Coming Soon

Another early blog. I have a busy early day tomorrow.

I felt pretty good today. I went out to play tennis and we won 5-5 due to closing momentum.

Some of you will be happy that I got a haircut after a good breakfast. (Avocado, spinach and egg.)

We then headed up to the cancer center to get my potassium infusion.

On the way, the research manager, who always drives, asked me if I was picking my lips. I could truthfully say "no" as I was picking the things on my lips!

The infusion went fine, but it was a boring two hours.

By the way, things have "firmed up" digestively.

On the way home, we were driving south approaching a McDonalds which had a sign saying "New - Brownie Sundae." The research manager suddenly hit the brakes and I got excited until I saw that the stop light had turned red.

After a brief rest, I headed out for a massage. It felt good. However, I wonder what was wrong with my generation.

My therapist works 2 1/2 days per week. She graduated in the spring in Physical Therapy and took a cruise to celebrate. Now, she is theoretically looking for a second job, but hasn't really started looking yet.

I started working full time the day after I finished college and haven't stopped yet.

Tough Life for these Post Millennials.

Speaking of life, I am starting to form my thoughts for a blog this weekend called "The Simple Life."
Don't miss it.

Root Beer and Ice Cream

I am posting this note earlier than normal so that I can have a relaxing evening. I have multiple TV options, particularly since the research manager is out for the evening.

Today has been a good day. I felt good all day. A true red shirt day.

I sort of played tennis. Not even the best player could have helped me today.

I did the full breakfast routine and went off to do major shopping for the bridge club. I have not been to Sam's Club for quite a while and it was good to check things out there.

I enjoyed an afternoon of bridge and helped clean up.

Just as I was leaving, I got the call that I was waiting for from the cancer center.

The good news: My CEA reading was 2.0, down from the most recent 2.5. That this number has dropped further into the "normal range" is a good sign, given that I just went 5 weeks with no chemo.

The bad news: My potassium level is still very low. As a result, I have to go to the center tomorrow for a 2 hour infusion of potassium.

It is thought that the diarrhea has been a big factor in this potassium crisis (it is serious - there is a major heart risk). The bowels seem to be inching in the right direction and so the combination of the infusion and some digestive improvement will hopefully help right the ship.

Life is a voyage and we are weathering these rough waters, trying to stay afloat. Hmmm, I wish I could have a root beer one.

I might be falling for her

Today was a decent day.

I woke up in time to play tennis.

My tennis strategy is to show up looking a little tired and weak. That way, when we draw for teams, they always adjust things so that I am playing with the strongest player. Not a bad plan, eh?

There is some truth in the weakness thing, however. I am concerned about falling and so move a little more tentatively than I did BC. (Before Chemo). However, I am rethinking this. On Saturday, one of the men fell and one of the women immediately ran and took one of the other woman's Arnica Lotion so that she could rub it on his thigh and allegedly other places! Hmmmm...maybe I should think about falling.

The rest of my day was kind of green. Avocado, wheatgrass, spinach, salad, along with other generally healthy food.

I had blood work done today...the numbers were predictable, but my red blood cells are down a little.

They also did a CEA sample. It will take a few days to get that result, but I am anxious to see how it comes out.

It is almost 11. Guess where I am headed.

Evacuations

I felt good for most of the day today.

I woke up in time to play tennis. I won the set 6-2 and scored the final point of the game. My partner? Oh, yes, I had a partner. He happened to be the best player, but he was coming off an injury. So, I won 6-2!

Speaking of speaking with a soft voice, which I was doing yesterday, I have noticed something about some tennis players. When they are winning, they announce the score as 4-2, but when they are losing they announce the score as 2-4. When I am losing 2-4, I announce it as 4-2, hoping to negotiate a 3-3 settlement, It doesn't usually work, but it is worth a try.

The bowel issue continues to plague me. It causes stress and consternation in my daily life, particularly tonight. That is certainly the way I feel this evening. I think the officials in Houston are doing a far better job at dealing with evacuations than I am. I am feeling down as a result and my voice is all but gone.

Time for my evening soak and a few minutes of Cash Cab. Playing tennis made me feel good this morning and I want to do it again tomorrow.

Grumpy

Okay, it is time for the truth.

Some days, the research manager wakes up Grumpy, However, other days, including today, she lets me sleep.

I kind of felt grumpy all day, not bad, just grumpy. I wore a red shirt to fool people.

After navigating a regular breakfast with avocado and eggs, we ended up at the bridge club, running the game. Things went well and my digestive system was under control.

Admittedly, one of the problems that I have this time round is dry mouth, despite the use of Mu-Gard (for mouth sores) and Biotene (for dry mouth.) This is particularly true at night.

The other issue is that my voice is weak. While this can be a disadvantage, it also has good points. For example, I can say something like "You're crazy" and when asked what I said, I can say something like "That's wonderful" and they never know the difference. That way, I feel good about having expressed how I feel and they feel good about what I didn't really say!

We stopped to do a shop on the way home. I got to pick up the things that weren't cold.

I had a good sleep after we got home and woke up with.....dry mouth.

Now, I am eating chicken noodle soup and waiting for the research manager to fall asleep so that I can switch to the Video Music Awards.

Chemo Consequences

He crawls out from under the rock, wondering if the storm is over. No, not Harvey.......the post chemo storm.

He begins to feel a little better, feels like eating a little food and actually has a few scintillas of energy.

Life is not perfect, but there is hope that there will be some life in the future.

I actually kept all my food and pills down and generally managed life, including doing a few errands.

The interesting thing for me is that anything associated with visits to chemo retain an negative vibe. I have to wear a sports shirt with buttons to allow access to my port. I used to like each of those shirts, but now, I don't like them.

I use a small gym bag to take things to chemo. I now hate that bag. I used it tonight, but didn't want to.

The big news of the day is that the research manager got an excited call from her brother describing a "bidet" that can be added to your toilet (well.....our toilet). I have never heard him so animated. We will check this out. I have always wanted something that will do my bideting!

A personal note. My father turns 90 this coming Wednesday. There is a big party for him tomorrow. A victim of chemo is that I cannot be there. Happy Birthday, Dad.

Control of the Television

Today was a little bit better than yesterday ended up.

I slept till about 10 and took it easy when I got up.

The research manager left to go play bridge and I ate a little of the chia pudding that she made last night. It was actually pretty good. The only thing that concerns me is that small green sprouts are appearing in the baldish spot on my head.

I slept/rested for most of the afternoon, but texted the research manager to bring home a chicken pot pie for dinner. It tasted good and I got all my pills down successfully for the second time today.

Tonight, we have a good example of how to deal with TV remote control battles. The research manager is usually tired after dinner and lays on the couch and falls asleep. That gives me the opening to switch to the baseball game.

However, when I determine that it is time to go to bed, I lay down and am asleep in three minutes (literally!). That allows the research manager to quickly switch to her choice of television, usually Investigation ID.

I worry about this. On Investigation ID, someone usually gets murdered by some unusual means and I am worried that the research manager is looking for ideas. So far, so good, however.

My one protection is that she likes Cash Cab as much as I do and therefore, if I fall asleep during Cash Cab, there is a chance that we stay on Cash Cab and Investigation ID will not be spouting out any evil ideas.

Oh.....she is asleep.....time to switch to the ball game!

A New Experience

Today was not a red shirt day.

I felt very tired this morning despite a decent night and was not very hungry.

I managed to down a banana and some scrambled eggs and went back to bed. I got a call to say that the results of my blood work from Monday were ready and, other than the potassium deficiency looked good. I agreed that we would pick up a copy of the report when we went to drop off Bob.

The numbers did look good. However, my D is still a little low.

The interesting thing is that I was worried that my cancer markers might have increased with a 5 week holiday from chemo. However, the CEA marker was actually down from the 2.5 previous reading. While the test may not be entirely comparable given that it was done by an outside lab, I regard it as good news and evidence that things are under some control.

We stopped at a new (for us) store on the way home called Earth Fare. It is a great health food store on the site where we used to go for a Chinese food buffet. I had a grilled cheese and tomato sandwich for lunch and we picked up some needed items..

I got home and went to sleep for another 4 hours. When I awoke, I did not feel like eating anything, but ultimately settled on some apple sauce. An apparent mistake. When I then went to have a banana so that I could take my pills, I threw up for the first time since I started taking chemo. A new milestone!

So, I am going to take it easy, watch America's Got Talent and take a few anti-nausea candies.

This morning, the Research Manager told me about various diets. I recall one in which you eat meat alone. I guess your spouse has to leave the house when you eat meat.

I think the Research Manager would like to have left the house when I was throwing up.

But she is still here and I am glad.

Thank Goodness for Steroids

A decent day.

I had a good night, albeit with Bob, the pump. I was up only once.

Because of dealing with the pump and having a strong aversion to cold immediately after chemo, the research manager made a great breakfast.

She then left for what was either a "cut right hair cut" or a "cut rate hair cut". I wasn't sure what she said. Perhaps it was both, but it looked good and she was happy.

I got a fair bit of work done while she was away, I sent my car off to the car repair shop for a new battery and an oil change. I did some club work and prepared to mail a few cards.

When the newly shorn research manager returned, we headed off to the club.

It was an active day at the club. I was told that I looked good. This is one of the great things about chemo. They give you steroids and so you can wear a red shirt on the second day with confidence. We returned home and picked up my car on the way.

The research manager then headed off to play bridge in one of her marathon games and I was left at home.

I am told variously to keep active and to rest. Since I was active all day, I chose largely to rest and watch the baseball game.

And so, I am writing this note a little earlier than normal, hoping to get a good night's rest.

We'll see how things go tomorrow. It is the dreaded third day.

Potassium Problems

Another interesting day.

In general, I felt pretty good as I went off for chemo

All of my numbers were good with the exception of my red blood cell count. It was slightly low and we will keep an eye on this between now and next week. After a tough start this morning, the research manager was happy with blood and urine results.

While getting chemo I got a call from my endocrinologist telling me that my potassium was really low. It was 2.5 down from 3.1 at the ER last Monday. 2.5 is dangerously low. Low potassium can be caused by diarrhea. As a result, I now have 2 horse pills to take every day. Yes....I know.....I am a Charlie horse.

Meanwhile, the eggs in a carton controversy is gaining momentum. I received a suggestion from England to keep the eggs in a bowl and number each one with an even number. That way, odd numbers would not be apparent.

Another seems to involve stacking the extra egg in the middle of the carton between two eggs, I briefly saw a picture, but did not absorb it. At this point, I like the idea of making a few muffins with the odd egg. But then, as may be obvious, I am an odd egg.

Collapsing Veins

Today was a decent day. I got a straight 4 1/2 hours of sleep and then another 3 and then 2 more. I got out of bed at 9:30, just in time to shower and head off to my annual physical. Who would have thought of adding a physical to the mix of appointments that I have?

The doctor got caught up to my status and did his normal annual physical thing. It turns out that I am still alive and kicking.

He offered not to do the normal blood work since I have had so much blood work done, but his testing is the only one that tests for vitamin D deficiency. On my last physical, I was low in vitamin D, which should have been an indicator of problems such as cancer. The research manager also wanted to test for enzymes given my gut issues. so I said, "let's do the tests."

Well, that proved to be interesting. We tried my left arm, but that came up dry. Then we probed my right arm to no avail. I previously have had wiggly veins due to lack of hydration, but this time, it was collapsing veins because they have been poked so often. The technician said that she could feel scar tissue. Finally, we defaulted to my forearm and hit pay dirt. The blood came out slowly, but 4 vials were collected.

I went on my way, had a late lunch/breakfast since I had to fast for the blood work and did some errands.

After a short rest at home, we headed off to a board meeting and to play bridge.

I must confess that resting and being busy are both good, but it causes me to be not very well organized as it relates to diet. Sometimes it seems that I can do nothing right in that department. I know at least one person that agrees with that assessment.

Cash Cab awaits. Good Night.

No Sweat

Today was a decent day. I wore a red shirt.

I had not many problems after a two interruption sleep. I slept in till about 9 and then got rolling.

We made it to the afternoon bridge game and all went well.

The research manager is looking at diet issues trying to deal with the diarrhea. Sometimes, the diet thing makes my head spin. I have seen ventriloquist dummies whose heads can turn all the way around. Mine is not quite that bad.

I have discovered Essentia as a hydrating water. It tastes good and has no sugar.

However, I learned something about another hydrating item that causes me concern. Apparently, coconut water comes from immature coconuts. I have seen immature people do all kinds of crazy things. Just imagine what immature coconuts can do with their water. What might they possibly put in it as a joke?

Athletes use it after they sweat a lot. So, if I don't want to drink coconut water, I just won't sweat!

However, you try enquiries (inquisitions?) from the research manager about things like Brazil nuts and Kefir without sweating even a little bit. It is all for my good and it has been successful, but it is in my genes to give her a bit of a hard time.

7 pounds

Today was a much better day, eventually.

I had a good sleep. I went to bed early only had to get up once, albeit for almost an hour.

I did manage to "play at" tennis this morning. My partner said that he had played "pitiful" yesterday. I would have said "pitifully" and assumed he was using Georgia talk. Then I found out that he had played against his wife. You figure it out.

I went out just before noon and spent three uneventful hours doing errands. I bought so much stuff that I had to use a cart to carry everything up to the condo.

I am getting a little stronger and seem to have more control. I have now gained 7 pounds since Monday. I think that I will be ready for chemo on Tuesday.

I am sorry to report that the odd egg epidemic is spreading. After making a cake today, it was reported than an odd egg was left. To date, there is no known vaccine for this problem.  I am thinking of starting a service to match up odd eggs. It will be called Eggharmony.com. Meanwhile, list your odd eggs on Craigslist.

Cash Cab is on early tonight. I will watch for a while and then get to bed early for hopefully a good night's sleep.

Odd Eggs

Today is ending up ok. I wore a red shirt in anticipation.

Morning came early after a late night and a 6:30 wake up call.

We had to be at the club early for a seminar. In the midst of this, the diarrhea continued, but by early afternoon, things were more under control.

This morning I got a follow up call from Dr. Borislow's assistant Ruth. She is so good, that I call her Dr. Ruth. She reiterated the Imodium/Miralax plan and off she went.

We are a bunch of old geezers at the club and many of us have complaints. My dad used to experience this in church and he would call it an "organ recital."

I have received a complaint. Someone has taken to heart my preference for an even number of eggs in the carton and wonders what to do with the odd egg. Obviously, better planning would be in order. Cook three eggs instead of two.

If, however, you end up with an odd egg, I know a few odd eggs at the club and I could match them up for you. Alternately, crack it over someone's head for comic relief. I have seen it done on television and some people think it is funny.

Meanwhile, my weight gain is up to 5 1/2 pounds and I am gaining strength. I may even try to play tennis tomorrow.

100 pounds?

This will be a short note as it is very late and I need rest.

The day was decent. I slept in and after a leisurely morning, went off to do a few errands.

I cooked dinner and we went to play bridge.

I have decided to proceed with chemo this coming Tuesday rather than waiting two weeks. That was the doctor's original recommendation and I am recovering fairly well. In fact, I have gained 4 pounds in the last two days. If I continue at this rate, I will be back to my 1997 weight in 50 days.

I have a feeling that chemo and diarrhea may eliminate that as a concern.

I will continue to take Pedialyte, rest and eat as much as I can to be ready by next Tuesday.

I continue to get nice emails, notes and cards. Thanks for all your encouragement.

Labels

Today was a red shirt day. I felt stronger, gained three pounds in the previous 24 hours and things were under control.

One of the things that seems to have helped is Pedialyte, which boosts electrolytes. At first the research manager was skeptical about this item, but it passed when compared to Gatorade.

The research manager is very vigilant about labels, always on the prowl for sugar content in all its various forms. (Sugar is a no-no), artificial stuff, the wrong kind of oil, and gmo's et cetera.

I sometimes feel that the research manager has never met a label that she liked.

That is why  things like avocadoes, spinach, kale, tomatoes, watermelon, pineapple et cetera are on the good list. They don't have labels.

When I think about it, homemade chocolate cake doesn't have a label either.

What do you think? Should I try it?

Surprise and Relief

Today ended up as a surprise.

Sure, I have had a lot of diarrhea. Sure I was feeling very weak. (If seven days of diarrhea makes one weak, just think what 5 weeks does.) I even found my bag of stuff for a chemo visit heavy to carry. But to my surprise and relief, I was given another two weeks without chemo in order to build my strength up..

I am pleased with this, but it puts the focus on diet and supplements to make sure that we do not slip back from the progress we have made.

I called Walgreens to renew a prescription and it took a long time to do so. First they tell you about flu shots and then they tell you about the program to provide flu shots for others if you get a shot and then they tell you how to check out the program on their web site and after two minutes, they ask you if you want to renew a prescription. Given how weak I am, I could have been asleep by the time I got to the "Do you want to renew a prescription?" part.

The research manager is becoming a comedian. At Earth Origins tonight, they entered my loyalty card and called me Mr. Gill. I said, "No, my name is Jones." The research manager said "Indiana Jones," causing gales of laughter from the cashier and, particularly, the cashier in the next check out spot.

And so, I am getting lots of rest, drinking some electrolytic drinks and eating as much as I can. I am monitoring my Imodium intake and may soon have to switch to Miralax. Give me time and I will be good at this balancing act.

Meanwhile, I need to do my Epsom salt soak and listen to at least the beginning of Cash Cab.

A Day at the ER

Well.......that was interesting.

My diarrhea reached the point overnight that I was up about every hour and it got more intense in the morning.

As soon as possible, we called Dr. Weston of gastro fame, only to find out that he is on vacation for the next two or three weeks.

However, I was referred to Dr. Borislow. I spoke to one of his staff, Ruth, who in the absence of the doctor asked me every question you could possibly think of. She was wonderful I am glad that the doctor is not Ruthless.

She recommended that we head to the ER to get looked after. After doing a little hydrating, we headed off to Morton Plant ER.

The staff is wonderful there. I gave blood and other samples to assess where things were. I was given a saline drip. X-rays were taken. At one point, the doctor suggested that I would have the option of staying over night.

However, virtually all the tests were negative, much to the delight of the research manager who knew all the bad things that might have popped up. The only test result that required action was a potassium deficiency. I was promptly given two horse pills that were apparently potassium.

It turns out that the tumor that was in the colon has kind of screwed up part of the colon and there is a "ring" that all things must pass through. This may get better over time, but in the meantime and maybe for the rest of my life, I will have to balance Imodium and Miralax to keep things flowing in an acceptable way. Just what I was hoping for; another challenge.

I was then told that I could go home. The option to stay overnight was off the table. I wonder if the doctor or the nurses caught wind of my response on the boat about the four young ladies and didn't want to expose the attractive night nurses to me and my humor.

Now the research manager will have to put up with me and my humor tonight.

Not a red shirt day

Well, I am back, but, even though I had a good time, I am not wearing a red shirt.

My bowels made my last night on the ship interesting. And the trip home even more so.

We are trying to figure out what is causing the problem and also focused on drinking electrolytes to restore balance.

We are going to cut back on some supplements.

For dinner, I had miso soup. The instructions on the packet were to take hot water, pour in the soup mix, stir and enjoy. I asked the research manager if I actually had to enjoy it.

In fact, I found it better as an electrolyte restorer than coconut water.

I slept for about 5 hours after I got home. We had gotten up before 6:00 in part because Andy wanted to get home to his dogs. He did agree to have breakfast with our favorite dinner companions before we left. Further, he was held up by three bowel related delays on the way home.

Life sure is interesting, but not always fun.

Changes

It is interesting to repeat an experience and observe how things have changed.

I reflect back on my last R & R cruise and compare it to now.

Certainly my hair has thinned.

My energy level is a little less than the first trip.

Obviously, some of the chemo side effects have taken more hold. Hello bowels!

I have more trouble figuring out which direction to head on the ship for the various activities.

I sometimes walk right by our room.

But my mind seems to be otherwise functioning fairly quickly.

Tonight was a classic. I walked by my room and the room steward, who was a few doors down talking to four attractive women said, "You've gone past your room, Charles." I quickly replied "Oh, I thought these were the ladies that I asked you to arrange for me this evening." Everyone thought that was a great quick retort.

I can't wait to see what changes occur on the next R & R trip. Heck, I can't wait for the next R & R trip, period.

Tripping or not

Today was a red shirt day. That was a good thing since I wanted to wear my Tampa Bay Bucs jersey given that they are playing tonight.

I had a somewhat fitful night's sleep but was able to get in a few rest periods during the day.

Our table companions are two ladies who are long time friends celebrating the birthday of the lady from Charleston. The other is from Jamaica. I told them that I would say they were delightful and they are. Good sense of humor. They laugh at my jokes.

For breakfast this morning, we were told that the juice was complimentary. Sure enough, the cranberry juice came in a glass that said I was handsome and a nice person.

Between rests, we went into town to purchase an embroidered T-Shirt to add to my collection. Andy came along, but I think the sole reason was to make sure that I didn't keel over in the heat of Nassau. I think he did so at the behest of the research manager, but he claims not. BTW, I didn't trip or keel over..

The highlight of the day was dinner. Given my past four or so weeks, it was appropriate to go to a restaurant in town called......would you believe it?.........The Poop Deck. I have photo proof if you want to see it, just email me. It was a good meal. I had grilled shrimp with garlic.

It is time for the third rest of the day and then, when we leave port, I will trip the light fantastic or just trip going up the stairs unless Andy is with me. Later on, I know I will fall.............into bed.

Water Therapy

Life can get pretty intense when you are battling cancer and its side effects.

By my count I take 9 pills and supplements, some of them 5 times a day.

I have several things that I need to eat or drink each day.

I have three ointments that are administered one, two or three times a day.

I have some medical appointment three or four days a week.

And there is more that I am sure that I am forgetting.

Having had colon hydrotherapy the past two days, I have two observations.

One is that the ColonMax that you take in preparation has lasting effects, which continued with a vengeance this morning.

The second is there is an alternate water therapy that is very effective. Being on the water.

After a very successful restorative 4 day cruise in June, Andy arranged a few more cruises for us to go on.

Today is the start of a three day event. And I feel better already. Great therapy.

Lucky

This will be a short post this evening. I was told to take it easy this evening by Beth. Who the heck is Beth. I will tell you soon.

This morning, I played tennis. The men earned the award for graciousness unlike the women who gloated about their win.

We then went for a brief stop at the bridge club. I am humbled that that so many follow this blog and wish me well.

We had a great lunch at Pacific Thai and then headed to Utopia Wellness an hour early. I joked that it was 3:30 in Nova Scotia and Mark, the receptionist responded, without missing a beat, in a perfect Maritimer accent.

As it happened, there was an opening at three and so I was able to have a two hour Colon Hydryation with Beth.

When you go whale watching or dolphin watching, you always hear "If we are lucky, we will see" whales or dolphins or whatever.

You can guess that the water in, water out produces all sorts of things exiting the colon. I asked what Beth was expecting to see today. She said that "if we were lucky, we might see......." You can use your imagination.

By the end of two hours, she exclaimed that we had been lucky. What do I know; I saw nothing!

But I am lucky to have a research manager, quality caregivers and so many people giving me their energy each day.

Gotta run or Beth will be upset that I am not taking it easy.

Irritable

Life is always interesting.

Today was colon hydrotherapy day.

The day began with me filling out pages of information to take to the alternate treatment center. One of the questions asked if I was irritable. Being as relaxed as I am, I answered "no".

It took a long time and I gave it to the research manager to review while I.........holy cow....I don't have enough time to do breakfast, shower and take all my pills et cetera. I was frustrated and barked a little. I told the research manager that she should change the irritability answer. I think that she already had.

The hydrotherapy was uneventful. I don't think that much progress was made, but we will try again tomorrow afternoon.

I was given another prep pill which seems to be more effective in moving things along than the first.

I lay down to rest on a towel that I had received in celebration of a big financial deal I was involved with in the 1980's. How ironic.......from celebration of a big event to protecting the bed from my malady. The life of a towel!

I continue to hear news of others that have cancer. Many have sought the research manager's advice. If they asked me for advice, I would just tell them to do what the research manager says.

Wow....Cash Cab hour is half over. That's it for tonight.

The Rest of My Life

I am a little late posting tonight. We just got home from a bridge game.

Today was a decent day.

It began with tennis and then a run for a Wheat Grass shot. Followed by runs of a different kind.

This bowel business has set the research manager off on research into my digestive system. I am not sure that it will pass the test.

This morning she said if some aspect of the system was off, I would be taking Vitamin B12 for the rest of my life. I go to bed many evenings hoping for the rest of my life, but it seldom works out. I guess I need to make sure my system is off and that I take Vitamin B12 to get at least a good rest.

We talked to the alternative medicine center today and are on course for a colon hydrotherapy session tomorrow morning. I took a pill this morning to prepare for this. Part of its function is to clear mucus out of my system and it is doing that.

This will be a new experience for me, but I am told that I will feel good afterward. I'll let you know.

I also saw the acupuncturist today and fell asleep on the table. It is relaxing. We discovered that there is a Sweet Tomatoes nearby and will likely go there each Monday. I love the soup.

Off to bed. Looking forward to the rest of my life.

Numbers

Today I had decent energy and generally felt ok.

The research manager has determined that wheatgrass shots are more effective if taken first thing in the morning. Therefore, I will run up to Earth Origins in my pajamas each morning. It will be quite a sight,

My bowels continue to astound me, but I am okay.

Today, I was thinking about some interesting numbers. Some are significant and some are not.

139 - The number of blog posts that I will have done when I hit "Publish" tonight.

100 - About 100 people view the blog each day

1000 - the minimum number of hours that I think the research manager has spent doing research. She often starts at 5:00 am

1600 - the approximate number of miles driven taking me to medical appointments

500 - the approximate number of emails exchanged with others concerning my journey or theirs

Countless - the number of people praying for me and giving me energy

2 - the number of cruises that I will have taken with Andy by Sunday since this journey began. He has two more lined up for the months to come.

4 - the number of nurse practitioners in my medical universe

1 - the rank of the research manager in importance to the success of my journey and in my heart

Is it any wonder that things have been as successful as they have been?

2.5

Today was a better day.

I had a slightly better sleep, not perfect, but better.

I played tennis this morning and lost by a close margin. 6-2 is pretty close when you consider that we had a few deuce games that we lost.

I went to Bradenton with the research manager for one of her Guardian ad Litem visits and then we went to play bridge in Sarasota. We did alright and it was fun. Afterward, we went to what is now called the Sea Hut for scallops and a great spinach salad.

The big news of the day is that my most recent CEA test has come back. This is a cancer marker. In early April, it was 8.5. A normal person scores between 0 and 2.5. In early June, the number had dropped to 4.0, still high. However, this past week, it was 2.5. I am happy and the research manager is ecstatic. The chemo and her supplements and diet regime have worked wonders.

One of the challenges is making sure that the various treatments do not counteract each other. The research manager is on the case and we will be asking questions of the alternate treatment doctor before we jump in whole hog. Some of these treatments may have to wait till after the chemo ends.

Tonight, I am not going to wait until Cash Cab ends. I intend to have a good sleep tonight.

Toe to Toe

Today was a step forward in my treatment. Details later.

The day began with tennis. It was the men against the women. The expected result was achieved without much sweat. In fact, it was not even close. If we had won a tiebreaker by, say, 13-11, now that would be close. But we won 7-5 in the tiebreaker. Our 7 was 40% more than the women's 5!

The Miralax had its way for a while this morning, but we pulled things together in time to head off to Utopia Wellness to discuss alternate therapies. Green tea helped to settle things.

Our time at Utopia was wonderful. The two main themes of our discussion were cleaning out the colon and building up the immune system. There are a few lesser treatments down the road, but next Tuesday, we will begin Colon Hydrotherapy and an Antioxidant IV. This will be in addition to continuing with 4 more chemo sessions. The plan is that these will be the final four.

These are focuses that will be part of my ongoing cancer prevention routines after the chemo is over. As the doctor said, we all have cancer. We need to have strong immune systems to keep it at bay and a good digestive system to get rid of toxins.

I am excited about what we will be doing. I had tears in my eyes when we left.

The research manager was also excited both because of what I will be receiving and also because these treatments are what she said I needed. She has done so much research that she can go toe to toe with any doctor.

By the way, the nurse practitioner sat in on our meeting. My feelings about nurse practitioners were reinforced.

Earlier evening than some. I still have to do an Epsom salt soak and then rest. The Miralax effect came back this evening and that makes me tired.

Cool Old Cat

How to describe today?

It started with good tennis. It ended with bad bridge.

After tennis, I went out for breakfast as the research manager was in court.

I got home just in time to deal with the effects of last night's Miralax. For those wondering, Miralax seems to take about 12 hours to have effect. And it makes me tired and so I slept for a few hours until well after the research manager got home.

I was talking with a veterinarian the other day. She told me that my Paradoxical Diarrhea is common in older cats.

I don't mind being compared to a cat.

I am not quite as happy being compared to an old cat.

I am quite okay with being a cool cat.

I hope that maybe I am a cool old cat!

Meoww. Meoww. - That's cat for good night.

Mirabile Dictu

I am doing this blog a little early this evening because I am tired and may fall asleep earlier than normal. So "Hello" to all those who normally go to bed before I usually blog.

Today was a good day.

I played tennis and ended up with what I call the "Chuck and the Chicks" grouping. I played with the driver. It was good, but we will not talk about the result.

The research manager is busy tomorrow morning, the day I would have been returning Bob and I found out the driver is also busy tomorrow and that, my friends, is why I did not have chemo yesterday.

I did all of the medication/supplements/breakfast routines and it was time to go off to bridge. We did well enough but not quite as well as our last two showings.

On our way home, I had my wheatgrass and a Juice drink that included beets, ginger and other things that I cannot remember.

I am beginning to wonder about me. I have been taking Miralax for a few days now. Until last night, I thought it was a liquid that I was pouring into a glass of water. Last night, I discovered that it was a powder. Amazing. And I just passed an eye test!

Finally, this morning, the research manager messed with my head. I took out a container with 4 eggs to make omelets. I was working on the spinach, the tomatoes and cheese and then turned by attention to the omelets. Mirabile dictu, there were only three eggs. The research manager had palmed one of the eggs knowing my dislike of an egg container with an odd number of eggs.

My thanks to Mr. Johnson, my grade 12 chemistry teacher for the phrase Mirabile dictu.

Mirabile dictu that things have progressed as well as they have.

Mirabile dictu, this blog note is over and I can relax and go to bed early.

God Bless the Nurse Practitioner

Today started better than it has in about two weeks. I felt well enough to play tennis. After a rusty start, we ended up 5-5. I think my partner was afraid that if we lost, she would get mentioned in this blog.

Part of breakfast was an avocado. We are now getting the Florida ones, which are significantly larger than those from elsewhere (Mexico?) and taste better.

We headed to the cancer center, stopping briefly for an Egg McMuffin.

If you go back a long way in these blogs, you will find my professed fondness for nurse practitioners.

Today, that fondness reached a new height.

Dr. Patel is still on vacation and so we met with Heather. We discussed my bowel situation. We also noted that my White Blood Count was down from last week. Up till now, it has improved in the "off" week, but not so this time.

In any event, Heather suggested at least a week off from the chemo and we settled on two weeks. I wanted to give Heather a hug, but the research manager was watching.

There is no question that part of the comfort of the two week delay is that things have progressed quite nicely. Further, this will allow me to focus on the Paradoxical Bowel issue.

So, for the next two weeks, we will focus on diet and make sure that we can keep the progress going. Mind you, given that cancer never goes away, this will be a focus for the rest of my life.

My father noted today that my eating habits have changed. Good observation. Until recently I thought that Avocado was only a color.