Day: March 18, 2025

Cancer Update – Part 96

19 March 2025

My last “official” cancer update was in May of 2024. I guess it’s time for another since I visited my oncologist today.

It was all good news. The staff got me in early and Dr. Velez was only 15 minutes late getting to me. He gave me the most thorough examination to date and in particular, examined my breasts, searching for lumps and other signs my cancer had returned.

He palpated my abdomen, my chest, my lungs, listened to my lungs and heart, checked my ankles for swelling, and checked my lymph nodes near my neck. He also listened to my carotids.

He pronounced himself satisfied and said he saw no reason I had not been cured of my breast cancer. I will only see him every 6 months for 5 years and then once a year.

I told him about the new cardiologist and he was satisfied that he could read the reports from Dr. Siev from yesterday.

I don’t ever get out of there without a blood draw. He’ll send off a Signatera test to check for circulating cancer cells and then for the usual blood tests: Comprehensive Metabolic Panel, Iron Binding Capacity, Transferrin, B12, Ferritin, and CBC with Auto Differential.

In the Comprehensive Metabolic Panel, my eGFR was 60 when normal is >=60. I find that a little low and would like to be more in the midrange of normal. eGFR is a measure of function of the kidneys.

My transferrin was barely low at 199. Strangely, my B12 was almost too high. The CBC test showed monocytes higher than they should be which could be a sign of infection, inflammation, stress, blood disorders, and even due to medications. I certainly take enough of those.

I got out of there by 2 pm and headed to Walgreens to pick up a prescription. After that, since I didn’t eat lunch, I stopped at Mickey D’s and got a quarter pounder with fries and a Coke. The fries were right out of the frier and were great except for the heavy hand with the salt. When I went after the burger, I realized it too was too salty. That’s the best way to sell more Cokes, I guess. My blood pressure probably spiked after that meal.

All in all, it was a good news day. Hopefully, for the rest of the week, it’ll still be good news days.

Stay tuned!

Everything Fred – Part 488

18 March 2025

I didn’t post yesterday. Things got too busy. More on that later.

Chicago will have to give up its title for Windy City. I think Fort Lauderdale can take that crown these days. We’ve had about two weeks of constant windy weather. There’s almost always a dead palm frond to pick up from around the pool.

The palms around the pool are Cabada palms and they shed their fronds unlike some palm trees that keep them on until they rot away. I like the self-shedding types since I don’t have to pay anyone to saw them off.

I’m beginning to get organized for my trip to Mississippi. I hate packing and tend to put it off until the last minute and thus overpack. The biggest pain is getting the medications ready for a week away from home. Regardless, this will be my first trip in quite a while.

I waited to post yesterday until I completed my cardiology appointment with a new cardiologist. My other one retired. Can’t say I blame him. The new one is Ethan Siev at Hollywood Memorial. It’s a very busy office with numerous physicians in that one office on the 6th floor but I was taken back early and Nurse Nancy took my information.

I’ve learned to print out all of that stuff even though it’s online. They ask you anyway. I think I like the new guy and will continue with him. I have two doctors associated with Hollywood Memorial, the cardiologist and the endocrinologist. Everyone else is Holy Cross.

Dr. Siev wants me to have another echocardiogram (it’s time) and gave me the option of doing it with Holy Cross where the others were done or have it done in office with him. I’ve opted to go with him. He can read Holy Cross reports but cannot see the images.

He also scheduled my next appointment 6 months from now and also scheduled me for a CT scan to determine my coronary calcium score. The only time it’s been done was in 2016 and it was high. He wants to see how much it has increased.

It was around 4:30 when I got back home and I started a home made beef stew (cooler weather on the way here). I got a phone call from Judith that Chris was in the emergency room at Hollywood Memorial and needed his phone charger. That makes two times I was there yesterday.

The entrance to the valet at the emergency room is misleading and, of course, I entered the wrong way. The valets were not in a hurry so it took time to give him the key fob and get the ticket. Then, the check-in for visitors took a lot of time. Finally, I got sent back to see Chris – and he wasn’t there.

Christina, his nurse, came in and told me that had trouble getting a vein for an IV and she was headed there to do it. She told me he would be back after a CAT scan – within 10 minutes. I hooked up his phone to the charger. True to her word, Chris came back in shortly. I visited a while and then headed back home – after another long wait with the valet.

I was wiped out so I ate some warm beef stew and went to bed. I dropped off to sleep immediately.

I’ll check on Judith and Chris later today but I also have another doctor’s appointment with the oncologist at 1:15 this afternoon. I slept late this morning and may even nap before the appointment.

Stay tuned!