood test that tests for a variety of cancers.

One company is Galleri. Another is by OneTest. I certainly like the idea of a simple blood test to detect multiple cancers. Particularly since my breast cancer was a very aggressive form. Since I’m still on chemo, she still wanted to see me in 4 months.

From the Cancer Center, I headed to the post office to mail off some packages. It’s at the back of a mall near Holy Cross and the mall had a Subway shop so I stopped there for a sub to take home for lunch. Then it was a stop at Whole Foods for a few groceries. It was not my usual Whole Foods but it was on the route home. One thing I always look for are fresh flowers and what caught my eye was a bundle of gladiolas. I haven’t seen them in ages.

As you can see, housekeeping hasn’t been on my radar lately. I have an insulated food bag on the right for my chemo trips, some medication, pears from Daryl and Bill, blood pressure cuff, thermometer, daily pills, and Press’nSeal with lidocaine for the puncture of my port. It all needs to be cleaned up, but another day.

Hiding at the base of the gladiolas are a four pack of hazelnut chocolate croissants. I couldn’t resist them. Whatever is going on with my taste buds has not affected the sweet ones. I was good though and bought a lot of fresh fruit (watermelon that tastes like watermelon, cantelope that tastes like cantelope, blueberries, and even some plums. I do try to eat well dietetically, but it’s really hard when you don’t have the appetite for most foods. For example, it’ll be a long time before I order prime rib again and not because of the price.

By the way, the sound bar I added to the tv does work marginally better. The sound is of a better quality than the tv speakers. However, I’m not sure anything will help elucidate Scottish dialect.

Stay tuned!

Everything Fred – Part 112

30 August 2023

I had a good night’s sleep but I was a total slug when I got out of bed around 7 am. I ate breakfast, had some coffee and managed a semi-solid poop and decided to hell with it and went back to bed. I have several errands to run today, including getting the rest of a prescription filled but most of that may have to wait. I’m really, really dragging today. I don’t know if that’s due to yesterday’s diarrhea or if it is the aftereffects of the Taxol infusion on Monday. Either way, it sucks. Hopefully, this is my nadir for the treatment this week and things will pick up for the rest of the week.

I have an hydration infusion scheduled at 3:30 pm today and I have no idea what that entails. I assume they are going to give me Ringer’s solution (saline with a little glucose) but I don’t know if they will do a blood test first, add magnesium to the package, how long it will take, yada, yada, yada. I suspect this will be a common occurrence two days after every chemo infusion, so I might as well get used to it.

My cousin Jimmie and I have discussed how we often use closed captioning when watching tv, even for shows from America. We decided it was mandatory for shows from England, Australia and New Zealand but lately, I can’t understand Americanese. She mentioned an article she read about how that is a common problem with new tvs. Apparently, the newer tvs are good for picture but not sound with their built in speakers. I read a similar article and the solution seems to be to add a sound bar to your tv.

Consequently, I’ve ordered a sound bar (which came with a woofer) and it should arrive sometime today. Of course, it didn’t come with the necessary cables and I had to order those separate. Next, I’ll have to see if I have enough innate intelligence to hook the thing up. It’s not as simple as plugging in the cables. You have to go into the set up feature of the tv and mute the speaker system on the tv and then have the tv recognize the sound bar. Not sure I’ll be able to handle it with a little chem fog going on. I’ll keep you posted on if I get it to work and if it makes a difference.

I bought my current tv (58″) several years ago because I could never read the chyrons scrolling across the bottom of the screen, particularly on news shows. There’s actually a formula you can use to determine how large a tv screen you need based on the distance you are sitting from the tv. I think based on where my couch is in relation to the tv, I would need something like a 98 inch tv which wasn’t going to happen. I simply went with the larges screen I could afford.

I think back to the days when my parents bought our first tv and it was this little tiny screen. For some reason, my grandparents had a very large tv screen and it was much preferable to watch tv at their house. Of course, the tv station didn’t come on the air until 8 or 9 am and signed off with the national anthem at 10 pm. Considering the quality of some of the tv programs now days, that might be a good time frame to go back to.

As it happens, the sound bar and woofer arrived before my infusion appointment and I was able to install it and get it working. I’ll check it out tonight to see if I can hear the words better than with just the tv audio.

I left the house around 2:30 pm for the 3:30 pm hydration infusion. I was ushered back around 3:30 and Casey was my nurse. I had met her before on Monday when I accidentally pulled the needle out of the port. I promised to do better today.

They checked my blood and found my magnesium level low again (1.7 – normal is 1.9-2.7). For the CBC with auto differential, I was low in red blood cells, hemoglobin, hematocrit, lymphocytes absolute, and lymphocytes relative. My neutrophils were high. For the comprehensive metabolic panel, my glucose was high (123) as was my SGOT and SGPT (liver enzymes).

Casey couldn’t believe I had eleven episodes of diarrhea from 4:30 am on the 29th until today. I do have to admit the hydration solution is making me feel much better. I don’t feel so much like a slug now.

The real problem right now is I haven’t had anything to eat since breakfast. I need to stop at the pharmacy to pick up a prescription but they close at 6 and it’s 5:25 pm now and I have at least another 30 minutes to go on the hydration infusion. I’ll probably stop somewhere for some fast food on the way home.

Tomorrow is my checkup with Dr. Burgers. Stay tuned!

Everything Fred – Part 111

29 August 2023

I can attest to the diarrhea causing effect of the drug Taxol. Yesterday, after the infusion, I had one solid stool movement and then 2 diarrhea episodes that day, then starting at 4:30 am, I’ve had 5 so far. I’m taking everything known for diarrhea: Imodium AD, Lomotil and Pepto Bismol. I was going to run some errands this morning but looks like that’s out. I’ve already had to wash the sheets this morning and now I need to clean the toilet. Let’s just say some of the diarrhea is explosive. Thank goodness for the adult diapers that caught the accidents.

In reality, if I can get the diarrhea under control, I think I can tolerate the new chemo regimen of Taxol and Herceptin. Seven more Taxol treatments and 2 more Herceptin with Taxol. Then it’s straight Herceptin for the remainder of a year’s treatments. As I mentioned yesterday, I’ll go in for a hydration infusion on Wednesday (unless I forget due to chem fog again).

Today will be spent getting over the diarrhea and going back to bed, reading a little and vegetating a lot. Even though we are not predicted any rain from Idalia today, I suspect will get some showers. The rainy days will be Wednesday and Thursday. (Note: Brain fog. It took me four tries to spell Wednesday correctly.). As a matter of fact, rain is predicted for the entire week beginning on Wednesday and until the following Thursday. Fort Lauderdale soil is pretty saturated so I hope we don’t get a rain event hurricane any time soon. (Now I’m misspelling hurricane!)

I tried Judith and Chris’ chicken soup yesterday. I needed the liquid to purge the Taxol from my system and it hit the spot. It was delicious. I’m not a fan of matzo balls but I got half of one down. Judith says they are good for stopping you up.

Again, my appetite is so funny. Some things sound great and other things I would normally eat I don’t want to even think about. I also noticed that my toothpaste burned more than usual. I still use baking soda but every so often I switch back to commercial toothpaste and yesterday it burned. Good thing baking soda works well.

Mango leaves are still falling, the iguanas are happy, and the pool looks inviting. I may try a dip in the pool later this afternoon. The toilet calls, so stay tuned!

Cancer Update – Part 54

28 August 2023

I’ve been gassy before but not like last night. Not with diarrhea at the same time. The only thing I can think that caused it was the new prescription of Budesonide. I was busy on the toilet until 11 pm. Then it was toss and turn scared it would return any moment. I finally drifted off around midnight. Then I waked at 4:30 am and ready to go. I figure I need to leave for my appointment with Dr. Velez around 8:15-8:20. There’s no telling what traffic will be like and on a good day it takes around 20-30 minutes. I-95 always keeps you guessing.

I’ve made a ham sandwich, sliced some apples, and have a supply of Tootsie Rolls to hold me for every how long they keep me. The schedule has me for 3 hours but the first infusion ran to 6 hours. Part of the reason was the nausea I had with the Taxol. I took my anti-nausea medicine last night (I barely remembered it) so I should be good for the first part of the infusion with Herceptin.

9:30 am. I didn’t need to be at Holy Cross for the 9:05 am appointment with Dr. Velez. He schedules it in case but he’ll always come see me during the infusion. They took me back exactly at 9:30 am for the infusion. I keep getting more and more information. Today is only Taxol and not Herceptin. I’m on a 3 week schedule with Herceptin for a total of one year. Taxol will be every week for nine weeks.

Around 10 am Dr. Velez stopped by. We discussed my diarrhea and agreed to keep on the Imodium double dose until the diarrhea abates and then cut back to the normal dose. He also said to keep taking the Budesonide for at least a week. He listened to my bowels with his stethoscope and even palpated my abdomen. It’s a good thing he didn’t listen to them last night. It was like a thunderstorm going off inside of me. He continued to reinforce to keep him posted on my condition via text and to keep an eye on my blood sugar (189).

Jullianne is my nurse again. She’s got a great attitude and is seemingly always up. The first thing is to insert the IV into my port and then clear the port. Next comes a blood draw. She always says it takes an hour for the blood test to come back but it was already in my mail box 30 minutes later. She also let me know the Taxol would take about 1 1/2 hours and I’m waiting for her to start it up.

They ran three blood tests this morning: Comprehensive Metabolic Panel, CBC with Differential and for some reason Dr. Arnaout did a magnesium test. That’s peculiar – not the test – but that he’s no longer my doctor.

The Comprehensive Metabolic Panel tests 19 different parameters.

Test	Function	Normal Range	My Results
Sodium	Determines too much or too little in blood	136-145 moles/L	143
Potassium	Electrolyte in blood	3.5-5.1 moles/L	4.4
Chloride	Electrolyte in blood	96-106 milliequivalents/L	109
CO₂	Affects respiration	21-31 mmol/L	26
Anion Gap	Determines acid/base of blood	5-15	8
Glucose	Sugar in blood	74-109 mg/dL	184
BUN (Blood Urea Nitrogen)	Blood Urea Nitrogen in blood	7-25 mg/dL	13
Creatinine	Measures kidney function	0.70-1.30 mg/dL	1.10
eGFR (estimated Glomerular Filtration Rate)	Estimated glomerular filtration rate has a read on kidney health	>=60mL/min/1.73m²	70
BUN/Creatinine Ratio	High means not enough blood flow to kidneys	6.0-20.0	11.8
Calcium	Affects bone, kidneys, parathyroid	8.6-10.3mg/dL	9.1
AST (SGOT) – Aspartate Transaminase; Serum Glutamic Oxaloaceate Transaminase	Glutamic-oxaloacetic transaminase (liver function monitor)	13-39 unit/L	20
ALT (SGPT) – Alanine Transaminase; Serum Glutamic Pyruvic Transaminase	Alanine aminotransferase (liver function)	7-52 unit/L	21
Alkaline Phosphatase	Monitor for liver and bone disease	34-104 unit/L	63
Total Protein	Measures albumin and globulin. High levels indicate infection	6.4-8.9 g/dL	6.8
Globulin, Total	High levels indicate infection	1.4-3.9 g/dL	2.6
A/G Ratio (Albumin/Globulin)	Albumin compared to globulin.	>1.0	1.6
Total Bilirubin	Liver function	0.3-1.0 mg/dL	0.5
Albumin	High levels indicate infection	3.5-5.7 g/dL	4.2

Only two things out of wack on this one.

CBC (Complete Blood Count) with Auto Differential

Test	Function	Normal Range	My Results
WBC	White blood cells – measures leucocytes, a function of immunity	4.5-11.0K/mcL	5.3
RBC	Red blood cells – determine amount of oxygen in blood	4.30-6.20 M/mcL	3.77
Hemoglobin	Indicator of amount of oxygen in blood	14.0-18.0 g/dL	11.3
Hematocrit	How much of your blood is red blood cells	39.0-55.0%	33.8
MCV (Mean Corpuscular Volume	Average size of your red blood cells	80-100.0 FL	89.5
MCH (Mean Corpuscular Hemoglobin	Amount of hemoglobin, thus oxygen carrying capacity	27.0-34.0 pct	29.9
MCHC (Mean Corpuscular Hemoglobin Concentration	Measures bloods ability to carry oxygen	31.0-37.0g/dL	33.4
RDW (Red Blood Cell Distribution)	Red cell distribution compares volume with size or red blood cells	12.0-15.0%	12.5
Platelets	Count of platelets which affects ability for blood to clot	130-400 K/mcL	229
Lymphocytes relative	Measures relative amounts of B and T cells (immunity)	15.0-40.0%	8.9
Neutrophils, relative	Tells you your body is under stress	40.0-65.0%	88.6
MPV (Mean Platelet Volume)	Measures average size of platelets	6.2-12.1 FL	8.8
Monocytes, relative	Measures amount of this white blood cell (immunity)	1.0-10.0%	2.2
Eosinophls relative	Measures of amount of white blood cells (immunity)	0.0-4.0%	0.1
Basophils, relative	Measures amount for infection/parasites	0.0-2.0%	0.2
Neutrophils absolute	Specific amount of this white blood cell in your body	1.80-7.70K/mcL	4.70
Lymphocytes absolute	Specific amount of this white blood cell in your body	1.o0-4.00 K/mcL	0.50
Monocytes absolute	Specific amount of this white blood cell in your body	0.20-1.00 K/mcL	0.10
Eosinophils absolute	Specific amount of this white blood cell in your body	0.00-0.69 K/mcL	0.00
Basophils absolute	Specific amount of this white blood cell in your body	0.00-0.19K/mcL	0.00
NRBC (Nucleated Red Blood Cell)	Rbc’s are typically enucleate – high values are signs of infections/diseases, cancer	0.0-0.9%	0.1

Seven are out of wack on this test.

Magnesium

The magnesium normal is 1.0=2.7 mg/dL. Mine is 1.5, so it was low. It indicates weakness, irritability, abnormal heart rhythm, nausea and/or diarrhoea, or if you have abnormal calcium or potassium levels.

Regardless of the out of wack levels, everything seems to be OK to proceed with the therapy. First up was magnesium. It’ll take about an hour and then 1 1/2 hours for the Taxol. If no nausea, I should be out of here by 2 or 3 pm. I seem to be doing a consistent 5-6 hours at this place. Good thing the people are nice.

They replaced the IV line and needle. They’ve glued me in pretty good. I think I’m reacting to the tape again – it itches!

The pro-drug cocktail administered first was the usual suspects. Something for nausea )Dexamethazone) something to line my stomach (Pepside) Benadryl to offset the effects of Taxol and Zofram (another anti-nausea drug). Benadryl makes me sleepy so I cranked the chair back and immediately popped out the needle in my port. The IV lines got caught in the arm of the chair.

A nurse came and immediately asked if I got any of the solution on me. I couldn’t detect any. I imagine it would be classified as a chemical spill for them. It would be just like me to have to call a hazmat team and shut the facility down.

They replaced the IV with a new needle and line and I’m back on schedule. Jullianne started the Taxol very slowly – I suspect because of the nausea the previous time and that prevented any real spill. I was watching the Taxol IV and it was dripping once every 18 seconds. You can program the drip to speed up after a period of time and now I’m racing along at a drop every 6 seconds.

The PA system is hooked into the main hospital across the street. Today we’ve had a potential stroke in one of the rooms of the hospital and we’ve had an emergency in the infusion center (other side of me) for some reason. It’s interesting what is broadcast for everyone to hear.

The IV sounded the alarm that Taxol had finished at 1:59 pm. Now to get unhooked and drive home. I’m also waiting for a call from Walgreens to pick up the remainder of the prescription. There was no nausea with the Taxol this time!

Dr. Velez has already scheduled me for a hydration infusion on Wednesday at 3:30 pm. I hope I don’t have chem fog again and miss it.

Stay tuned!

Everything Fred – Part 110

27 August 2023

Getting out of bed in the morning these days is really hard. That’s unusual for me, I’m a morning person. I usually hop right out and head to make breakfast and coffee. These days, I have to inch my way out. I blame the drugs I’m on.

I got my water bill yesterday and on the reverse side they always announce city events. I always check that out because they tend to sneak things in on that back page. For example, years ago, when the city was getting ready to put sewers in the neighborhood to get rid of septic tanks, they mentioned my neighborhood, Riverland, would be grandfathered in on the cost. Two years later, we were assessed. When I called about that, they said it had not been approved. They don’t put things on the reverse page of water bills that haven’t been approved. We are still under the mandate of higher water rates to pay for the sewer connections.

Today, I noticed there are several public meetings about raising water rates to fund a new water treatment plant in Fort Lauderdale since the current one is decrepit and falling apart. What they didn’t say is that a private company is building the plant and will be running it and making money on it. Funny how we are going to have to pay higher water rates so a private firm can make money off the city.

I’ve never been so happy to see semi-solid poop in my life. It was a religious experience. The Imodium AD works but I hate taking two tabs every four hours. Today was the first day on Budesonide. God only knows what that will do to me. I meet with Dr. Velez tomorrow at 9:05 am and have my second chemo infusion at 9:30 am.

I managed a 1.4 mile walk on Riverland Road today, mostly in the shade. The humidity was pretty bad and you could see rain clouds building up but I made it without getting wet. Riverland is a nice walk, particularly since they’ve widened the sidewalks and provided bike paths even though cyclists still insist on riding on the sidewalks.

My new hiking shoes came in yesterday from REI. I always purchase Solomon shoes and boots. My old hiking shoes served as my every day shoes. They slip on my feet and I don’t have to bend down and tie or lace them up. They are also very comfortable and give me some ankle support.

These have quicklaces. My old pair were the first ones to have this feature and I’ve learned to like it. At least they don’t come undone like regular laces.

The quicklaces on my old shoes are getting pretty frayed and I’ve always wondered what happens when they break. John tells me his did and you can buy replacements on Amazon. Of course you can!

Yesterday, Chris and Judith came by and brought me some home made chicken soup with matzo balls and veggies. I think Chris cooked all day on the soup. I haven’t sampled it yet but it looks delicious. It was good to see them. We had a great time catching up and comparing ailments.

Today, Holley and Jim stopped by with a chicken wrap from Apt 9f Dining Den and Social Eatery. They had brunch there with Tom and Kurt. She also brought me the house speciality, a maple scone. To top that off, they stopped at Circle House Coffee and brought me a fruit smoothie with CBD. I haven’t tried the scone as yet but the wrap and smoothie certainly hit the spot!

They drove up just as I got out of the shower and changed. I did yard work this morning. I finished the weed eating on the pool deck that I couldn’t do when the weed eater battery died, then swept up the residue.

Next was tending the leaf garden. I know you all wonder how the garden is doing. It’s doing well. It’s a bountiful harvest every week.

After harvesting leaves, I cleaned the pool filter, the patio deck and pool deck and then sprayed herbicide on the weeds in both front and back. I only had to collapse into a patio chair once during the processes. Fortunately, when I clean the pool filter, I’m sitting down anyway.

I was pleased I didn’t get too light headed this time with the yard work. Maybe my endurance is improving. Now, for that maple scone.

Stay tuned!

Cancer Update – Part 53

26 August 2023

Ugh! What a night. It went something like this.

25 August 2023
8 pm diarrhea
10:43 p diarrhea took two Imodium AD
11:03 pm diarrhea

26 August 2023
12:17 am diarrhea
2:17 am two Imodium AD
2:39 am diarrhea
6:39 am two Imodium AD
8:20 am diarrhea

I texted Dr. Velez to let him know I’m back on the two Imodium AD every four hours and that I’ll see him Monday morning. I’m pretty exhausted from overdoing it yesterday in the yard and add on top of that getting up every few hours with diarrhea, I don’t think I’m getting much done today. I’ll try to change the sheets and wash a load of clothes but I think house cleaning is going by the wayside. I didn’t even consider a walk this morning.

I had no appetite last night. Finally, around 8 pm I had some ice cream (two scoops of coffee, two scoops of chocolate) and that was pretty much it.

Another strange phenomenon is I seem to be getting pangs all over my body. I kind of equate it to a flash of pain in one location that may go on for a few minutes and then move to another area of the body. There doesn’t seem to be any rhyme or reason to it and Advil didn’t help it the other night. Also, my joints ache, particularly the joints of my hand. If I cross my legs in bed, my toes go numb. I’m falling apart.

I’m searching for anything I can eat. Most anything I think of, I don’t want. I have a pot of dried black-eyed peas going on the stove at the moment. Why I think I can eat those, I have no idea but I got a craving for them the other day and made sure I bought some at the grocery. Any port in a storm. Of course, I’ll get gassy with the peas to add to the diarrhea.

Just think! I have only eight more weeks of the two drug regimen!

Dr. Velez just texted back to “Keep up with it.” Not that I have a choice. He suggested he will prescribe another pill called Budesonide which is a steroidal anti-inflammatory for the colon. He’ll send it over as soon as he gets computer access. Pretty soon and I’ll be able to open my own pharmacy. There goes my morning grapefruit. I’ll miss that.

With all the drugs, I’m not sure my body knows what “normal” is any more. The Imodium AD dosage gives me the jitters. I’ll be curious to see that the next chemo round does to me. One hope I do have is Thursday Dr. Burgers may clear me for yoga and swimming. If yesterday taught me anything, it’s I need to work on building my stamina.

Stay tuned!

Everything Fred – Part 109

25 August 2023

Yesterday evening I took the garbage out to the curb for today’s pickup and there was a fine mist in the air that produced the petrichor phenomenom – the smell of rain (I had to look that up). I think that must be one of the earliest of memories for humans; it’s such a distinctive smell and is full of nostalgia for me. I’m one of those weird people that like to walk in rain and I got that opportunity this morning.

As I headed out on my walk, I met Ivan and Gigi and their dog Milo. Ivan is a realtor and he and Gigi not only sell houses but sometimes purchase and flip them. Both are go-getters and have become good friends.

As we got to the street they live on, Gigi and Milo headed home and Ivan continued the walk with me. He’s extremely knowledgeable about real estate in Florida (and New Hamsphire) and certainly knows the ins and outs that make up the real estate market. We were about half way through my morning walk when it started to rain. It really felt good considering the temperature was around 80°F and as we continued, it progressively came down. It didn’t seem to bother Ivan and it certainly didn’t bother me. We just kept walking and enjoying the conversation and company.

Fridays I usually tend my leaf garden, clean the pool filter, wash the patio and pool deck.

As I headed out to do that this afternoon, I thought of the area on the west side of the house that was getting a little grassy. I anticipated cutting it so had charged up my weed eater battery to tend to it. The trim will last quite a while.

However, when I looked around, I saw the grass and ferns had just about taken over the north side of the pool deck. There’s not much walkway there to begin with and when it gets overgrown, you end up having to walk on the pool coping. I decided to take the weed eater over and clear a little.

The weed eater couldn’t cut it so I pulled out the long extension cord and hedge trimmer. Let’s just say I let things get a little out of control.

The pile is larger than it looks in the photo.

After using the hedge trimmer, I then went back over it with the weed eater until the battery died. I still need one more pass with the weed eater.

What would normally take me about an hour lasted over two and a half. I found I had absolutely no stamina and would work a little and go sit down and rest, rinse and repeat. I got the idea to use the Apple Watch to check my ECG. Here’s the result.

Apple Watch kept telling my heart rate was very high and did I want to seek emergency help.

Every time I bent over, I would get very dizzy and almost pass out. Yes, I know. Stupid. Stubborn. Idiot.

Needless to say, the leaf garden went untended, the pool filter is still dirty and there’s poop on the patio and pool deck. It’ll wait until another day.

Stay tuned!

Everything Fred – Part 108

24 August 2023

Looks like two Imodium every 4 hours does the trick. No diarrhea since yesterday at 11:45 am. Small victories are important. Michel mentioned chem fog in way of explanation about missing my hydration infusion. I think she might be on to something. I certainly had chem fog from the first infusion in June. It is so unlike me to forget an appointment and if I remember correctly, I did a similar thing last June.

Speaking of June, I had my first chemo infusion on June 5th. The nurse said four days after the infusion would be my worse. On June 12th, I was admitted to the hospital with severe dehydration and kidney damage. She missed it by a few days. The reason I bring this up is my second infusion was on 21 August. Today is the fourth day after that infusion and I feel pretty good. Let’s see if I can stay out of the emergency room on the 28th. If so, I consider the new chemo regimen a winner.

I managed a 1.4 mile walk this morning. There was a nice breeze and at times, you could almost think it was getting a little cooler – either that or I was in some more chem fog.

Supposedly Salvador is coming today to work on the fence. Everyone who knows me knows I’m anal. I can’t stand to put off some repair or some thing that needs doing. In some ways, it’s a good thing and my property stays in pretty good shape. In other ways, it drives me crazy when I can’t get something done immediately.

My friend John showed up around 12:30 pm with a Wendy’s hamburger for me. I surprised myself and was able to eat the whole thing. I haven’t had a Wendy’s burger since I taught at Broward College in 2014. John stayed most of the afternoon and we caught up with each other’s lives.

Salvador showed up shortly after 12:30 and he and a co-worker got busy with the fence. They finally finished up around 3:45 pm. It was a hot afternoon and it was a lot of work to replace the 6×6 post and gate. He asked me to pay the Home Depot cost of materials and charged me $220 labor. Home Depot was around $68 and I gave him $300 for the day. I’ll definitely use him for any other home improvement projects. He works hard, is fair, and enjoys what he does for a living.

The gate now works! I think I’ll just let it age gracefully if I can’t find the stain I supposedly kept.

This was the biggest job of the two. Pulling the old 6×6 and replacing it with the new one and reattaching the gate.

When I went out to check on Salvador’s final work, I noticed a box from The Fruit Company from Hood River, Oregon on my doorstep. It’s a gift box from Daryl and Bill. I was really pleased. I seem to have an appetite for fruit these days. I should have taken a photo of the packaging. It was done up in beautiful boxes in a pyramid and with ribbon. Instead, I was too eager to see the goodies.

Inside were two apples, three yellow pears, three red pears, mixed nuts, peach buds (delicious) and a velvet ganache brownie! Thanks Daryl and Bill!

I spent a night in Hood River on my way to North Cascades National Park. I love that area of Oregon along the Columbia River Highway built between 1913 and 1922. That area is the land of waterfalls and I’ve been through the area twice now and would gladly go back through again. Hood River is a cute little town with some cool cafes and restaurants and pretty much has a college town vibe.

Earlier in the day I texted Dr. Velez and told him the Imodium seemed to be working and if it held through the afternoon, I would cut back on the dosage. I also confirmed I would undergo the second chemo on Monday. He texted back “Sounds good!” Again, what doctors answer texts from patients these days?

Stay tuned!

Cancer Update – Part 52

23 August 2023

Looks like the 6% chance of diarrhea with the Taxol dose I’m on kicked in. I was up at 5:30 am and have been back 6 times. I texted Dr. Velez and he immediately responded. I told him and that I would be in for the 3:30 pm hydration infusion. He said he would stop by and check on me then. He reinforced I needed to take 2 Imodium every 4 hours. My next round will be at 11:45 am.

In the meantime, Salvador dropped off materials to repair my fence. While Chad had to tear out my west wall due to termites and rot (during the flood repair) the gate to the fence at that end started to fall apart. His crew did their best to put a temporary fix to it but I knew more needed to be done.

This is the gate nearest the wall repair. There’s nothing for the hasp to hold onto even though Chad’s crew tried a repair.

The 2×4 that holds the panels (pickets) has split and rotted so there’s nothing for the hasp to attach.

In addition, the second gate on that section of fence (a double gate) had a 6×6 that was rotting at the top and I knew it was only a matter of time before that went. When Ariel Reyes was trimming my palms, I asked if he knew anyone that could do fence work and he recommended Salvador.

This is the 6×6 post that holds one side of the double gate. Although the gate is still attached, it’s only a matter of time before it comes loose.

Only the top of the 6×6 is rotten but the whole thing needs to be replaced.

Salvador told me he would do it for approximately $100 and the cost of materials. I asked if he needed a deposit and he said no. He would provide me a receipt for materials from Home Depot. He’ll be back tomorrow to work on the fence. It’s quite an undertaking because he’ll have to jackhammer the concrete away from the 6×6 and replace it and concrete that into the ground. I assume he’ll have to remove the gate. The smaller gate closer to the house will entail removing the gate and the panels of the fence and replacing a 2×4 to which the panels are attached.

The fence has lasted a while. I had it put in in 2014 at a cost of $6567. After nine years, you’d expect a little rot. Samada Fence, Inc. installed it and the guy told me the panels were not a problem but the posts would often rot at the ground. When I painted the fence, I spent extra time painting the top of each post to try to stave off rot but looks like I missed a few spots. Of course, now I’ll have to see if I have any of that stain left around to paint the new posts, 2×4’s and panels. Or, I could just let it weather.

It’s beginning to look like I need to make an investment in Imodium AD. After today’s hydration infusion, I’ll stop at Walgreens and probably clear out their section.

Best laid plans…. I decided to go to Walgreens early and get the Imodium before the infusion. I got a bargain. There was buy 1 get 1 free and it was the Walgreens brand which was $6 cheaper than the brand name. I walked out with 6 packs of 24 tabs each.

I drove back home and was waiting for time to leave for the infusion. Somehow, I got confused about what the time was and when I got up to leave for the infusion, I thought it was 2:45. No, it was 3:45, 15 minutes past my appointment. I have no idea how that happened.

I texted Dr. Velez and he suggested the routine of 2 tabs of Imodium every four hours until there was no diarrhea for 12-24 hours. I hate missing appointments. It goes back to my teaching days and as an undergraduate running between buildings to get to class. He may reschedule the infusion but I have another chemo on Monday, so I’ll find out for sure then.

Stay tuned!

Cancer Update – Part 51

22 August 2023

I had a great night’s sleep. That could partly be due to the Xanax but any port in a storm. I seem to weathered the first chemotherapy session. Strangely, after they hooked me up to the Herceptin yesterday, I had a lot of restless leg syndrome. I couldn’t keep them still nor from stretching out. I was worried it would follow me home but after they finished the Taxol infusion, the legs calmed down. I normally get restless leg at night when in bed, so maybe the Xanax helped with that also.

The next 3 or 4 days will tell how well I’ve adjusted to the new regimen. When I went to the first session in June with 4 drugs, the nurse told me day 3 would be my worse day. It turned out to be day 2 -4 and then the hospital stay.

Again, I’m impressed with Dr. Velez. He reread my blood work and was concerned my glucose level was 190. He texted me yesterday afternoon about that and I explained that was an anomaly for that morning. I sent him a photo of my glucose levels for the past week which were in the normal range and he seemed mollified. Again, Dr. Burgers and Dr. Velez go the extra mile and call or text you at home. Today, my glucose hit 219 but I knew it would be high since one of the premeds they gave me before the infusion yesterday was a steroid. That always sends my glucose out of wack.

I’m scheduled tomorrow to go in at 3:30 for a hydration infusion. I’ve been given the option of canceling if I don’t feel it necessary but I think I’ll do it anyway. I drink plenty of water during the day, but I also did with the first infusion in June and still ended up in the hospital. Better safe than sorry. I was told it would take about 2 hours for the hydration. It’s not like I have a lot to do anyway.

I was feeling well enough to day to do one of my longer morning walks, 1.8 miles along Riverland Road. My cousin Jimmie gifted me a portable neck fan and I wore that for the second time today. I got a late start (9 am) and I knew the temperature and humidity was rapidly climbing. It seemed to work pretty well in keeping the sweat down on my head and neck.

This week I’ve been busy putting together my 2024 calendars that feature photos from my trips. I also received all the note cards I ordered and managed to put them together in sets of 10 and presented five of them to the nurses and staff of the cancer surgical group as a thank you. I don’t know when I’ve been treated so well or with so much empathy by the medical profession. I also think I’m a little bit of an anomaly being a male cancer patient. Dr. Burgers told me I was her fourth in all the years she’s been practicing. I’ve got a follow up with her on the 31st and I plan to ask if I can get back to my yoga stretches and swimming.

I’ve started using the cocoa butter/shea butter solution on the mastectomy scar. I don’t think it’s doing anything to mitigate the scaring but it seems to be loosening up the skin in the area that gives the pulling sensation. The insertion for the drain seems to have closed up and I haven’t leaked on the sheets or the tee shirts once. Again, I was able to sleep a while on my left side again. There does seem to be some light at the end of the tunnel and I haven’t heard a train whistle yet.

I was going to go to Costco today, renew my membership and do a little shopping but after thinking about it, I have everything I need and if I bought something, I have no place to store it in the house. I need to do a purge of stuff around that I haven’t used in a while. For example, I seldom wear long-sleeved shirts these days since I’m not teaching and I can throw out a bunch and keep a few for cooler days.

Mother and Dad moved so much when I was a kid, I learned not to accumulate stuff. However, I’ve lived in this house starting my 28th year and things tend to accumulate whether you want them to or not. I did get rid of a lot of stuff when the house flooded but it could do with some more purging.

Thank goodness I won’t have to worry about that when I pass on. My lawyer is in charge of my estate and his son is an estate salesman. They will take care of everything (for a price, of course) but at least I won’t have to worry friends and family with going through years of junk. Not that I plan on kicking the bucket any time soon.

My next infusion of Herceptin and Taxol is Monday, the 28th, again at 9:30 am. I was so early this last time, I may try to sleep a little later than 5:30 am.

Stay tuned!