Magic Number Seven

Today begins session number seven. More than halfway done, so the countdown toward the final session can now begin. Let me try bullets as the way to cover a lot of ground. (Thanks, so much, for all my readers and comments. The phone calls, email messages and nice thoughts make this much more tolerable than it would otherwise become.)

• The sense of taste once returned on days five or six. It now leaves, and doesn't come back. Except for the basics of salt, sour, bitter, etc...nothing tastes different. Pretty boring.
• My sensitivity to cold, once the most noticeable side effect, runs much longer. Doesn't really leave me, but is tolerable after days eight or nine. First few days, any touch of cold is painful and yet quick to disappear with some warm water.
• Down two pounds since I began, so "You still look about the same" is the comment I hear the most. Hair hasn't left, either.
• Energy depletion is apparent. I run out of gas early on the first few days, and then it returns about day six or seven. Hard to get enough exercise when this is going on, but the golf game hasn't really suffered much. Confirmation that golf isn't really much exercise...!
• Folks at work are patient and understanding. Things there going well, we just need to write more new physicians. All ideas welcomed.
• Nate will be home tomorrow night, set to do some contract work with the Rose Festival promotions staff. Stay tuned for updates, he may be in a Gecko costume if he's not careful.
• All else remains the same. Big week next week, with graduation and lots of visitors from California. At least I'll be off the pump and feeling pretty well by the time people arrive.

Halfway Done!

OK....OK. My mood is better now. Judy was kind enough to come over on Monday night, when I was in the dumper, and it was just wonderful to sit and chat while the BBQ finished up. Tried out a new (gas) BBQ, which is a big switch for we Lompoc boys. It will need further practice between now and the various events for graduation weekend.

Session Six came to an end today with the removal of my little pump device. It isn't that difficult to manage around the pump, but dragging it around for 48 hours gets a little old. Leaving it at the Opium Den feels great, and it only takes a few seconds to pump it dry, remove the needle, and for me to walk out. So "days number three" are very nice, indeed.

Not much else to report. Got some jogging in tonight, courtesy of my friend Steve Glover. With his recommended book, which I think I've mentioned before, all my heel pain has disappeared. If ANYONE experiences joint pain, muscle aches that don't go away in time, or any other sort of chronic pain...please check out "Egoscue Exercises" on the web. The guy (Mr. Egoscue) has published several books, but you can learn more via the web, quickly. I'm back to running, walking without heel pain, and playing golf without worry. A good friend has taken it so seriously that his long term back pain is diminished...and he's checking out the local trainer for more assistance. It is absolutely amazing. Kudos to Glover, he's fixed my feet...and is the same guy who taught Nate about reflexive basketball exercises that allowed a six foot white guy to dunk...Maybe there is something in that Fresno State training and we give Steve such trouble about....after all.

Stay tuned. Week Seven will be upon us before we know it, and then all the activities for graduation. Once I get to session seven, I get to start counting down to small numbers...and that's when life gets really exciting. For now, gimme my five bucks back, the whining is over...

Five Dollar Fine for Whining...

That's a Chris LeDoux lyric, and he faced his own medical challenges that ended his life. So I shouldn't whine. But I'm sick of this stuff, and if I said anything else I'd be hiding from the dear friends who take the time to read my thoughts. Physically, session six began really well and feels fine. Mentally, the road seems long and winding from here--August seems farther away than four months.

My taste buds didn't really recover from session five. I got the taste of a little Asian food, some lemon drink during the week, and delightful curry that Judy added to some artichoke dip last night. Otherwise, everything ran together. I guess the answer is that I've lost my sense of smell...and get the basic taste groups of sweet, sour, bitter and salty. Anything else may as well be white rice with a topping of bad gravy.

I love the the nice conversations that take place when people call, so thanks for that. I'll try not to whine when it happens, but please understand that I'm plain sick of all this. Scheduling, planning, thinking about this stinking cord I'm attached to, making sure I don't catch it in the shower door...or the car door, or drop it on the floor and yank it out of my chest. Making people wait for work appointments because I don't want to bore new acquaintances with my infusion schedule. I continue to remember that many others are worse off than I, and that their challenges seem nearly insurmountable compared to mine.

If there is any good news, I'm crushing the golf ball right now. Judy and I played with friends last week, and it was odd to hit 12 fairways at 260-275 yards and NOT use my drive. Youngsters can really exploit new technology, and 35 is still young enough to make that happen. Steve Glover recommended some new irons. They are actually harder to miss than to hit well, apparently things have improved since I got my last irons 19 years ago. Imagine that.

I'll do better at recapturing all my blessings another time. For now...here's my Five Bucks...

ANOTHER Hotel Room??

I've been on the road for a week, thank goodness this isn't a chemotherapy week. I'm tired of hotel rooms and different remotes...why can't we all just get along and put the Golf Channel on the same location for every cable area? And how come the Weather Channel is all over the board?

The good news is that the weather in Portland is beautiful, my blueberries are blossoming, and the rhodies are popping out. Come visit sometime to see what a gorgeous world we inhabit.

All for now...next stop, infusion number six. Halfway to the finish line. On Monday, I get to see the new cancer center suite that I'm paying for...they are so delighted to have an additional patient to cover the cost of their move!

Session Five Complete!

After a tiring "day three" when the pump came off and I needed a lot of rest, I slept well overnight and can now consider Session Five complete. I will still watch my rest this weekend, which includes a business trip to Coeur d'Alene, Idaho. It may turn out that some appointments on Friday are overlooked, but this morning I feel really well. Some of that has to do with the lingering positive vibrations from Lizzie's weekend, I'm sure!

Here's an odd sidelight that may rank as "too much information" but may help understand how little things make a big difference. At my last visit, I mentioned that I was having a little trouble sleeping and that my mind raced all night when I was awake. Then, when I was indeed able to sleep, it seemed that I was gritting my teeth tightly while I was "on the pump," this made my mouth sore, and gave me a slight headache where my temple muscles had been tense all night long. (I don't usually get headaches in life, that would require my head to be fully active, and I can usually set things aside.)

Dr. Chang prescribed Ativan, the type of relaxation drug they typically give older individuals (like me, apparently) for aggravation...usually associated with heading into a nursing home, or having one's driving license taken away. I'm here to admit that I must be an older individual. I stopped gritting my teeth, so my slight headaches have disappeared. The poor mouth taste, which came about because everything was so compressed in my sleep, has disappeared, even though I still have no taste buds working on day four. That will return, as usual, around day six or so. All in all, better living through chemistry.

It is so restful to take them that I need to be careful and not get hooked on days 8-9-10, for instance, and just use them when I'm on the pump. But for now, Marky is a happy boy, resting even more when the pump is on, and looking forward to lying down at night...rather than tossing and turning for hours with CSI re-runs and the Golf Channel.

Thanks, as always, for the kind thoughts and phone calls. The support team is a huge part of this effort, and each of you know the role you play. Whether short calls from a pool in Orlando, or regular update checks along the way, I wouldn't be smiling as often if I felt like I was doing this on my own. Stay tuned for the announcement of the "support team party" at the end of the summer when I've completed round 12. I'd like it on everyone's calendar, and we'll have an announcement to make in another session or two so that you can plan ahead.

Yardwork, home chores, range balls and...!

then some exciting news for a lazy weekend! Young Billy DePriest left a message on my phone, and although I was anxious something may have been wrong, I had a feeling that I knew his intentions. (It was the first time he’s ever called on his own.) Unfortunately for Billy, I was rushing all over on Friday morning and asked…once I determined that nothing serious was amiss, if we could visit on Saturday morning at 8. At EXACTLY 8 am, the phone rang with young Billy, once again—seeking Elizabeth’s hand in marriage. I was relieved he didn’t ask for two goats and an acre of farmland. Just her hand, upon which he was prepared to deliver a sizeable momento of his commitment. About thirty minutes of stories and questions later, with joy in both our hearts and the blessing he sought, he headed off to ask Lizzie a few questions.

Within hours, she was on the phone to chastise her father for grilling her fiance’. Excited to fill us in. She happily agreed with his request, and spent the weekend calling across the country to share the news. Honestly, I didn’t mean to delay or disappoint either of them, and I’m proud of the way he handled himself. He’s a wonderful young man, with a terrific family behind him. Lizzie is a wonderful young woman, with a terrific family to support her future, as well. They are happy in the life they are building together, and passionate about their own careers. She had a tough week in the classroom, so the confirmation of their love for each other was a pretty special way to recuperate.

That’s the weekend that kicked off Round Five. I’m back on the pump, filling myself with chemicals. Nothing exciting to report on that end at present, I’ll post another note when the round is complete. It seems more "potent" this time around, as the chemicals build within my body and take longer to depart. That only means I'll need to monitor my rest through the week and not hit "the wall" at any point. But I still have my hair...

I finished in time to interview a new prospect for our sales team. We’re looking to add someone before the end of June…sooner if I can get the decision made earlier. We need to target significant increases in sales in the second half of the year, only possible if we add someone new to the team so we can cover the state of Oregon and expand into Washington with a vengeance.

Congrats to Billy and Liz! Good news excites dear old Dad, and gives us all something to anticipate over the next year as they make plans. No dates have been set, no locations determined. As she said on the phone, "We're just going to enjoy being engaged awhile before all the stress of a wedding arises." (...Kids...They get fun stuff like walks in the park holding hands, and I get the morning to scrub the mildew from the deck...along with a few other delightful home chores here on 'A' Street.")