It's Worth Repeating

Celtic shamrock irish flag 2 by ~PeAcE-88©2010-2012

Go bhfana í ngrá linn,
Iad siúd atá í ngrá linn.
Iad siúd nach bhfuil,
Go gcasa Dia a gcroíthe.
Agus muna gcasann Sé a gcroíthe
Go gcasa Sé caol na coise acu
Go n-aithneoimid iad as a mbacadaíl. 

One Way Or Another

Recently I purchased a bottle of vitamins. Naturally, I checked the expiration date on the bottle before I purchased them.

Break for funny story here. Once, when I was receiving an IVIG infusion, the nurse left the box that contained the bottle of chemistry on the table by my side. Naturally, I was curious about the composition and infusion protocol. After gaining that knowledge, I thought to myself, wouldn't it be funny if..... So, when my nurse was across the room, I asked (loud enough for everyone in the room to hear), "How long after the expiration date are you allowed to use this stuff?" I received a benediction from her and some funny looks from the other patients in the room. To this day, I insist it took the edge off of the mood in the room. My story, and I'm sticking to it.

Tonight, I was going through my cabinets and encountered some saltine crackers that had not been opened since the beginning of my alien sabbatical, three and a half years ago. Looking for an expiration date, I did not see one and thought I would try one of the crackers. The expiration date may not have been on the box, but after one taste, it was clear the crackers had expired.

I guess that was another sign that things associated with that time of my life are departing.

Ironically, the vitamin bottle pictured above displays the date when I will be considered "cured." When I noticed the correlation, I was telling someone that I had purchased something that is now in that window. Other things that I have purchased did not have expiration dates that far out. This bottle of vitamins does and it lets me know that the cure date is indeed on the horizon.

However, when talking to the individual I mentioned in the previous paragraph, I couldn't resist saying, "You know, either the vitamins or me could be expired by then." 

Dark humor, I know. But hey, sometimes you have to find the humor where you can.

The following is out of context, but it's not the first time words from this book have been used out of context. My usage is for fun. Not for judgement or derision.

The Lord will laugh at him, for he sees that his day is coming. - Psalm 37:13

Way Down Deep

Not really all that far does one have to go to extract bone marrow. Probably less than an inch.

Last Tuesday was the scheduled bone marrow biopsy for this round of follow up. If I calculate correctly, I have had 7 of them since November 2008 and only have 3 more to go between now and August 2014 (another one in 6 months and then only one in 2013 and one in 2014) when I will be considered officially cured of the alien invasion.

I was asked on Sunday if I had heard back from the results of the bone marrow biopsy. I replied that I hadn't and I normally don't worry about it unless the doctor's office calls me. If a week or two passes without hearing from them, all is well.

Remind yourself to keep breathing as you read the next part.

Monday, the caller ID on my phone indicated a call from the doctor's office. Before I could say anything other than "Hello," the medical assistant to my doctor said, "I'm calling you with the following message from your doctor. You have beautiful bone marrow." Immediately after that, the verbal hijinks began.

That's how it works for me. If they had paused and said, "The doctor would like to meet with you, can we schedule an appointment," there would have been anxiety.

However, being the pros that they are, they know how to make and deliver those calls before anxiety even has an opportunity to peek in the door.

First down at 10 at midfield....

I'll Have Another Round

This round of scans, bone marrow biopsy, doctor follow up - DONE!

Nothing to report other than another 6 months of being cancer free. What is left is the next round in 6 months and then it goes to yearly testing/follow ups after that. Only 3 more rounds left in the next two and a half years.

It's funny though, I can tell when people ask me, "How are you doing?", that maybe their real question is, "Has the cancer returned?" I had a couple of coughing spells in the last few months and a friend said to me, "I've noticed you have been coughing alot lately..." Given our familiarity, I replied with a snarky remark.

I was telling a retired nurse friend of mine about how I sense everybody still seems concerned about my health when I think they needn't be. She replied, "Let your friends be concerned for you and care about you."

I get it now. Nurses are so smart!

Over Easy

In case you want to go to the store and purchase a couple of bottles of what I had for breakfast today, I have included a picture of them as they appeared in my refrigerator this morning (yes it is kind of empty right now - only because I don't "stock" my refrigerator unless company is coming) so you would know what to ask for when you just have to have yourself a CT scan prep smoothie. I've gotten so I tolerate them pretty well. I started drinking them at 6AM and finished by 6:30. As you are not allowed to have anything to eat after 4:30AM (which I hadn't consumed anything since the night before), they put a hungry stomach to rest for awhile.

My main anxiety was about the IV stick (instead of having my port accessed as in the past). By now, I'm used to the whole needle thing, but due to some IV needle placement issues in the early days of all this, I'm not wild about the whole concept of an IV stick. However.....

The medical technician that did the stick today has to be one of the best. Small pinch....all done. That anxiety is now discarded. And, since I only have to do 3 more between now and August 2014, I can deal with it.

Next up, a follow up visit with the doctor next Thursday. Not so much anxiety for me between now and then. Here is how it works for me.....If her office calls between now and then and wants to set up another sort of test/scan, we have things to think about. If not, it's a "How are you. I'm fine. How are you? See you in 6 months and 'Oh yes, we need to schedule your next bone marrow biopsy'.." kind of meeting and we part ways until next time.

I feel good. I look good (it's objective, I know). 

Good enough.

Long Time Coming

I intended to post this picture several weeks ago, i.e. in mid-November. The reason it wasn't posted is that I seem to have misplaced the cable I use to transfer pictures from my camera to my computer. Could it be that there is still some chemo-brain lingering, or is it old age? Doesn't really matter.

I took this picture at Dutch Gap near Richmond VA on November 12. Earlier in the year, I took a kayak tour of this area and when this picture was taken, I was riding my bicycle on a 5 mile loop around the area. I stopped to rest and soak in the view. Ironically, 3 years earlier, on November 12, I was taking in another view while seated in a comfortable chair. I was watching the TV in the chemo room while the nurse began to administer my first chemo treatment. Even though I initially regarded that day as the beginning of something bad, I now look back on it with a different view.

Maybe the cancer diagnosis I was given was not the beginning of an end, but, like Christmas, the beginning of a beginning. I think of all the times I have heard, "Now that Christmas is over....." in the past few days. Maybe all of the tasks associated with the preparation for the events that occur on December 25 are indeed completed, but Christmas really isn't over. It would be the same as mining the ore, refining it, shaping it into pieces of steel, cutting those pieces into parts, assembling them into a car, filling the car tank with gasoline and then letting it sit in your driveway without ever driving it. 

The same with getting treatment for cancer. Sure, the process is cumbersome and for some folks completely awful. The point of it however, is not to die or look back on how hideous the process may have been, but to be able to....well, as I type this, I am listening to the voice of Boris Karloff...

"And they'll shriek squeaks and squeals, racing 'round on their wheels.

They'll dance with jingtinglers tied onto their heels.

They'll blow their floofloovers. 

They'll bang their tartookas.

They'll blow their whohoopers. 

They'll bang their gardookas.

They'll spin their trumtookas. 

They'll slam their slooslunkas.

They'll beat their blumbloopas. 

They'll wham their whowonkas.

And they'll play noisy games like zoozittacarzay,

A roller-skate type of lacrosse and croquet!

And then they'll make ear-splitting noises galooks

On their great big electro whocarnio flooks!

Then the Whos, young and old, will sit down to a feast.

And they'll feast! And they'll feast! And they'll FEAST! FEAST! FEAST! FEAST!" **

My friends, remember to feast - as a host and as a guest. That's what we do after Christmas.

** Text by Theodor Seuss Geisel, Bob Ogle and Irv Spector.

And To All....

The newspaper editor of whom I spoke in my previous post has this image on his website this week.

I am proud of him.

In this glorious Holiday Season, may you know which gifts can be placed in a box and which ones can not.