Recovering on the Rocky Coast of Maine

The Memorial Day weekend could not have come at a better time.  It will give me another day of rest before returning to the work world.  I might be able to add to the plant photograph I love to do while up here.

Eagle Island, off Falmouth ME. Admiral Peary’s home.

We will start the weekend at the farmers market and then return to read, eat and be merry with the dogs and Amie.  -30-

Cake & Bubbly!

Chemo # six, the last of the series, was completed today at Dana Farber in Boston.  The most surprising thing was the standing ovation by patients and staff and the gift of a cake and bottle of “bubbly.
They were so sweet. 

I can’t say I looked forward to going in, the procedure itself is a difficult life choice to make and instantly transforms you in so many negative ways, all to save your life.  What I can say is, I didn’t dread it. 

I give most of the credit to my wife, who has stood and sat by me every minute of this ordeal, but, I have to give a good portion to Dana Farber, my doctor, her NP  associate and the nursing staff who poked me in the most humane way possible.

It isn’t over.  I go back in five weeks for another blood test and PET scan. This will be repeated over a period of time.  If the results are good, it will be knocked down to a CAT scan over a longer period of time until five years goes by.

Everybody, all at once, touch wood.

-30-

One More Thing

You know, just when think, what else, else happens.  I was startled from sleep last night by what felt like an animal biting the big toe of my right foot.

The only animal in this house, by invitation anyway, is our orange tabby.  So, whatever logic in my mind that exists at three in the morning put together it was the cat biting my toe.
Mysteriously, once I was awake enough to make any sense of it, the complete nail of my big toe was sitting perpendicular from the now pulp surface upon which it once serenely sat.
Ouch applies here, big time.
Because infection is a major worry while undergoing chemotherapy, I quickly wrapped the wounded toe and dragged myself over to the local ED.
There a kindly physician everyone called Danny Boy shot my toe full of painkiller and very carefully ripped the entire nail from my foot.
Did I mention this was the big toe?  Did I mention ouch!!!
-30-

Update – Chemo

This is picture of the tin man that welcomed us to our son’s school play on Saturday night.

I thought it reflected very well how I feel after the fifth of six sessions of Chemotherapy. 

Parts out of place.

While I probably should have just taken the weekend totally off, even staid in bed, I refuse to let my life stop especially if the eventual permanent stopping has in anyway be accelerated by this.

During a previous time when I was taken out of the flow of life by a catastrophic event information I had gleaned from a book by Dr. Jonathon Miller, A Body in Question helped me substantially recover.

In the book, Dr. Miller mentions how a person when placed in the medical environment becomes a patient. As a patient they assume they are sick and therefore succumb to what they believe are the inevitable results.

I took that advice to heart and determined through dress and manner to be a guest of the hospital, not a patient.  Using the same perspective, I am determined to be guest of this cancer and not its supporter.

To get to the grit of what is happening today, the effects are worse, more pronounced and extremely annoying.  Now it’s time to get on with living as best I can with what I have.

-30- 

The Body in Question

Five of Six Tomorrow

Tomorrow is the fifth of the scheduled six chemotherapies.  I can honestly say I do not look forward to this.

From the other side of the coin I do.  This is the only option on the table.  In my considerable experience with the lack of options, I’ve learned it makes no sense to fret.

When the options are do or don’t and don’t is obviously the wrong choice it ceases to be one.  That leaves one thing to do. 

The word options no longer applies.

-30-

Balancing Act

 

The next week is going to be a balancing act.  The Chemotherapy number five is this coming Thursday.

There have been many things I’ve not wanted to do but had to because it was the right thing to do.

When “Do the Right Thing” is our family motto, it gives me little leeway.

However, I am truly not looking forward to going through this again.  It would be close to nine on the classic scale.  If you knew me well, it would concern you when I place something that high on the scale.  It concerns me.

-30-

Ahhh, Sun and Heat

For a moment there I thought I was having another hot flash but looked over at the YoWindow display on my Acer monitor and discovered it IS 86 degrees out there and that ambient light is actual sunlight.

If three of the medications I am taking didn’t have the explicit warning to “AVOID EXPOSURE TO DIRECT SUNLIGHT” and there was any hair left on my head, I might be inclined to go outside.

Anyone who knows me would say that would be a stretch even before this whole Lymphoma thing started.

I will admit, it has always been my policy not to go to the beach.  If I do find myself at the beach it is never without an umbrella of any size and a hat with a sizable brim.
--------
It was when I was this size and wearing that bathing suit, I was left to sleep on a blanket at Rye Beach in upstate New York.  It was under an umbrella but either the sun or I moved allowing my legs to be out in the sun for quite a while. 

Look at those legs!  Should they be exposed for any length of time to solar radiation???

Sun Poisoning or Photodermatitis  is what they called it.  Noxzema is what they put on it.  As I know now, cold water would’ve been a better treatment.  Let’s just say, these legs do not now, nor will they ever, be exposed to the sun for ANY length of time.

TMI, I know, but it’s Sunday afternoon & I’ve some time on my hand while Stephen Fry tweets his way from Heathrow to his London flat.
-30-

Fever Has Passed

Woke up at five and took my temperature again!
97.0 F.
Whew!  That was with Tylenol.  At 0830 it was back up to 98.0 without the Tylenol.  I think we can say the fever episode has passed. 

Now let’s hope the mouth lesions go away soon as well.
Over all, not too bad.
-30-