My Computer is Growing Hair

Another good day. I presume that is because I wore a red shirt. I almost wore a black one, but it was too itchy.

Some random notes:

I got my new passport this morning. It is good for 10 years. I was wearing one of my two best sport shirts for the picture. The interesting thing is that we had a new player at the club who was wearing the same shirt. I'll have to make sure that he does not steal any of my other shirts.

I have noticed recently that my computer has been growing hair. So has the bathroom sink. Dudley, my fellow colon cancer tennis player, has a similar problem, but he thinks it is because his hair is thinning a little. He has no imagination. Why can't a computer keyboard grow hair?

I picked up a report on my petscan today.  My amateur analysis is that the chemo is working in most areas. The research manager seems to agree. We will get the professional analysis next Tuesday.

Sometime when the research manager is telling me something and I am slow on picking up on what she is saying, she will say that I am not getting the point. Well, tomorrow I am going to fix that. I am going to call an acupuncturist. My email pal tells me that it is worthwhile in that it helps mitigate against some of the side effects of chemo. I'll let you know what I find.

Tonight? Baseball or Hockey? I've got to do something to fill the time between now and Cash Cab!

Another First

Today was a good day. Because no one who knows the shirt code was going to see me, I wore my favorite blue shirt.

Would you believe that the day started off at 7:00 am with a Wheat Grass shot, followed by eggs and bacon and finished off with half of an avocado.

The reason it was so early was that I could not eat for 6 hours before my 2:00 pm petscan.

I took all my pills and headed out to the tennis court. I actually played better than some times and the set ended in a tie.

Then it was off to get my blood work done. The results were ok, but it was the first time that I learned that I had wiggly veins. It took a little trying, some pain, but no crying, to get the vein nailed down.

We then went on to the pet scan. It is in the same building as the cancer center. I went to ask the welcome desk about whether we could use the first floor library while waiting for my appointment. I was shocked to find one of the club's bridge players sitting behind the desk. What was more shocking is that she is there every Tuesday and I have gone past her at least 8 or 9 visits and never noticed who was sitting there. Amazing. I guess I was so intent on dealing with the cancer thing that I never took notice.

For the petscan, they have to take more blood and then give me an intravenous injection. The technician tried the same wiggly vein with no success and went to the forearm. Guess what. Another wiggly vein. It took a lot of trying, more pain, but no crying, to get that vein nailed down also.

I then waited an hour for the injection to spread itself around my body (I was able to watch politics on a TV in my own private waiting room because the research manager was not there.)

Then 25 minutes, lying perfectly still with hands and arms above the head in a very cold room. My hands reminded me that I still had a little neuropathy.

After the scan is finished, they will give you a CD. With one CT scan and 2 petscans, I now have three hit albums.

It is hard to read these scans, but it appears that I still have all my organs.

The current campaign of the research manager is to get my body to be less acidic. As a result, I experienced yet another first........lemon in my water at dinner.

We got home. I had a short rest and then got up to watch a little TV. The research manager doesn't think we need a bigger one.

Cash Cab is coming up. "What do you say? Are you in?"

Tastes like Coke?

How can I characterize today?

It was a good day physically. I wore a red shirt and people noticed. Now I don't know if I should wear a shirt to reflect how I feel or pick a color to solicit comments on how good I look.

After that, things were a little tough. The stress of dealing with all this came to a boiling point and it took some effort and grace to get things back to a better plane.

The research manager has laid out what each day's diet should look like and I am committed to following that guideline.

The key is more fruit and vegetables.

It likely would have happened anyway, but this evening, I had an appetizer of avocado and then Brussel sprouts as part of dinner. Both actually tasted good ( I am slowly acquiring a taste for avocado).

After cleaning up from dinner, I snuck out of the house to go to the health food store (Earth Origins) to get a wheatgrass shot. This was my third one and it actually doesn't taste as bad as you would think. I even got a second one for tomorrow morning. Wheatgrass promotes general good health, helps generate red blood cells, provides energy, enhances immunity, battles cancer, helps detoxification and, just like avocado, will help promote world peace. (well, perhaps at least in our household.)

When I was checking out, I asked the girl if the wheatgrass shot tasted anything like coke. She wasn't sure. I told her that I would bet it didn't. She didn't take the bet.

Tomorrow is Pet Scan day. I am looking forward to finding out where things stand.

Even though I am certain that there will be improvement, I am betting there will be more chemo. Maybe the girl at Earth Origins will take that bet. I've got to monetize this thing somehow.

We need more and bigger ants

I apologize for the glitch last night. I was so excited about the chocolate cake studies that I forgot to click on Publish when I finished writing.

Today was a decent day. I felt pretty good and handled most of the morning breakfast/supplement routine.

I purposely left the avocado till the end after my shower. While in the shower, my phone rang and the research manager went to answer it. In doing so, she discovered the uneaten avocado and found a few ants expressing interest. She killed the ants and went on her way. When I found this out, I explained that I had hoped that the ants would have eaten the whole thing before I got around to it. They were obviously unable to do so.

I wore a yellow shirt today and not surprisingly, I was told that I looked good.

Now let me tell you about my new pill boxes. They have proved to be difficult to open. However, if you hit the right spot on the left corner of the box, it opens easily.

My new curcumin pill was the first resident of the Sunday box.

As we drove home, I was trying to open the box to extricate the pill when I thought that the research manager said "coroner." Apparently, she said "corner", but I was wondering which one of us would need a coroner as the result of the complex eating rituals that I am experiencing. I think you can figure this out.

When we got home, the baseball game was in the 9th inning. The research manager asked if I wanted to sit in the car till the game ended. It is a good thing that I didn't. The game went 15 innings.

I am tired just watching that long a game. I think that I will go to bed.

The news that I have been looking for

I woke up  this morning, peeked one eye out from under the covers and thought that today had good potential.

To start, the research manager said that my voice sounded better.

After breakfast, I got dressed to go play bridge and trying to be patriotic, I wore a red shirt. You know what that means? Yes.....I got a number of "You're looking good" comments.

Bridge went well and we even got to stop at Ha Long Bay afterward for some Har Gow.

We shopped on the way home and I laid down to rest during the last half of the baseball game, which Tampa Bay lost.

I woke up for dinner - more salmon and kale salad and then two helpings of the best ever blueberries and whipped cream.

But the highlight of the day, came about as the result of my passion for news. I was looking at articles on the WTSP web site and discovered this headline. "Is (sic) there really any health benefits in eating chocolate cake for breakfast?"

The article goes on to quote two studies one of which suggests that chocolate has positive effect on cognitive performance and your brain. The second argues that eating chocolate cake in the morning gives you all day to burn it off which is better than eating it at 9:00pm.

And, bear in mind, these studies were "peer-reviewed!"

The research manager has pointed out the to be peer reviewed probably means that they had a friend read the study.

It may be the same as staying at a AAA rated hotel, only to find that it is awful. Just because it is rated doesn't mean that the rating is good.

Gotta run. Publix bakery closes in less than an hour.

Note: I was so anxious to get to the bakery, that I forgot to hit "Publish" last night.

Chemo Life is an Adventure

I got an email today describing chemotherapy as being on a roller coaster.

The last few days have felt more like a submarine. Bowels and nausea reigned supreme.

But as we get to the end of the day, we may be on the way up again.

The research manager has exerted her influence over my food intake and also supplements.

This morning, I had eggs and we added a better brand of curcumin. For lunch, we added something called turkey tail mushroom tablets.

After sleeping for a good part of the afternoon, I mustered enough energy to go for a short walk.

The research manager come home from playing bridge with a laser focus on making sure that I was eating properly. She prepared a dish of salmon, crab cake and kale (plus?) salad for dinner. I was given a choice of eating it or being abandoned. Since I don't like rollercoasters, I was afraid of being abandoned half way up the hill and decided to eat the dinner. It was actually quite palatable.

After dinner, I was treated to a shot of wheatgrass (plus?) from the health food store. I even survived that.

All of this is meant to help get my vitals in line and beat back cancer. I sure hope it works quickly!!

Politics

I guess that yesterday was a precursor to what was going to happen today.

I slept till 10 and got up then only because I thought that I should.

We will discuss breakfast shortly.

I managed to stay awake long enough to get in the car to take Bob home and have a grilled cheese and tomato sandwich on the way back. I figure that the tomato is good for me and is palatable given that I have very little appetite. The tomato keeps the research manager sort of happy.

I got home about 2 and slept till 7.

I was still not exceedingly hungry and gave the research manager 5 things that I would eat for dinner, none of which fit into any of her diet fantasies. We settled on Annie's organic Mac and Cheese (apparently because she wanted some too!).

Now, I am watching bridge and waiting for The Amazing Race to come on. I think that I can stay awake till then.

Now about breakfast. I discovered this morning that the research manager is a politician. Promises made and promises broken. Last evening, she declared that I could do and eat whatever I wanted today. When I struggled out of the bedroom, I indicated that I was going to have either oatmeal or Special K for breakfast. She immediately said she had something healthy that she could put on the cereal. I demurred at this suggestion, but ultimately had to agree to try it. You have to try to keep research managers happy even if they act like politicians.

Not much to report

I wore one of my better shirts today. Perhaps it was because I did not tuck it in to facilitate Bob, but I did not get many "You look good" comments.

Most of the time it was "How are you doing?" or "You look tired."

I actually thought that I was doing ok. I had a good breakfast and did a few things before going to the club to run the game.

I had several offers of help in cleaning up after the game. Thanks to those who pitched in.

Andy drove me home and I must have been feeling a little tired because I declined a stop at Ha Long Bay for some Har Gow.

I got home and slept until well after the research manager got home from court. She got dinner together and I ate what I felt like, but we are obviously entering the I don't feel like eating anything stage. This will likely last through Thursday night or Friday morning.

As the game ended at the club, I looked at my phone to see an announcement that the bridge was closed. Wow, I thought, I didn't realize that they monitored our games at the club so closely.

When they announced later that the bridge was reopened, I realized they had been talking about the Skyway bridge all along.

When this is the best I can do at humor, you know that I am just a tad sub par.

I am now sort of awake and will attempt to watch the finale of Survivor. I don't know who will win in the television version, but I know who will win here in St. Petersburg.

New idea......I'll Start Smoking

My energy level continued this morning. I played tennis, then made a full breakfast in 15 minutes, did some email communications and left for chemo a little late due to what I got done.

Chemo went fine and Bob and I have been reunited.

The big news of the day is that my CEA level has dropped from 8.5 mcg/L to 4. This is a cancer marker. The nurse practitioner said that the drop is a good indication that the chemo is working.

The normal level is under 2.5. However, for smokers, the normal level is under 5.0. So, if I start smoking, my CEA level will be normal!

I bought a new pro-biotic a few days ago. The research manager was researching this new item this morning and found one rating that indicated it was useful for the reviewer's German Shepherd's stomach problems. Maybe this will arouse animal instincts in me.

Speaking of which, when we met at the clinic this morning, the research manager handed me a blue pill.

Don't get excited, it was a pill that she found on the ground under where she had placed her back pack. We were able to identify the pill as Danazol and someone is going to be a pill short for whatever they are treating.

A First for Me

This is getting boring. Not that I mind, but feeling good and energetic all day makes it hard to write an interesting blog.

However, tomorrow is Chemo Day and the fun starts all over again.

I did get a lot done today. The board meeting went well and we ended up playing bridge till about 10:00 pm.

May 22 is historically a day of firsts.

For instance, in 1843, the first ever wagon train left Independence Missouri for Oregon

In 1931, rattlesnake meat was first sold in Florida

On this date in 1933, the Loch Ness monster was first sighted.

In 1961, the first revolving restaurant opened in Seattle.

And now....in 2017,- the first time that Charles Gill ate a whole avocado in one sitting.

What is remarkable about this is that the feat was achieved while the research manager was not at home to witness the event, although I did take pictures to document the whole thing.

Brazil nuts and Kefir were also consumed without supervision. I must be crazy! Or maybe it is chemo brain.

Feeling Pressure

Thanks to my having mentioned it, I now feel pressure every morning to decide what color shirt to wear.

Take today. I mentioned to the research manager the problem and she suggested that I try black. So black it was. I learned that black goes well with my hair and therefore it looks good. If there is any significance, this is the third day in a row that I have felt on top of my game. It is really nice to be busy all day and not even thinking of resting.

And speaking of hair, I don't even have time to get my hair cut. This makes the research manager happy. She likes my hair long as do some other women at the club. It drives me crazy, but maybe it is worth it if it drives them crazy too.

We gave some thought to making this evening's dinner the Last Supper............before chemo ..... as there is a theoretical basis for fasting before chemo. The good cells go into survival mode leaving the bad cancer cells fully exposed to the chemo. At the last minute, we are deferring this strategy and therefore, there will still be food in my near future.

One final note. The selenium crisis is not abating. Today I learned that 400 mcg is the absolute maximum one should take in a day. 9 Brazil nuts gives you over 700 mcg and that is what I had yesterday. I thought that there might be some movement on a special prosecutor when I got a call from Washington today. However, it turned out to be a fundraising call.

I am betting heavily on another great day tomorrow. I have a board meeting at 4:00. I hope that they can keep up with my energy.

Scandals are brewing

Today was another exceptional day. Tennis, playing bridge, running a tournament game and two meals at Ha Long Bay and now I am home writing this note. Again no rest and not likely any until it is bed time.

The new thing for the day is finger bruising. I had two small red marks last night and got a few more today including one spot where I accidently hit my hand. They are not awful, but I feel it when a finger in question picks up salty nuts. Where are the platelets when you need them? Bring on the Polysporin.

Over night, we have added celery to the list of food that is good for me. I haven't had any yet today, but it will come soon. It helps in many ways, including providing good fiber.

Now let me tell you. The news shows and talking heads are going to forget about Trump and the Russians when this news gets out.

Scandal Number One - The Cover Up

I mentioned yesterday an interest in chocolate never thinking that there was an angle that would prove helpful to my cause. But it turns out that dark chocolate (or at least some dark chocolate and not the type that has milk in it that some people I know buy secretly when no one is looking) actually can be beneficial. However, it turns out that the research manager had discovered this quite some time ago and never mentioned it. Why was this covered up? I fear that the fruit and vegetable industry exercised undue influence on the research manager. Talk about the need for a congressional investigation.

Scandal Number Two - The Assassination Attempt

I had a smoothie this morning that the research manager made. I drank it and thought that it was okay.

Later, while playing bridge, I was offered some nuts and took three or four brazil nuts. The research manager sat there quietly saying nothing.

Can you say "Selenium Poisoning?" Apparently, I had already consumed 5 of those brazil nuts in my smoothie. And Brazil nuts are the best source of selenium, which is good for building up your immune system but in limited quantities. Too much selenium and you can die or something like that.

Thankfully, when I found three more Brazil nuts in a handful of nuts that I had taken, this potential overdose somehow came to light and I had to rely on the research manager's son to deal with the potentially fatal nuts.

Worth a special prosecutor in my books.

I am expecting a tweet from the president himself thanking me for being involved in a few scandals that will divert the attention of CNN and MSNBC.

If you don't hear from me some day, it could be because of the selenium or that I am too busy talking on the cable news shows. Or that I am appearing before a congressional committee.

It is a good thing that my energy is up. apparently peach colored shirts mean I feel good also.

No Rest

Today, I felt good all day. A fair bit of energy. Mouth sores gone.

In fact, I have gone the whole day with no rest. And I still feel good.

Talking about no rest. The research manager continues to astound me with her "no rest" continuing research work. She is leaving no stone unturned.

I am amazed with what she turns up. She ordered over $200 of more aids this morning.

I am still hoping she finds that magic article that must be out there somewhere. It is entitled "Chocolate Cake and Raw Cookie Dough can help cure cancer."

A handsome reward will be paid to anyone who can forward me a link to the article.

Here's to a good day tomorrow and chocolate in the near future.

Do you think that Chaga Tea and Chocolate sound enough alike to make a mistake?

I feel marvelous

Billy Crystal played a character who would say the he felt marvelous,  because when you look good, you feel good.

I really do feel good today. Played tennis, made breakfast, did chores, ran a 3:00 pm game at the club, went shopping and am now home, feeling good, albeit a little tired.

The research manager could tell by my voice this morning that it was going to be a good day.

Let me share an experiment that I have been running. How people perceive that I am depends on the shirt that I am wearing:

Blue polo shirt - not much comment
Yellow polo shirt - a limited number of "You are looking good"
Red polo shirt - significantly more "You look good" comments
One of my two best sportshirts - People might as well say "You look Marvelous!"

Just think what would happen if I wore a suit and tie. Hey, how about a tuxedo. I probably would feel so good that I couldn't stand it.

One quick note from shopping. We bought Epsom Salts which I use for soaking. As I was unpacking the bags, I noticed that one of the uses of the Epsom Salts is as a plant food supplement. My thoughts quickly went to my stomach flora. Wondering if this will help me produce enough mushrooms that I could harvest them and make Charlie Mushroom Tea.

The Amazing Race awaits. Goodnight.

Bright Side of Life

Today was a decent day. I have felt pretty good and had decent energy. I did a few chores this morning and then ran the game at the club this afternoon.

Something always seems to have some impact, however. Today it was my digestive system. For the second day in a row, I took Curcumin. For the second day in a row, my digestive system acted up. This evening, we had a court hearing on the matter and the judge and jury (The research manager), in a unanimous decision, have taken Curcumin off the daily menu. I was represented by the Guardian ad (almost) Nauseam.

By the way, my internet sources tell me that if you type curcumin in an email or blog, the word will be highlighted as not an acceptable word. Check it out. That should prove it right there.

With apologies to Monty Python, I have been thinking about the bright side of chemo. Sure there is some bad stuff, but think about these things:

1. You lose weight - about 20 pounds so far.

2. In my case, because of one of the chemo drugs, I will get eye shots less often.

3. When you have a few bad days, you will eventually have a good day and that feels great. It is kind of like living in Seattle (or Bainbridge Island - look that location up in your Funk and Wagnall's) and having a sunny day.

4. Most of all, if it weren't for chemo, I would not be doing this blog!

I will end with a question worthy of Cash Cab.  Consistent with the news of the past week, what country is currently the second largest reader of this blog.

The answer is .........Russia. Go figure.

How am I?

People often ask me how I am.. Actually, the question is "How are you?"

It is a question that is hard to answer.

It depends on the time of day, the status of my mouth sores, what is happening with my bowels and how tired I feel at any particular time.

In general, I am doing fine. Sure, I have better days and not so good days, but the general direction is good. Not surprisingly, I like the non-chemo weeks better than the chemo weeks.

Fortunately, I have some assistance in determining how I am doing. When someone asks the research manager how I am doing, I get to hear her perspective.

Usually, I think that I am doing better than she thinks, but she is probably affected by my growling about what I have to eat et cetera.

She puts up with a fair bit of growling. I guess that is why she calls me her bear!

Frustrated

This evening, I am frustrated.

After tennis and breakfast, we went to get my eye shots for my macular edema. Believe it or not, I had not even had my colonoscopy the last time that I got shots.

After the shots, I cannot see for an extended period of time and have to sleep. Today was no exception and I have not been able to see even close to properly until now. For someone that lives on texts and emails, that is frustrating.

As a result, I do not have much to report. The research manager says that I sound a little bit more vibrant, but that is all the news.

Two quick notes:

My eye shots are a drug called Eylea. In the early days, they used to use Avastin. A significant part of my chemo treatment is Avastin. As a result, my eyes were as good as they have ever been since I started getting shots about 4 years ago. The doctor indicated that as long as I get chemo, we can go longer without eye shots. I indicated that I would prefer to stop chemo and have more frequent eye shots, but apparently, the will not be the case for a while.

Finally, after my shots, I cannot see. The research manager has a marked limp due to hip and back problems. We call our walk out of the doctor's office, The Halt Leading the Blind.

More news tomorrow.

In praise of a mother

There are a number of people that are mothers that have some impact on my life. I am thankful for all of them.

I dedicate this blog to one of them.

The research manager clearly is the most influential by far. Since the discovery of my tumor less than 2 months ago, she has spent literally hundreds of hours researching all aspects of my treatment.

Because of her, I have added all of the following to my diet:

Chaga Mushroom Tea - thanks to a lead from a friend
Significant dosages of vitamin D
Vitamin C
Turmeric
Tomatoes at breakfast
Kefir
Probiotics
Significantly more salads
Significantly more fruit
Avocado
Brazil Nuts
Pumpkin Seeds

In addition, she was prepared with things like soft tooth brushes, sea saltwater rinse and disposable undergarments before I knew I needed them. She identified Infrared Sauna as worth investigating.

I am sure that there are other things as well.

And today, as a result of an email she received early this morning, we will be adding curcumin and pursuing Integrative Medicine and coordinating with Dr. Lavalley from Nova Scotia who has the largest database of supplements and drugs that can help various types of cancer.

All this while she has been managing three significant Guardian ad Litem cases.

I was asked early this morning, what was the only source of power that will never run out.

Apparently, the correct answer was brain power, but I said "will power."

The saying goes "Where there is a will, there's a way."

My Dad says "Where there is a Gill, there's a way."

Today, we can say "Where there is a research manager, there are many ways."

Thanks, Love.

Mouth Sores

I thought that I was doing okay today as it related to energy and then whammo, a complete power failure! Not me, silly. Our entire, mainly senior, community lost power. It was off for about an hour. Goodness knows how busy Palms of Pasadena maternity ward will be on Valentines Day next year.

While the power was off, I suggested to the research manager that we go down to Twistee Treat and, given my continued aversion to cold, get some room temperature ice cream. They didn't have any.

We did have a new development today though: Mouth Sores.

Apparently these little ugly creatures are part of the deal. There are a few things you can do, but so far, the saltwater rinse that the research manager purchased when this all started is helping.

But I am feeling sorry for my food now. Picture what it must deal with.

1. Get past my brain as acceptable food

2. Sneak past the mouth sores, including one on my tongue.

3. Land in my stomach to compete with all those vitamins, remedies and the mushrooms which are surely growing in my stomach (Remember stomach flora?)

4. Then undertake a perilous journey into the unknown.

Well, if you can't sympathize with the food, you can feel sorry for me. I might be able to milk this for something.

Every little thing gonna be alright

I may have outdone myself yesterday. Today was a day of rest. Late morning, big breakfast, a little activity in the morning and sleep/rest for most of the afternoon.

The research manager had to wake me to drive my to my 6:30 massage.

You can't be too careful with the bowel issues in my world which prompted me to take an extra par of Depends with me. This reminded me of Tanya's story of the little Japanese guy who had a seaweed massage with her. She gave him disposable underwear to put on and when she returned, he was wearing the pants on his head. I thought of doing that with my spare pair, but she already thinks that I am crazy.

I felt good after the massage, underscoring the fact that I feel much better when I am up and moving as opposed to lying down.

The highlight of the day was that the research manager managed to unclog the bathroom sink that got blocked. She battled this for about 4 hours over two days and finally won. She was elated. You can tell how exciting the day was!

Yesterday crowded out an important note. Yesterday was the anniversary of Bob Marley's passing. I wanted to mention this because one of the things on my bucket list is to get a Bob Marley tape, I bought one while on a cruise in the late 1980's. Soon thereafter, my dear son Grant took it and I have not seen it since. I hear that you can access such things on the internet now.

Tanya told me that the first song she learned on her guitar was "Three Little Birds."

Here is the chorus:

Don't worry about a thing
'Cause every little thing gonna be alright
Singing' don't worry about a thing
'Cause every little thing gonna be alright

My kind of philosophy!

Here is a link to a YouTube presentation of the song.

https://www.bing.com/search?q=bob+marley+three+little+birds&form=APIPH1&PC=APPL

Enjoy!

It Worked!

I am delighted. My strategy worked.

Not everything was exactly as planned, but it worked.

I woke up about 9:00 and announced that I was going to make oatmeal for breakfast because I could not drive myself to the restaurant. The research manager offered to make it and add healthy things on top, but I said, "Carol, I am having oatmeal, period."

It was then that the research manager realized that today, when much is out of my control, I needed to be in complete control of at least some things.

I stayed up the rest of the morning and went off to dump Bob. After saying goodbye to Bob, we stopped at Dunkin Donuts. I then came home and slept for about an hour, grabbed a Boost for dinner and went off to play bridge. and miracle of miracles, our team won!

So, I think we may have a winning formula.

The only possible concern is with my back up driver. The research manager was busy waiting for the stove guys to come to level the stove that was delivered last week and so once again, Suzanne come to the rescue.

However, I found out that she may have only agreed to do the drive because it went past the Seminole Community Library. where she wanted to go to pick up a book.

On the way back, she pulled into the library parking lot and left me in the car in the hot Florida sun. If the car was not under a shade tree and if she had not left the motor running and the air conditioning on, I could have suffocated.

That is not the worst of it. She placed the book in the back seat so that I could not see it. I suspect it was titled "Take Care of Yourself" with the sub title "How to politely decline requests for help."

It won't be that easy. I will still ask with sad eyes and a helpless look.

Hey, Cash Cab is on. I have to go.

The Plan for Tomorrow

Another good day with some elements that may affect tomorrow.

I did not rest till I got home from dinner. Felt decent, but tired.

However, the neuropathy is still present which makes for lukewarm food choices. As a result, food is less appealing and therefore, there is less desire to eat. We went to Sweet Tomato for dinner, but I ate limited amounts of everything.

And so, we come to the challenge of tomorrow when these feelings are more extreme.

Let me tell you about what happens at night when I go to bed. We go to sleep with the TV on. The research manager lets me watch whatever I want because within 3 minutes I fall asleep and she can switch the channel.

Another sleep factor is that when I wake up, I feel lousy until I get up and moving. That usually means tennis. Bob makes that not possible.

My first choice for tomorrow is to find one of the anesthesiologists that gave me Propofol in one of the previous procedures and get them to administer enough that I can sleep all day.

Failing that, here is the plan.

1. Wake up at a decent time and start moving immediately, likely taking Bob for a walk.
2. Go out for breakfast and order whatever I feel like.
3. Come home to relax and read until it is time to take Bob home.- No sleep.
4. Eat whatever I feel like on the way home.
5. More reading and relaxing
6. A short nap
7. A light dinner of whatever I feel like.
8 Go to play bridge and eat the blueberry muffins that Sheryl has promised to make.
9. Come home and celebrate a successful day 3 by falling asleep.

I know this sounds simplistic, but the key factors are to keep moving, limited napping and eating only what I feel like.

This strategy may be anticlimactic for those that have been eagerly anticipating it, but I think it will work.

I'll let you know tomorrow.

Amazing Day

It is amazing how well today has gone. I think is a good precursor to what will happen on Thursday, the historically dreaded day. Tomorrow, I will reveal my strategy for that day and I look forward to seeing the results.

The research manager went off to court and things went longer than planned. As a result, "heavy foot" Suzanne stepped in and got me to my appointment in record time. She claims that it is because of the shortcuts that she takes since she only drives the speed limit. Hmmm, maybe she could come up with a shortcut for chemotherapy.

Usually when I check in at the center, they check my blood and the research manager monitors the results. I have no idea how they managed without her there to help them this morning. My counts were acceptable, but could improve in a few instances.

While my blood was being taken, I noticed one of the other technicians eating what appeared to be carrots. However, on a closer look, they were Cheetos. That sounded like a good example and so when the nurse came around later offering Cheetos, I had to say yes, particularly since the research manager had not arrived yet.

The chemo went fine and finished in time for us to come home for a few hours. I rested about 45 minutes and had one of the research manager's smoothies for dinner. It was pretty good and I think it energized me for the evening while running my favorite game of the week at the club. Ingredients? Almond milk, cacao powder, banana, blueberries, flax seed powder and unsalted sunflower seeds

On the way home, we had an advance on the burp/belch discussion. Is a hiccup something different? It turns out that burping and belching deal with excess air, while a hiccup is an involuntary muscular contraction of the diaphragm. Where else can you get this knowledge?

The only side effect that I can feel at this minute is my sensitivity to cold and a slightly drippy nose. After two days with no shower (thanks, Bob!), I am sure that my body will have it reversed. My feet will smell and my nose will run.

Off to bed! Cash Cab beckons.

What Can I Say?

Today was a totally normal day and as such, there is virtually nothing to talk about.

The next three days will be less normal and I am gearing up for that.

Having had two sessions of chemo already, I know a little bit better what to expect and I am strategizing on how to deal with these days, particularly Thursday. To heighten excitement and anticipation, I will not divulge my thinking yet, but I anticipate getting through Day 3 in much the same way that I get through Days 1 and 2. A lot has to do with food and attitude. We can do this!

I found out today that Infrared Sauna treatments can include something called Chromotherapy as opposed to Chemotherapy. What other Ch- therapies are there? Chocotherapy. Chuckletherapy. And the hardest to deal with, Charlietherapy.

We had brussel sprouts for dinner. Great recipe with butter and garlic done in a fry pan. This is Charles Gill talking. The one who used to say that he would eat anything as long as it wasn't green. Who could have predicted that?

Time to go for kefir and chaga mushroom tea before I  watch Cash Cab as I settle in to bed.

It may not be the life of Riley, but it is the life of Charlie and that's not bad.

Relaxing Day

Today was a very relaxing day.

The research manager left for her meeting about 7:30 and the weather was so nice that I went for a walk.

I then took myself out for breakfast and was early enough that I was able to take my time which allowed me to read some of one of the new books. It is political in nature, which I, unlike the research manager, love.

I got the car gassed up and went through the car wash, returning home to take it easy.

Relaxing and de-stressing is something that helps in the healing process and I enjoyed taking it easy, not so much resting as just taking it easy.

I spent part of the afternoon watching bridge, watching the Rays (Not so relaxing!) and cleaning off my desk which was weighed down by reports from the research manager.

There are two research items that I will mention.

The research manager has determined that infrared saunas would be good for me......detoxifying and all that. There may be a few at spas in the area and I definitely am interested in checking that out.

The second is that I find myself burping a little more often on some days. This occurred most recently on our way to Ruby Tuesday. The research manager mused about the difference between a burp and a belch. Since she was driving, I was able to research this myself. Answer: The Mayo Clinic says that there is no difference. This is important stuff.

Did you hear me mention Ruby Tuesday? Yes, I actually was brave enough to go back to the site of the arti "choke". We took our own avocado and worked it into our salads. Cool, eh?

One final note. While waiting to go out for dinner, I had about 90 minutes. I found MTV was running songs from movies preparatory to the MTV TV and Movie Awards show. I listened to that and read my book. Yep. I find MTV music relaxing because I, unlike the research manager, enjoy the music.

So, politics and "pop" music are two major differences in our tastes. Hey, opposites attract!

I'm going back to relaxing. See you tomorrow.

A good, but very long day

Today began with tennis at 8:00 and has just now ended at 11:30 pm after a Kentucky Derby party at the club. I feel tired, but fine.

I promised you a report on Kefir. To tell the truth, it is not all that bad. I can deal with this - about six ounces a day.

The research manager has advised me that it is good for my stomach flora. I didn't even know that there were plants and flowers down there. My guess is African Violets and I am hoping that there are no roses since they have thorns.

Seriously, it boosts immunity, fights allergies, improves digestion and battles cancer.

From time to time, the research manager advises me of important health facts. When I walked into the room at one time today, she muttered that moldy bread is not good for me. I am sure I will soon learn that contaminated pond water is also not good for me.

You may be aware that the research manager has limited me to one set of tennis each day. Just before noon today, she told me that she was happy that I have felt so good the last three days. In response, I told her that I was happy that I had played two sets of tennis each of those days!

So, now it is off to bed. I think that tomorrow (Sunday) will be a quieter day for me. But the research manager is leaving at 7:00 am for a Guardian ad Litem appointment.

Kefir

Interesting day.

The research manager left early this morning for a bridge game while I was playing tennis.

The good news is that I had a morning largely to myself, but for the delivery of our new stove, which I thought I handled well, thanks in no small part to the professional installation team sent by Best Buy.

That was kind of like a birthday present. We patients sometimes feel like we are being held hostage by our caregivers and so a morning of freedom is good news.

The bad news? That is easy. It means that the research manager is free to go and buy whatever is the latest item on her list. When she was two hours late getting back, I knew something was up.

What was up was kefir. I will report on this item tomorrow after I try it out.

When I first heard about this, I thought of Kiefer Sutherland and there are parallels.

Kiefer is Canadian. I am Canadian.

Kiefer starred in the TV program "24" about protecting the president. The research manager works to protect me from myself 24/7.

Kiefer just released a country album called "Down in a Hole" - Enough said.

One of the songs in the album is "Calling out your name" about a painful separation in his younger years. I think if I had separated from some of my earlier eating habits, I would be better off.

So, kefir it is.

Chemo Carols

Another good day. After tennis, the research manager went off to play bridge and I produced my breakfast extravaganza of eggs. pills, tea and fruit. I stayed at my computer watching bridge until about 1:00, had lunch (toasted/heated tomato and cheese open face sandwich - my mom called them "favorites", possibly because her favorite child liked them).

I  went shopping and came home for a brief rest. I then made dinner and we went to play bridge.

I got an email from a "Carol" that made me realize there is more than one Carol in my new chemo life. We can develop a whole new set of songs that we will call chemo carols.

Carol - the research manager - The Research Manager looked out on the feast of health food

Carol - the tennis player, monitoring my playing time - O, tennis ball, O tennis ball, how lovely is your bright hue

Carol. but with an "e" - buys food for the bridge club - Hark, the  bridge club players eat

Carol - from Canada - who admonished me to follow all the instructions that my health care providers give me - You better watch out, you better not sigh, you better not pout etc.

Carol from Canada tells me that she will pray for me and that Canada is closer to God. I am sure many agree with her

Speaking of prayer, I am glad that someone called Charles Gills was the beneficiary of many prayers last week, due to a misprint in the St. John Catholic Church prayer list. I look forward to benefitting this week, when they have decided to stop praying for him and to pray for Charles Gill.

People have been praying for me since the day I got an appointment with the gastro doctor. How can I not feel good?

Milking It

Note: Some of the facts in this blog have been changed in the interest of the story.

What a day. Couldn't summon the energy to get out of bed till after 9:00 am. Took an hour and a half to make and eat breakfast. Nausea. Diarrhea. Sensitivity to cold. Headache.

I wonder what would happen if all of the above were true?

The truth is that today was the best day yet. I did take till 10:40 to eat breakfast, but after that, the day was great. I ran the game and cleaned up afterward (without the wonderful help I usually get from David, who was at a funeral.)

Then I went shopping at three stores, including a major grocery shop and  came home to cook dinner. I then cleaned up afterward. The research manager had gotten drafted to work on a case that was in the headlines this morning and was buried in work.

Despite how good I felt, someone was actually willing to bend down and tie up my shoelace when it was undone.

Boy, based on that, I could milk this thing for a lot if only I felt even a little bit worse! I'll have to work on that. Of course, I will not have to work too hard a week from tomorrow, the dreaded third day of chemo. And I am committed to not going anywhere that day. I even expect to banish the research manager. So, there will be no one around to milk on the day of the greatest opportunity.

Oh, well. I think that I would prefer to feel good most of the time.

Surprise

A good day, all round. Tennis, breakfast, shower, rest and then blood work. My white cells are in an acceptable range, but are down from a week ago (which was pre chemo). So please email me any white cells that you have laying around.

Now, let me tell you. When I was 18, I had a summer job as Sports Director at an Adult Bible Conference Grounds. If I recall, the primary duty of the Sports Director was to rake and roll the clay tennis court.

In any event, one Friday afternoon, I took a late afternoon break and went canoeing with one of the waitresses, with whom I was acquainted. We took a picnic dinner and paddled over to an island. Docking, we scrambled up the hill on the island and found a spot for a picnic. Before you knew it, it had gotten dark and we had trouble finding our way back to the canoe. So much trouble, in fact, that we both fell over a 6 foot cliff and got bruised limbs and egos.

How did it get dark so quickly? I guess you would say that we had been messing around.

And that is why, I was interested in hearing the research manager suggest that we mess around after I got  my blood work done at 3:00. We did not have to be at the bridge club until 6.

Leaving the cancer center, we went to a doctor that the research manager wanted to meet as part of her guardian duties. Then we had to check out two health food stores looking for quality vitamin E.

By then, it was time enough for dinner and ended up at Sweet Tomatoes, which is a cool place. The research manager suggested that this gave us time to eat slowly for whatever reason. We ate slowly. We lingered. I was even able to get a mini-ice cream cone. She took a call, sent an email and finally determined that we could leave.

We got to the club, but she wanted me to wait while she checked yet another email. Finally, we got out of the car and went to the club to be greeted by a happy group and a table full of food (mostly healthy) to wish me a happy birthday. I  got the sense that something was up toward the end of the afternoon, but truly had forgotten about my pending birthday.

It was truly a surprise. A different surprise ending to messing around. Of course, the messing around was different also.

Vignettes from another good day

Pretty decent day today. I just love the "off" weeks. I started with tennis and ended with bridge with some errands and sleep in between.

Just a few vignettes.

One of the research manager's other talents is editing. Apparently, I have created alarm in her sister's family with my comment about liquid smoke. They use liquid smoke in a nut treatment that they call "Grandpa's Nuts." So now they are looking for alternatives. The research manager went back to look at what I had said and in looking at that day's blog told me that I did not need a colon before a phrase that I had used. I told her that without the colon, there would be no blog.

She then was reviewing a list of foods that satisfied her perceived need for me to have vitamin K, whatever that is. She read off a list of items and then said quietly, "We'll skip that one." I suspect it was ice cream or some such delightful food.

My big errand this afternoon was to send off my application to renew my passport. I had to get two pictures to go with the application. The research manager commented on how good I looked as I left. I was not sure what form of looking good she meant. (see yesterday's blog).

When the photographer took my picture, it showed up on the screen along with several others. I jokingly asked if I could use one of the other pictures. His reply? I swear that this is true. "Some of them look better than yours."

Crushed, I told him that he would make it into my blog. He explained that he was talking about the women's pictures. I guess I feel better.