Full Obituary for Charles Gill

      

                          

                                                                              Charles Frederick Gill

                                      May 5, 1949 - December 2, 2019

On Monday, December 2, 2019, Charles Frederick Gill, died at age 70 after a valiant battle with colon cancer. He is survived by his beloved and supportive wife, Carol Witt Garnett; two stepsons, Matthew and Andrew  Garnett; his father Frank Harry Gill; four children (with Elizabeth Gill), Grant, Graham, Krista (Gill) Stevens, and Angela Gill; four grandchildren, Tesha and Aidan Stevens, Abigail and Hannah (Gill) Anguiano; and by sisters Frances (Gill) Oppertshauser and Cynthia (Gill) Anthony.  

“Charlie” was born in Toronto, CA, on May 5, 1949. He graduated from the University of Toronto in 1973 and began his business career as a Chartered Accountant. He worked for Peoples Jewelers Limited, CA, from 1973 to 1993 where he held the positions of Executive Vice President, CFO, and Director from 1986 - 1991, and President from (1991 - 1993). He led the successful tender offer for Zale Corporation (US) and became the Assistant to the President and a Director of Zales from 1986 - 1992 He was co-owner of the Jemms Group, CA, from 1993 - 1996. From 1996 until retirement in 2010  he was the Vice President, US Development, for the Royal Group International. This position created the opportunity for him to move to the United States.  He resided in

                            St. Petersburg, FL, where he lived until his death.

A self-taught Duplicate Bridge player, he won the American Contact Bridge League’s national Mini-McKinney Bronze Life Masterpoints Race in 2004, and attained the rank of Sapphire Life Master before his death. His love of bridge coupled with his positive, friendly approach to business resulted in his development of the St. Petersburg Bridge Club over a fourteen year period. His vision was to unify a small group of separately owned games under one management creating one of the 50 largest bridge clubs in the United States. As President and Club Manager from 2005 until 2014 he raised more than $500,000 enabling the club to purchase its playing space and securing its future as a member-owned club. He remained Club Manager until his death. He was a member of the ACBL Board of Governors, and Florida’s District 9 and Unit 128 Board of Governors. He was chosen Volunteer of the Year by the ACBL in 2011.

While other Interests included tennis and chess, he was an avid supporter of children who were neglected, abused and abandoned. For more than a decade he served as a volunteer Guardian ad Litem serving children in Pinellas and Pasco Counties. His commitment to child welfare was reflected in his decision to adopt four children in Canada.

Charlie was an incurable optimist.  He reached hundreds of people daily throughout the world when he began to blog about his “colon cancer journey” in the spring of 2017. His blog and recently published book, Red Shirts and Rubber Duckies, Surviving Cancer with a Smile, offers cancer patients, caregivers, support groups, relatives and friends insight and practical guidance seasoned with Charles’ special brand of gentle humor. 

Optimism is the belief that "good things will happen to you and that negative events are temporary setbacks to be overcome." When one combines optimism with integrity you have "a person who seeks the best outcome in every situation, while being honest and forthright about the facts of situations as they exist."  To optimism and integrity add kindness, loyalty, friendliness, love of his fellow man and mix these qualities together with a large measure of whimsy and you have Charles Gill.

In celebration of Charlie’s life, The Charles Gill Memorial Game will be held on Saturday, March 14, 2020, at the St. Petersburg Bridge Club, 9103 U.S. Highway 19 N., Pinellas Park, FL 33782, Beginning at 5:00 PM there will be dinner, followed by tributes, special memories and bridge.

Dinner reservatiions may be made by email to:  andrew@bridgecentric.com

In Canada a Celebration of Life will be held on Saturday, April 25, 2020, at 1:00 PM at the First Baptist Church, 812 Hortop Street, Oshawa, Ontario, with a reception to follow.

Memorial Contributions may be made in Charlie’s name to the Guardian ad Litem Foundation of Tampa Bay, a nonprofit organization providing direct support to needy and neglected children in the local welfare system. Contributions can be made through the secure Internet link:   herotoachild.org.

  

Random Thoughts of the Incurable Optimist and Blogger

Optimism is the belief that "good things will happen to you and that negative events are temporary setbacks to be overcome." When one combines optimism with integrity you have "a person who seeks out the best outcome in every situation, while being honest and forthright about the facts of situations as they exist."  To optimism and integrity add kindness, loyalty, love of his fellow man and mix these qualities together with a large measure of whimsy and you have Charles Gill.

Charles has taken you on his "colon cancer journey" beginning in the spring of 2017 and ending today. His blog and subsequent book, Red Shirts and Rubber Duckies, Surviving Cancer with a Smile, is his gift to all with cancer and to their friends and relatives. It has brought smiles and comfort to many already.

Charles spent the first three of his last five weeks in hospitals where they think of millions of excuses to try to keep you alive. Every inch of your body is pushed, poked, prodded and jabbed to analyze your current state of health. Infusions of a staggering variety of multi-syllable and unpronounceable compounds follow their analysis to test their theory of the day. It is a unique form of torture. An exchange of pain for hope.

It was Charles' decision to exchange pain for peace. Two weeks ago he entered hospice care. At hospice, time moves both too slowly and too fast. Day and night meld into one. He tried to plan the end of his life during lucid periods whenever they might occur. In a phone call to The Research Manager at 4:18 AM he demanded she bring his death certificates immediately. After a long and awkward pause, he heard the reply, "Well that is hard to do, dear, because you are not dead yet."

During other lucid moments he offered the following comments for his last blog:

- People, particularly the medical staff, wish you "luck" when they go off duty. But you don't need luck. Best wishes and blessings are fine.

- It is difficult to tell time. Without football I would not know the day of the week.

- It is hard to express the value of jello, warm blankets, hugs, and apple juice.

- I am thankful for people giving me their time to help me.

- My faith has prepared me well. I am ready for whatever happens.

-  If you cry at one's passing, crying is not sadness. It means JOY!  In recollection of happy memories.

And finally, his last words:

One finds oneself writing in many situations. It is this situation that I find very unique. Because now I have nothing more to say.

Think carefully to determine the message. And share the message as much as you can.

I love you all.

Charlie
__________________________

The Incurable Optimist rests in peace.
May 5, 1949 - December 2, 2019
__________________________

Incurable, indeed.

Thank you for giving Charlie a reason to live. He cherished the opportunity to blog and to share his philosophy, humor and love of life with you.

Love,
The Research Manager


   

Feeling tired.

Recovering slowly.

More to come.

In the Middle of Nowhere 

Charlie has had no Internet service for the past two days. He hopes to be posting his regular blog soon.

Thank you as always, for your love, care, prayers, kind thoughts and support.

The Research Manager  

At the bottom of everything

Last week, I thought that I was on top of things.

This past weekend, I realized that was closer to the bottom. The new and never to be used again treatment almost destroyed me.

I thought that I was going to die, but Morton Plant hospital thankfully has disabused me of that thought. I would have blamed the fluid build up but the reality is that my white blood count was .06 far below the normal range of 4.7 to 11.7. Three successive shots of neupogen brought it up to .09 to 2.3 to 9.5 today. That is good improvement while at the same time, I have had continued fluid build up and just today contributed 4.8 liters to the cause. It kind of looks like an Octoberfest beer with a natural head,

Tomorrow, I expect they will drain fluid from around my left lung,

So, where are go from here? Morton Plant is a super cautious hospital and once they have you in their grasp, they won't let you go till every last hangnail is healed. Therefore,, I expect to go to a few days rehab.

One good thing about this visit is that I have been called sweetheart, honey and sweetie by virtually every nurse and tech in the building.

Another benefit is that having to wait one day to do this blog and going through what I have gone through has raised my weekly readership by 100.

Thanks, as always, for your love, care, prayers, kind thoughts and support.

On Top of Everything.

Another interesting and challenging week,

We are getting a handle on how to manage things a little better.

The fluid in the abdomen causes two risks - pain from the pressure and resulting nausea.

So the plan is now the following:

Eat as much as I can for the first few days after the fluid is removed,

Then take an anti-nausea pill as needed and a painkiller as needed also.

Also, I am taking a pill that slows the production of the fluid

In addition the chemo is showing some effect. Today's fluid was less that last week and there was less fluid around the lung,

So, we seem to have a path forward. A few more chemo treatments and we may have the fluid thing under control.

As you know, the research manager is doing her research thing almost constantly. The physician's assistant told me that she is really on top of things. Today, I was given a script for the painkiller, but they gave me that wrong script, The Research Manager caught it before we left the cancer center.

As final proof, we go almost all the way home yesterday when she discovered she did not have her phone, I called her number - no ring, no answer,

I called the cancer center and they could not find it. Hmmm, it had to be there, They checked again. No Phone.

Where was it? She was sitting on it! She is on top of everything,

Dreams of Blueberry Muffins

An interesting week.

Thursday, I just took it easy and built up a little energy.

Friday morning, I felt energetic enough to suggest we play the afternoon tournament game and we actually scratched.

By Saturday, I ventured out on the tennis court and ended up tied. I played with Keith who earns not only one but two kudos. The first was the tennis game and the second will be revealed later in this blog.

I was really wiped out by one set of tennis, but still summoned the energy to play another tournament game and scratched again.

Sunday was a take it easy day while the research manager went off to play bridge all day.

The only problem was that I lost my voice and still don't have it back yet.

Meanwhile, I gained a pound each day as the fluids started to build in my abdomen again.

Monday afternoon, we actually finished first at the club bridge game.

And then came Tuesday and a meeting with the nurse practitioner. We quickly decided that the dosage of chemo the first time was too high owing both to my reaction and my lower weight.

I generally am faring better and tiredness, a little dizziness and my voice are the major issues that I am dealing with.

Today was fluid draining day and I gave up 4,2 liters of fluid. It kind of looks like bear and even has a head on it as each bottle fills.

Back to Keith. He said that a restaurant had great blueberry muffins. I have been dreaming about that ever since. As we were leaving the hospital, I mentioned their blueberry muffins, but we breezed right by.

The research manager asked if I wanted to go home or stop to eat. I mentioned a place called Doe Doe's. I told her that I was smarter than she thought. She quickly realized that Doe Doe's had great blueberry muffins and so Doe Doe's it was. The eggs were great and I loved that muffin. It was so big that I took half home. I just have to hope that the famous mouse in our house doesn't find it before tomorrow.

The other day, a commercial on the TV said that if I got dental implants, I could eat whatever I want. I will give that some consideration.

Thanks again for your prayers, interest and support.

Another A Team

Over the past two weeks, I have learned that there are pluses and minuses to this new chemo regime.

On the plus side, I have gotten to spend time at my favorite hospital, I am getting the best possible treatment to rebuff the cancer. I have many people expressing concern for me in many different ways.

On the negative side, there have been some tough side effects, which I am learning to deal with. I also have not been able to play tennis and only a little bridge.

But I am feeling better tonight than I have in a while.

I had hoped to spend a few days in Canada next week, but decided to push that off for a while until I get things into a better rhythm.

I had a good meeting with my gastro doctor yesterday and he has suggested a few helpful things.

This morning, I had another draining of fluid done by Amber and Anthony, my new A team. It has been helpful.

When I left, I was given instructions. They included no driving ( I asked and chipping and putting is apparently okay).  It also suggested that I could resume my eating habits. I took that to mean chocolate cake, fried calamari and pazookies at BJ's. The research manager insisted that it meant recent eating habits, not ones from three or more years ago, As a result, we had chicken, mushrooms and asparagus for dinner. Oh well, it was a nice thought.

You gotta have heart

I am sorry that I did not blog last night (Wednesday.) I had no access to my computer as I will now explain.

After last week's chemo, I was feeling a little down and was taking it a little easy. From before that I had been coughing  a fair bit and cough medicine did not help much.

I went to the club on Saturday, but was not myself. Sunday was no better and it was suggested late in the day that I should get a chest X-Ray to check for pneumonia, et cetera.

When I asked about booking one on Monday, I was told it was best to go to emergency room to get it. So, off we went to Morton Plant, my kind of hospital.

Apparently you cannot walk into emergency with anything to do with your chest without getting your heart checked out thoroughly. I was poked prodded, X-Rayed, EKGed and had my lungs listened to back and front. Copious notes were made and I was shipped to the heart ward. Apparently, it is a difficult process for the patient to comprehend as one of their notes was that I had no obvious barriers to learning. I was pleased to learn that. I was handled by the "A" team - Amanda, Ashley and Angela.

After a day of heavy antibiotics to deal with whatever, they decided that I had a heart and that it was in good shape. So I was shipped to another floor to focus on the lung thing. It was ultimately concluded that I had some fluid around my lungs and so they removed that. Yesterday, they decided that it was so much fun poking me that they would do it again with the abdomen. causing me to stay till today. I have had to live with a great food menu, complete control of the TV (two baseball games) and lots of fun joking with transporters, nurses and technicians.

But alas, all good things must end and I came home early this morning. I went for a relaxing massage and ate a full dinner.

So, in the next two days, expect to see me at the club and on the tennis court.

I so much appreciate your interest, concern and prayers.

A lot more happened this week!

This past week has been a whirlwind.

I spent three long days running a tournament at the bridge club.

I had a board meeting to prepare for and attend.

And then I showed up Tuesday morning at the cancer center for my first session of the new chemo regime. My blood numbers were excellent as a result of having a little extra time off.

However, the nurse practitioner noticed that fluid was building up again in my abdomen. As a result, I will have another procedure to remove the buildup on Friday. The doctor feels that after a few sessions of the new chemo, the fluid build up will stop. The good news is that were no cancer cells in the fluid.

And so, we move on to the chemo treatment. Since the drugs were new, we were given literature about the two new drugs. For both drugs, I was instructed to advise the doctor if I was pregnant or may be pregnant. I told the nurse that I might be pregnant and was told that it would be a real exception if that were true. I took that to mean that there is a chance that I am exceptional.

The chemo is hard hitting and will take a little getting used to. It has drained me of a lot of energy,but I feel it is getting better.

When the nurse was setting me up for the two day pump routine, she noticed a little extra bulge next to my belly button and said she thought it was an abdominal hernia. The nurse practitioner felt the bump, determined that it was not a tumor and suggested that we see what happens when the fluid is drained on Friday. Just in case, I have set up an appointment with the surgeon next Tuesday. I do not think this is as serious as the groin hernias, but time will tell.

Meanwhile, we have virtually completed plans for a trip to Canada around the middle of October. It will be good to see family and friends there that I have not seen in a few years. We are hoping to do a book signing at the Indigo book store in the Conestoga mall in Waterloo on Saturday October 19. As that firms up, I will let you know.

Thanks for your encouragement, support and prayers.

Not Much to Report

Today, I have almost nothing for you.

My new chemo regime starts next Tuesday and so I had no blood tests taken and therefore nothing to report.

I played tennis three times in the past week and survived. Mind you, Tuesday was very humid and I felt drained after playing.

The cancer center has changed to a new system for tracking results, I does not provide anywhere the level of data as the old system and the research manager is livid that she cannot play with the numbers in the way she used to. I feel sorry for the doctor this coming Tuesday when she expresses her dissatisfaction.

On the positive side,, she cannot see my weight on the new system and so I can tell her whatever I want!

Left Behind

I found this week interesting.

You may recall that last week, I was hoping to get a procedure done to remove fluid that had built up in my abdomen. Not being able to get an appointment quickly, I went to the Morton Plant ER on Thursday.

What a wonderful time. I got processed and moved to an emergency room bed and then to a waiting area for radiology. I fairly quickly got transported to an ultrasound room. The tech (Angela) working there was 8 months pregnant and I identified her as my twin. She set to work with the ultrasound and determined that I did indeed have enough fluid floating around to justify the procedure. Anthony came in and stuck a needle in my side, which was connected by a tube to a one liter bottle. I filled almost three of those bottles. When all was said and done, I weighed 14 pounds less that I had two days earlier. That makes it a lot easier to play tennis.

The oncologist, Dr, Patel is concerned that the chemo regime we have been using is diminishing in effectiveness as those pesky cancer cells are adjusting to the cocktail we are feeding them. As a result, we are changing the treatment in the next week or so. He is confident that it will be effective.
The two areas which it will work on is the lymph nodes and also the cause of the fluid build up.

On Tuesday, I had a new experience. When we got to the bottom floor of our building, I realized that I had forgotten my water and went back up to get it while the research manager got the car and was to bring it around to the front door. Imagine my surprise when I got down and saw no car either in front of the building or in her parking space. It turns out that she had driven away from our building not realizing that I was not in the car. When she looked right to make a turn, she realized that I was not there. She hurried back to get me and we laughed about it all the way to the cancer center.

Twists

This week has had its share of twists.

I suppose that the biggest is that the fluid in my abdomen and groin area has gotten the attention of the oncologist. He wants to drain it so that he can have it analyzed to determine the cause. The twist? As a result, I will not have my scheduled chemo until that procedure is done.

I am in total agreement with this. The fluid build up is really annoying.

The next twist is that I cannot have the procedure until a week tomorrow. That means that I will not have chemo next week either.

Twist number three is interesting. I take Tulsi Holy Basil each night as it helps me go to sleep. The other night, I had taken it and had just fallen asleep when the research manager appeared to ask me if I had taken my Tulsi Holy Basil. She had found the bottle in her bathroom and thought that perhaps I had not taken it. So, she woke me up to ask me if I had taken a pill to help me get to sleep. Go figure.

Finally, I had a delightful visit with a podiatrist this morning. Among other foot issues, I had trouble trimming my toe nails due to my inflated abdomen. He is a great guy and we got along very well. He was giving me health advice in terms of food, being positive and then having a sense of humor.

He then talked about the power of prayer and described a test that reflected the positive effect of prayer.

The twist? He said with a smile that it was good to have people praying for you unless, ,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,they were praying that you would not do well. My kind of humor.

Life is full of twists. Just roll with them!

A Long Leg

What an interesting week.

Primarily, what an interesting Tuesday.

My blood numbers were all exceptional. They were the best in quite a while. The research manager was ecstatic.

Then I had my petscan. What is involved in a petscan?

They start an IV in your arm and take some blood to test your blood sugar level. The technician Andrea was the best one that I have had. She was assisted by Brianna, a student. My blood sugar was in very good shape (94).

Next, they insert a concoction in your arm that, I presume is basically a sugar solution of some kind. Then you wait for an hour to circulate. I get to watch television for an hour. (I also read a little)

Then comes the test, you lie down on this big, relatively noisy contraption with your arms above your head while it moves you up and down taking pictures, measuring now much of the solution is "uptaked."  After 24 minutes, you are glad to hear the door open, signalling that the technician is coming in to extricate you. This task was given to Brianna. I made my usual request for a CD and the report from the doctor looking at the pictures.

I went off to have a late lunch and came back to receive both the report and the CD. The two areas in my lymph nodes had decreased in size significantly (more than 50%.) Once again, the research manager was ecstatic and so was I.

I still have fluid floating around from the surgery, which has prompted the research manager to institute a "no salt" campaign to reduce the salt.

Today, on my way to the club, I called her and when she answered, asked her to hold a minute and pretended to order two hot dogs. When she asked what I had eaten at the club, I told her that I thought that chocolate cake was the best low salt option. Her leg is getting longer and longer as I do this kind of kidding often.

So, now we are getting ready for the slight eventuality that Hurricane Dorian comes our way. I will get to play tennis tomorrow, however.

There's always something.

Finding Lost Days and Lost Pounds

This past week began as a disaster. You probably know that I consume a large number of pills, including some while I am away from home. I carry those pills in a pill box for the the specific day of the week. I discovered that my Wednesday box was missing and no amount of searching allowed me to find it. Then just in time for today, I spotted it in my car. It had fallen down below the driver's seat. What a relief. Life can go on. Not everyone can find a day that they feel they have lost.

Oh, yes, I had my blood letting yesterday and the numbers were all decent. I would like my white blood cell numbers to be a little higher, but they passed the grade. They also weigh you and take your blood pressure. They want my weight to be maintained and the research manager would like it to be lower. When I jumped on the scale, I held on to a bar on the wall, thus lowering my weight by about 20 pounds. But they caught me and my actual weight reflected a gain of the few pounds that I had lost the week before.  Of course, I have Bob for a few days, but I have been feeling remarkably good. I also found out that I will have a petscan next Tuesday. So keep you fingers, toes, legs, arms and eyes crossed.

The big news of the week is that I have played tennis on three days, despite rain many mornings.It feels good to be back out on the court. I need to gain my speed back though. On Monday morning, when I walked onto the court, a statuesque woman who was walking her dog stopped to watch (I presume me.) She eventually went on, but came back by for another look. I am not sure, but I think she later jogged by. If she had asked, I would have given her an autograph. I am better at that than I am at tennis at this time because I have had some practice at it with my book.

The research manager is not happy with my watching TV while in bed, saying that the flashes of light are not good for my sleep. I replied that I wanted to share life experience with her. I told her that I could drink coffee (if I drank it) or coke or diet coke at 11 pm and be asleep at 11:05. I don't think that she saw the significance or relevance of that factoid, but we both had a good laugh at my wonky creativity.

Parting Facts:

1. America Says has replaced Cash Cab as my quiz show of choice. It is on earlier.
2. When I was a kid, I had trouble swallowing one "horse" pill. I can now do four at a time, but more than that is not possible yet.
3. I have a joke about a brick ( a different one than my sister-in-law told me). If you see me, ask me about it. If you are my sister-in-law, you can call me as I will not be in Seattle any time soon.
4. Some people have been reviewing my book on Amazon. If you are so inclined to follow suit, I would appreciate it.

Thanks for your continued interest, prayers and support.

High blood pressure (not mine)

This has been a decent week.

My Tuesday blood numbers were decent, except that my white blood cells were low. The doctor authorized two shots of neupogen which will bring them back up and everything should be fine by next week.

I was getting my blood drawn yesterday when a woman walked in. They always weigh you (down 4 pounds for me) and take your blood pressure ( mine was decent). However, this woman had very high blood pressure ( something like 192/96) and she was surprised it was so high. I told her it was likely because I had never been in the room with her previously. I am not sure what she thought (well, I do, she thought that I was crazy!), but she did sit one seat away from me in the treatment room.

Why was I in the treatment room? Two reasons. The first was to get my neupogen shot and the second was to have the nurse look at one of the fingers on my right hand. It had formed a blister. The research manager wanted to make sure that it was not mersa ( I guess it is actually spelled MRSA!). However, when I told the nurse that I had played tennis the day before for the first time in ages, she said that was the likely cause. A little antibiotic and all is better. I will play tennis again tomorrow, weather permitting.

There seems to be growing interest in my book. If you have read it, would you consider reviewing it on Amazon or Barnes and Noble? You can also buy it there. Thanks.

Busy Week

This past week has been fairly busy.

Let's start with the medical side of things.

Last Thursday, I had an ultrasound to make sure that I did not have a blood clot in my right leg. I was greeted by a man who said he was "Brian By the Way." I have noted that several of the "By the Way" family work up at Morton Plant. The must have a special in with the personnel department up there.

The ultrasound went well (no clot). When I called the research manager to tell her I was finished, she asked me how the sonogram went. I told her that I was having twins.

I am back to having far infrared saunas, When I was finished last Thursday at 4:00, the receptionist was not there. So I left a note telling her that if three women arrived at 4:45 asking for me to tell them that I would be back shortly. Unfortunately, the owner found the note first and called me to ask what the three women wanted. I am not sure she understood that it was just a joke.

Yesterday, I was back for more chemo. That went well and I find that I am dealing with Bob better than I used to. My blood numbers were a little down in a few areas, particularly white blood cells, but all was livable. I mentioned that I sometimes get tired and while the nurse practitioner said that was normal, she ordered a few tests of things like iron. The results were normal.

Today, I went to the surgeon as a second follow up from my hernia surgery. He identified that I have some fluid build up, but indicated that as far as he was concerned, I could undertake any activity that I wanted. So, look out tennis players, a new old guy will be appearing on the courts.

Of course, things were also busy as we geared up for the Book Launch party last Saturday. We had about 75 guests and several helped with preparations to make the party a success. At least, I enjoyed it, but I think others did also.

Several people bought a book. I am waiting for the publisher's publicity team to get a press release out. That will trigger more activity in terms of promoting the book.

Meanwhile, you can order the book on line through Amazon or Barnes and Noble. If you go this route and are able to review it, that would be great.

This is all very exciting.

Activity at the bridge club is as busy as ever as we plan for the upcoming winter season.

Life may be busy, but it is good.

Good News, Bad News, Good News

The good news is that most of my blood numbers were good yesterday.

The bad news is that my platelets were down fairly significantly.

But, that may actually be good news. As things have developed, I have acquired some bumps on my right leg. When we discussed them at the cancer center yesterday, we acknowledged that I had a similar dilemma some time back. At that time, I was sent to the hospital for an ultrasound to make sure that it was not any kind of blood clot. It turned out to be varicose veins. So, predictably, I am going to have an ultrasound tomorrow just to be safe again. But it is good to keep the platelets down if I have a blood clot.

I always associated varicose veins with old ladies when I was younger. I guess that I will be happy to settle into the "old lady" category as it relates to this.

I am still recovering from my hernia operation. I see the doctor again next week. I am sure you will anxiously await hearing what he says.

Meanwhile, I am excited to say that not only do I have hard copies of my book, but it is also now available on Amazon, Barnes and Noble et cetera. I am looking forward to celebrating at Mainlands Clubhouse 5 this Saturday from 3pm to 5pm.

Meanwhile, we carry on. This despite receiving the news that my favorite cashier at Earth Origins no longer works there. Life is tough!

Sweet Dreams

Well, after a period of no chemo, we are back at it.

My blood numbers were all pretty decent yesterday.

I am still healing from the double hernia surgery and I somehow twisted my right knee, which, I am sure does not result from hitting the tennis ball for 10 minutes this past Saturday.

So the bottom line is that I am feeling okay, but these ailments have some effect in slowing me up.

I think it will be another week or so before I can get back to tennis.

A few interesting things have happened in the past week. There has been a lot of lightning here and some people have been hit. The research manager said that the best thing to do if you see lightning or hear thunder is to go inside. I think the best thing to do is to find someone taller than you and stand beside them.

I went to the bank this afternoon to open a savings account and because they had not opened my checking account improperly, it took 90 minutes to get the job done. It is a reversal of what one would expect. The bank held me up!

One of the forms that I was given was a list of the people/institutions that the bank could give my personal information to and asked which ones I would allow. At the bottom of the list, I added cute blonds. I don't think that the banker noticed.

Talking of women. There is some good news. My girlfriend at the colon hydrotherapy office is back. I am glad. After a slow start, I like her and she seems to like my jokes.

And the big news is that there was a new receptionist at the cancer center, who is bright, witty and (drum roll) wears glasses. I hope she stays around. By the way, her name is Angie, the same as my youngest daughter.

I am going to bed early tonight. I have an early date tomorrow to drop off Bob. Several people at the cancer center want to purchase copies of my book. It may be a busy morning.

The research manager is tackling the TV in bed issue by purchasing a "Wholetones" sleep player which plays music to enhance your sleep. I look forward to trying it shortly.

Another close shave

In the finale of The Amazing Race, the host greets the winners by a recitation of the number of cities and days that the race encompassed.

On that note, I can say three flights, three cities, three hotels, six days. The research manager and Charlie, you have just had an amazing trip.

It was an interesting week. No blood tests. But I continue to recover from the double hernia surgery. I still feel a slight swelling and therefore, even though the doctor said I could start tennis tomorrow, I feel the need to take a few more days off and so I will.

We had a nice two days with the research manager's family on the occasion of her sister's 50th wedding anniversary and then flew to Los Angeles to drive to Hesperia to see my daughter Angela whom I had not seen for almost 4 years. I arrived to discover that she had a husband and two adorable daughters.

Well, I knew about them, I just had not met them. It was good to be there.

What did I learn from the trip? It is good to have a bad hip and back (the research manager) and to be recovering from a hernia operation (me) in that it gives you the perfect ticket for wheelchair rides. All the attendants were very helpful and you avoid long lines at the security check points.

I arrived home only to be disappointed. I received a thank you card from Morton Plant. They tend to send a card signed by all the people that look after you while you are at the hospital. I studied it closely and it seems to have been signed by everyone but Brookyn, the cute blond who prepped me with a shave. I am heart broken.

Do you think that she knows that people who are heartbroken are more susceptible to cancer? Do you think she cares? I will likely never know.

The research manager assured me that Brooklyn probably wanted to sign the card and strove to get to the hospital before they sent the card. She said it was a "close shave" but she was just a few minutes too late.

I will have to settle for that.

Good Boy

What a difference a week makes!

Last week, I was wondering if there was life after hernia surgery, but today, I am feeling much better. The swelling has improved, not all the way, but much improved. I now know why the doctor schedules your followup visit for the second week after surgery. It is for his own safety. If many people felt like I felt like last week, the doctor's life expectancy would be much shorter. The good news is that I should be able to play tennis again in about a week.

My blood test numbers were generally good yesterday. There is nothing like a holiday from chemo to get your blood numbers more in line.

The building that houses the cancer center has valet parking. When I give the attendant my ticket to pick up my car, I usually ask for a BMW. So far they have not been able to deliver. You think that is bad. A nurse (Valerie) standing beside me tells me she asks for a Land Rover.

I seem to have the worst luck with women. I went for a far infrared sauna this afternoon and Helen, who has grown to appreciate me and my weird humor, was not there. This is the second receptionist from the Colon-Hydrotherapy center that I may have lost.

The research manager continues in her seemingly endless quest of keeping me in line. The problem is highlighted by a pneumonic for the lines on a treble clef. She thought is was Every Good Boy Does Fine, but I learned it as Every Good Boy Deserves Fudge, Now if only I could be a good boy!

Plans are now somewhat finalized for a book launching party. It will be held on Saturday August 3 from 3:00 to 5:00 at the Mainlands Clubhouse #5, 4275 Mainlands Blvd. S. . I hope that you can join us.

Ferdinand

Just a simple procedure, they said.

Maybe if I had done a little more research, I would have known that it was not so simple.

Well, the operation was fine and I left for home Friday evening with the only disappointment that they did not keep me over night to enjoy that great menu and personal attention.

But since getting home I found out that there was more to this operation than I realized. My scrotum swelled to about three or four times its regular size and has stayed that way despite attempting the various treatments suggested by many. I feel like Ferdinand, the bull. It is painful to move,

The research says that this could last 3 to 8 months (ouch), but the surgeon and my doctor advisor, Mike, say it should get at least a little better in the next week or two. I am going with them.

When I went to the cancer center on Monday, my blood numbers were good. I even got good results from a test for the Galectin-3 protein which is increasingly expressed with greater resistance of cancer cells to chemotherapy and metastatic (travelling) cancer cells. I prefer the Travelling Wilbury's. Can you name the members of that group? I have their first CD in my car.

The interesting thing is that I had gained 7 pounds in less than a week. The more interesting thing is that I have lost more than that in the last two days.

This is not entirely a negative report. I know that many in the Tampa Bay area are behind me. But when it came to the pre-op handling, I had all of Brooklyn beside me. This cute young blond was assigned the job of shaving the areas to be operated on. I had wondered how this would be dealt with and I must say that I was happy with the decision to use Brooklyn.

What is more, I have had supportive texts, cards and phone calls from many. These are all helpful in keeping my spirits up. Thanks!

Medical Fun

I am sitting in the middle of an exciting week.

First, my blood numbers were good on Monday. White Blood Cell count was up, almost double last week, and my platelet count jumped from 69 to 108. All in all, pretty good.

On Tuesday,  I went and had a far infrared sauna. There was some problem here. When I was at the colon hydrotherapy place that has the sauna last week, Helen the receptionist was away. I think she was upset and sick about the fact that I had missed an appointment earlier in the week. My visits are probably the highlight of her week.

In any event, when I made the booking for Tuesday, the fill-in entered my name as Joe. I almost was not allowed to come in because Joe had priority. Would you believe, I went back to my car and made up fake ID in the name of Joe and all was resolved?!

Earlier on Tuesday, I had to go to Morton Plant Hospital for pre-surgical testing. After visiting about three desks. a woman took me to weigh me and take my height.I learned that I was an inch taller than I thought. Pretty soon, I may be drafted by the NBA!

She then pointed me to a room and indicated that the patient should sit in the right chair. I am glad that I was not impatient at that time because if I was sitting in the left chair, I could not have seen the clerk who would have been hiding behind her computer screen.

When I saw the nurse, I think I passed the tests. I successfully identified a scalpel and a stethoscope and correctly guessed my blood pressure numbers within 10.

I am looking forward to Friday when I have my hernia surgery. It is supposed to be a day procedure, but I may start throwing up just to be able to stay over night. That way, I will get my own TV, have my morning newspaper delivered, have a great menu to order from and get a chance to practice creative writing on the white board. Did I mention that I like Morton Plant Hospital?

Finally, the first of my book rolled off the presses yesterday. I had to review it before it went into full print and e-book format. I think it looks good. There are still things to be done to get to full distribution. I expect everything to be set by the third or fourth week in July. Save the date, July 27. More details to follow.

Just to avoid chemotherapy

What an interesting, action filled week!

You may recall that my white blood cell count was low a week ago yesterday. I personally felt that I needed a shot (two actually) of neupogen, which boosts the white blood cell count, I didn't get it last week, but I sure needed it this week and so I had a shot yesterday (Tuesday) and today, I feel a little energized as a result. I will look forward to seeing the numbers next Monday.

Now the really interesting news. I have had some trouble with hernias over the past few months. Usually, I can pop them back in, particularly, my left one. However, on Thursday, I sneezed really hard and the right one popped. By the end of the afternoon, I was in such pain that the research manager took me to the hospital.

Eventually, I got some painkiller by IV and relaxed enough to allow the doctor to pop it back in. When I got the painkiller by IV, it was suggested that I be given anti nausea medicine also, but I told them that I never get sick. When I sat up to leave, I found out that never is no longer true. After an hour to recover, I tried to get up again, got my feet off the bed and moved, in a short time, from never to twice.

As a result, I was given a free (to me) night's stay at Morton Plant hospital for observation. When I got to the room, three times was sort of a charm. I was kept all the next day to see if I could keep food down. I did and I must say that the food service at Morton Plant is wonderful. There is a great menu and you order what you want, when you want it by phone and it is delivered to you within 45 minutes. I could happily have stayed longer.

In your room, they have a white board to provide all the information about you, the patient. It has a list of the people looking after you, various vital statistics like blood pressure and blood sugar counts, et cetera. They also have a list of goals for the day.

I was left to my own devices for much of the afternoon and added the goal of "becoming the all knowing god of the universe" to my goals for the day. When Sarah came to discharge me, I pointed out that I had not achieved all my goals. She looked and saw my entry on the board and broke out laughing. She had never seen any patient write on the board before. I was released notwithstanding my failure to achieve all my goals for the day.

I left the hospital early Friday evening and have had to be careful since. I am seeing the surgeon tomorrow and expect to have an operation on Friday June 28.

Meanwhile, I cannot have chemo because the Avastin that is part of the chemo process inhibits recovery from surgery. The oncology doctor is okay with this.

The lengths that one has to go to avoid chemo!

How persuasive am I?

This has been a very busy week. There has not been a lot of quiet time. Quiet time and rest is good and I need to work to schedule this.

Part of the problem is that the Stanley Cup Finals and the NBA finals are both running and despite my best intentions, I end up watching these until the end. Then, I wake up in time to play tennis.

Add some bridge club obligations and you will get tired just hearing about my schedule.

My blood tests yesterday were decent except that I would like my white blood cell count and my ANC numbers to be higher. If they go down, there is a chance that I will have to get more neupogen shots instead of chemo next week. I begged, pleaded and tried to cajole the nurses to give me neupogen yesterday to no avail. Perhaps, I should have tried crying. Or looking cute and helpless. Or, maybe I should have fainted on the floor. I don't think anything would have worked. They are so mean.

I did get the time for a far infrared sauna yesterday. The only time available was from 1 to 2. I arrived a few minutes late. I finished on time and opened the door just a crack so that the receptionist Helen could see only my head and said that I would be finished by 2:30. She is on to me now and knew that I was kidding.

Where I get my sauna is not open on the weekend and when Helen asks when I would like to come next, I always say "On Saturday or Sunday. So far to no avail on this matter also.

But I am making progress. I found out that Helen lives near the center and yesterday, she said that she could maybe do it after church. I think she was serious but told me that since she moved she had not had a  chance to go. I said that I would go with her, and that is apparently under consideration. I just hope that she doesn't go to the Russian Orthoodox church. I might be guilty of collusion.

Dilemma, the hockey game is in the final period of game 7 and I still have to have my soak. Tough choices.

Justice

Bob here.

I cannot tell you exactly where Charlie is, but he can't be far away. :)

I thought that I would throw in my two cents worth. If he can make his blogs into a book, then maybe I can get in on the action also.

His blood test results were interesting. Some improvement in red blood cell count, platelets and hemoglobin, but the white blood cell count, while better than last week, was lower than he anticipated. He thinks that he may have to get more neupogen shots next week.

He had a little more protein and ketones in the urine, Hopefully this will improve.

He seems to have good energy so far and I am sure he is looking forward to my departure tomorrow. I hear his energy flags a little after I go. Do you think it is because he misses me? No, I don't think so either.

The interesting development this week is that the research manager started getting a cold and decided to try some of Charlie's Lypo-spheric Vitamin C. She thinks that it tastes awful. Little did she realize what Charlie deals with daily. Justice! She took five packets over two days it it cleared her cold symptoms right up.

Here is a list of his top (or bottom) five tastes that have to be dealt with each day:

1. Essiac Tea
2. Beet Root Juice
3. Lypo-spheric Vitamin C
4. Black Seed Oil
5. Pecta-Sol C

To modify a popular saying: Try it, you might not like it!

White Blood Cells

You might say that the last seven days have been interesting.

Last week, I mentioned that my white blood cells were low. What is more, with the chemo, they go even lower.

They obviously got very low by the weekend as I came down with a cold, the first in 30 months! My immune system was shot.

The research manager prescribed lots of vitamin C and, of course, Chaga Mushroom tea. That seemed to do the trick and I began to improve by yesterday.

When I had my blood test yesterday and the results confirmed my suspicions. The white blood cell count was disastrously low, well below the minimum acceptable level. As a result, I was given Neupogen by needle. The needle goes into your underarm with a sharp prick and seems to stay there forever as the precious liquid gets squirted in and starts to promote the development of white blood cells from you bones. I got a second shot today and the shots do wonders. I feel like a million bucks, well, at least $900,000.

By the way, Ariana Grande was in Tampa to do a concert yesterday and had to cancel it because she got sick. I'm just saying.

The research manager continues to try to keep tabs on me. When she felt that I was not taking all my pills properly, she taped a close up of an eagle's head above the pills, with its "eagle eyes" staring at me. I dealt with that by fashioning a blindfold out of paper and putting it over the bird's eyes.

She also read about the fact that it is not good to keep the TV on over night while you are sleeping. The blue light and flashes of light are particularly bad. I have been sleeping in a separate bedroom due to my cold and had the TV on last night. I woke up in the middle of the night to sleepily observe the the TV was not working properly. The picture on both sides of the TV was faint and there was a black strip down the middle. I went back to sleep quickly. When I got up this morning, I discovered that the research manager had crept in and covered the TV with two pillowcases. Where they overlapped, it caused the black stripe. I just had to laugh.

In any event, things are on the mend and I am feeling much better than I did a few days ago.

As always, thanks for your interest, concern and prayers.

Getting used to the routine

I feel like I am getting used to dealing with the chemo thing.

I am handling the pump (aka Bob) far better than I did previously.

My numbers were somewhat improved from last week, not where I want them to be, but the doctor seems comfortable. He has reduced the amount of 5FU that is in my pump so that there will be slightly less negative effect on my white blood cell count. I still live with Bob for 46 hours after treatment.

The chemo days begin with steroids. As I result, I feel good for the rest of Tuesday and all of Wednesday, but am a little bit worse the wear for Thursday and Friday. However, I have learned that keeping fairly busy keeps things in better balance.

I asked the nurse yesterday if we could change things up and have 5FU for 20 minutes at the beginning of treatment and then have 46 hours of steroids in the pump. She did not buy into that suggestion and did not bother to ask the doctor about it.

Every treatment day, I go into the treatment room and am asked if they can get anything for me. I always ask for Chinese food, but they always tell me that they don't have it this week. One of these days, maybe I can work it out.

All in all, things are going fairly well and life is good.

The book seems to be taking forever. I think we are looking at late July for the official launch.

I will keep you posted.

As always, thanks for your interest, prayers and support.

One week back in the routine

Here I am just over a week after my first "Maintenance" chemo treatment.

A few interesting (to me) things of note.

My pattern of energy is the same as the full chemo regime. Since steroids are part of the treatment, I have good energy Tuesday evening and all day Wednesday. In fact, I was able to go to a full day at a regional bridge tournament in Brandon.

Thursday and Friday are lower energy and appetite days and then things return to normal on the weekend.

The interesting thing is that while my blood numbers were decent and even good in most cases last week, they were really disappointing yesterday. I felt good. I had energy. And yet, my white blood cell count was very low. My platelet count dropped dramatically and yet I have not been developing bruises like I usually do with lower platelets. Further, my extracted tooth wound has healed nicely.

And so here I am, feeling good and raring to go.

I read an interesting article this week about the value of fitness as it relates to colon cancer. (Not having a fit, but actual fitness!) The article claimed that the more fit a person is, the less likely they are to get colon cancer and for those that get colon cancer, they have an 89% lower risk of dying from the disease. And that is why I play tennis virtually every day.

The research manager continues not only with her research, but also with her vigilance in keeping me on the straight and narrow. She told me this evening that I needed a good nutritious dinner. She was working at her computer and I walked into her office with a single small piece of broccoli on a plate. She exclaimed "Is that what you're having for dinner?" I couldn't help but breaking out laughing. I think she had realized that I was kidding her, but it was still fun.

Every week, it seems that publication of the book gets further away. It looks like late July will be the date that it will start to be distributed. I did get the cover design today and there are several changes to be made to it, but it is looking good. I get excited seeing it develop, albeit slowly.

A busy week

It has been a busy week and there seems to be much to report.

After another week without Xeloda, my hands are getting better.

My blood tests yesterday were all improved with the exception of my white blood cells, which were marginal. The nurse practitioner added another CEA test and it was better than the last one (5.2 vs 6.0).

I started the maintenance chemo yesterday and an surviving it fairly well. Without the Oxaloplatin, the side effects are unlikely to be as bad and the doctor gave me Mugard to preempt any mouth sores.

I also had a follow up visit with the dentist on Monday and the extractions are healing well. I am virtually back to normal and will now have to discuss with the dentist what to do next.

I felt so good today that the research manager and Bob and I went off to play for one day in a regional bridge tournament. We did not badly. It was a good way to spend the day since I was not able to play tennis Bob has not learned how to play tennis yet.

The other day, we were talking about people that learn how to play the piano when they are young and then pick it up later in life. It is amazing that they can gain that much strength. Pianos are heavy!

The other day, the research manager watched the second half of the movie The Rainmaker. When you only see half of it, you just get mild showers.

Getting sleep is good in this process. I guess it is good for everyone. Bob makes it a little more difficult. The research manager often comments that she sleeps until she wakes up. I guess that is true for all of us!

One of the reasons that the research manager wakes up early is to do more research. Today, she presented me with the need and benefit of more vitamin C and even vitamin C infusions. So, I have begun to look into this.  There is always something!

And there is always the 200 of you that read this blog each week. Thanks for your interest.

Good news and not so good news

Here we are, two days after my petscan and one day after meeting with the doctor.

There is both good news and not so good news.

The good news is that there is nothing to worry about in my colon and and my liver is stable. That is pretty good.

The not so good news is that there is a modest increase in cancer in my lymph nodes. One or two spots are of particular concern.

The doctor presented two alternatives. One is to continue with the Xeloda at a lower dosage given my hand/foot syndrome. The other is to convert to maintenance chemo which is similar to my original chemo but without oxaliplatin which is what causes the major side effects.

The Xeloda option may not be effective in that my hands could get worse and a lower dose may not be effective on the lymph nodes since the higher dosage has not been.

The maintenance chemo option will be more effective and getting the lymph nodes under control should allow significantly longer survival. However, I will have live with the sniveling Bob. But if that is the most effective, then I have decided that is the route to go.

I can see it now. The driver will be saying "oh no, not more of that driving." But I have cleared with the doctor that I can drive myself. So relax. Besides, while being in treatment, it is good to have control of something and being able to drive is one of those things.

So, off we go on the next stage of this adventure. It will be interesting to see where we stand on the next petscan in 4 months.

Thanks for your interest, support and prayers as always.

White Blood Cells

A slightly more interesting week than normal.

Let's start with the hand/foot syndrome. While my feet seem to be surviving, my hands are becoming more of a challenge. After two weeks with no Xeloda, they are still fairly red and sore in spots. I am using cream frequently to try to bring things back. Dr. Patel said that the area between the thumb and the forefinger will blister and crack if we move to stage three and that will encourage infection. I was/am on the edge of stage two. As mentioned previously, if I get to stage three, I will have to stop doing Xeloda and in the absence of an alternative, will have to revert to regular chemo infusions. My feet are helped in part by some new Skechers shoes that are very comfortable. Hmmm, does Skechers make gloves?

That, of course, turns the focus, in part, on white blood cells. Surprisingly, my count was down this week when I expected it to improve. Most of my other numbers were decent with one exception. The protein in my urine was high. This may be caused by the Avastin which I have infused every three weeks.. We have to keep an eye on this.

My platelets are holding up significantly from three or four weeks ago. The research manager is still crowing about her finding papaya and papaya leaf extract and beet root juice. She is constantly putting reminders in my way to remind me about the beet juice.

Yesterday, I had two teeth extracted. This was an interesting process. The whole thing took only twenty minutes. They took some of my blood before starting and put it in a centrifuge to isolate the white blood cells. These were then put in the gap caused by the extraction. I have had no pain to speak of. I have to eat soft food (the research manager read me the list of foods and slyly omitted mentioning the ice cream!) I am getting a little tired of soup.

I felt well enough to go and play bridge this afternoon and did alright with a new partner. However, tennis is out of the question until at least Saturday. I feel that I could start tomorrow, but.......

The schedule this week and some caution about the heat and the teeth has ruled out the far infrared sauna this week, but last week was sure interesting. I got to the sauna and the receptionist Helen was busy running around and said that she wished she could join me. Now, let me tell you that the research manager had suggested that she and I could share the sauna, but since I had resisted the suggestion, it would have been hard to explain why I was willing to do it with Helen. So, I was in my own little private peaceful world. for the session.

When I got out, there was a younger woman sitting waiting and Helen said that she wanted to ask me some questions. I said to myself "Oh Boy, here comes another offer to share the sauna." But it turned out the questions related primarily to how tired I got from the session since she had gotten really tired the first few times. We got into an interesting conversation about auto-immune diseases and then eventually the research manager and my blog and the rm's appendix in my book.

Life continues to be good. Thanks for all your interest, care and prayers. They all give me energy.

Next stop. Petscan on this coming Monday. Always a nervous moment.

Interesting

What an interesting and challenging week!

As we approached the weekend, I was suffering. My mouth sore was ever present. My hand/foot syndrome was making my hands red and sore.  And......I seemed to have developed an old friend Paradoxical Diarrhea.

Let's deal with them in order. My magical mouthwash was having minimal effect on the mouth sore. Hydrogen Peroxide (the research manager's choice of treatment) was not that effective. But the further I get from the Xeloda pills, the better it gets. My concern was how it would mesh with my tooth extraction next Tuesday.

The hand/foot syndrome was discussed with the doctor at the cancer center. He explained that there were three stages. Looking at my hands, he said that I was definitely moving moving into stage two. If I get to stage three (in which my hands start to blister and leak) I will have to stop taking Xeloda and go back to regular chemo, barring possible developments in immunotherapy or genetic engineering. I stay in touch with the Cancer Research Institute to learn of any testing in those areas. The doctor's solution was to go two more weeks without Xeloda and see how things are then, likely restarting with a smaller dose. Apparently, the redness in the hands reflects Xeloda settling there rather than the bloodstream and a few weeks off should allow the Xeloda to gradually get into the blood and therefore, taking a few weeks off is not  big risk. It definitely offers a big benefit for me. I feel better already. I will be doing a petscan in 12 days and it will be interesting to see where things stand.

The Paradoxical Diarrhea seems to be best dealt with by having a colonic. I did this late this afternoon and it feels much better. The therapist was pleased with how my colon was working. Nothing better than pleasing your colon-hydrotherapist.

Meanwhile, my blood test numbers yesterday were good. In particular, my platelet count was 97, up from 73 a few weeks ago. No doubt the research manager's recommendations of papaya, papaya leaf extract and beet root juice have had significant effect. She has not stopped reminding me of that since we got the number.

I love retrieving the mail each day. Recently, the research manager beat me to it and I asked if there was any interesting mail. She said that she had an interesting male.

"I often drink water and when I do, I drink high ph Essentia water. Stay alkaline, my friends." 

Priorities

While each week, I look forward to seeing the results of the blood tests, they also can be challenging.

When my platelets are low, the research manager prescribes beet juice, papaya and papaya leaf extract.

When my red blood cells are low; red meat, chicken livers,  and other things come to the fore.

Billirubins are high? Back to the Cholestyramine.

You get the picture.

At times, I get tired of dealing with these issues, bearing in mind that meanwhile the cancer fight continues with the full array of supplements and vitamins.

This week, the platelets improved slightly, but the white blood cells and ANC dropped significantly. We have to keep the immune system up. Lypo-spheric vitamin C and Chaga Mushroom tea are the order of the day.. I have been taking Chaga every day since the beginning of this journey and have not had a cold, notwithstanding that I meet with hundreds of people each week.

Over the weekend, my hand/foot syndrome was at its worst. It hurt to do many things. However, a few days without Xeloda and generous applications of cream have things improving slowly. It did prompt me to go and buy a comfortable shoe (actually two shoes) to wear, in place of the running shoes that I have worn every day since Labor Day.

I love getting mail each day. The other day the post lady was still putting mail in the boxes when I came home and I was told that I needed to wait until she was finished because she did not know who I was. I told her that I knew who I was and as I got on the elevator, it registered and she said that she was glad that I knew who I was. She must be thinking about the Silver Alerts we get each day in Florida. It seems there are a lot of old forgetful guys.

Talking about dealing with issues, my weight has crept up a little. And I may have found a good solution. The headline on page 57 of a recent Time magazine was "Eating dessert can help with your diet." I have yet to hear the research manager endorse that however!

Chicken problems

Apparently, there is a secret way to find out how I am doing and many people are using it. They ask the research manager. Since I look well and feel well, she has decided to tell them that I am doing well, which I am.

The blood tests went well yesterday. Most numbers were decent. My platelet count went down slightly, but only slightly. We will continue to work on that.

As I left to go out for tennis yesterday, the research manager noted that my billirubins were high. Apparently, they are reflective of something about the liver. But she noted that the other liver measures were all good, I thought about it while playing tennis, until it rained and then I thought about it while making and eating breakfast and then I went to the cancer center and asked the nurse practitioner about it. She said that they were high, but that they kept an eye on it and that my other liver numbers were good. Conclusion: trust the research manager.

Talking about the research manager, I have noticed that she often focuses her eyes on what I am doing and eating. I think she inherited her eyes from an eagle. I just have to laugh.

Our mutual printer is on my desk. The other day, a recipe got printed out for Brazilian chicken. I have spent hours looking for a Brazilian chicken to no avail. Things got worse though. The next thing I saw was a recipe for stolen chicken. If anyone wants to risk it, could you steal one for the research manager?

While I was at the cancer center, I mentioned that in addition to my hands and feet being affected, I thought my knees were losing hair. The nurse practitioner said that she had never heard that before, but she checked it out and said there was still plenty of hair there. I am sure that will be a story that will entertain someone at the cancer center.

So, all in all, things are good. I feel good. And I thank all you good people for your interest.

Future events.

Tooth extraction on April 23
Petscan on April 29 or 30.

Amazing

Another week. More blood tests. Mixed results.

A few numbers were improved. ANC, for example, went from 1.4 to 1.7. The doc is happier if that number is over 1.5 and it has been known to be 3.0 or more. Strangely, my white blood cell count went down from 3.0 to 2.8. Both measures are indicators of my immune system's ability to function properly.

Stay tuned for the amazing thing,

It is encouraging that my level of alkalinity is up. It is now in the range of 7.25 to 7.5 whereas it was often around 6 a while ago. This is good. The more alkaline that I am, the tougher it is for cancer cells. Credit a few things, but 60 ounces of Essentia high ph water is helping.

I finished my week of Xeloda yesterday and am happy about that. My hands, in particular, are very red and fairly sore. I am using liberal amounts of Udderly Smooth cream.

Stay tuned for the amazing part of this blog.

I won at tennis today. It threatened rain when we started. Paul and I won the first game and then it started raining. We would have continued, but everyone else ran for protection. Chalk up another major victory for team Gill.

I sometimes play with three younger more energetic women who are not part of our group. The last time that I played with them, all the courts were in use and we had to vacate our court for some people who play pickleball. But we were ahead 6-5 when we had to quit. We agreed to meet later, but they did not show. It is bad enough being stood up by one women, but three? That hurts.

I know that you have been waiting with baited breath for the amazing part of this blog. Here it is. You know that the research manager concocted an attack on low platelets. The first week's efforts had no positive effect (73 versus 77 the week before). But this week we added papaya leaf extract and the count went from 73 to 89. We have asked the doc often about whether there is anything that can help platelets and they knew of nothing. The research manager finds papaya leaf extract and it has immediate results. Amazing!

I am off for dinner. I am dressed too warmly because when I checked what the weather was going to be later tonight, I accidentally looked at Cupertino California rather than St. Petersburg. Oh well. I am not going to change now.

I intend to have a great week and hope the same for you.

Moral Fabric

Well, last night I started back on Xeloda. Over the week off, things have improved significantly.

My hands are better, not great, but better.

My blood test showed improvement in virtually all categories, except for platelets, which dropped from 77 (bad) to 73 (worse). Having said that, my mouth sores did get better. A week ago, I was waking up looking like Dracula with blood trickling out of my mouth. That is not happening right now, anyway.

We are working on the platelets with many approaches. Beet root juice, papaya and a few other things did not seem as helpful as we hoped, but a new fix is in hand. The research manager learned that papaya leaf extract has improved platelet count for many and fairly quickly. I began those capsules last night also. It will be exciting to see the results at next Tuesday's blood tests.

Speaking of blood tests, yesterday's was exciting for me beyond the blood test results. Since it was a finger prick test this week, I was given a Snoopy bandage and, lo and behold, Snoopy was playing tennis, I could hardly contain my excitement. I mentioned it to a few people, but they did not seem that impressed. I think the blood technicians believe that I am crazy. They may be right.

One interesting thing this past week Someone at the club is moving and had a large amount of fabric that she wanted to get rid of. Someone expressed interest and she brought the fabric to the club. I asked if she had any moral fabric. She thought I was questioning her character, but I told her the moral fabric was for me. I hope she believed me.

Normal

Things could be called largely normal this week.

Most of my blood numbers are within a normal range (for cancer guys like me.) However, the platelet count is down to its lowest yet.......77. So the research manager is on a campaign to get the count up. Anybody want to participate? Beet root juice, papaya, vitamin k2, more spinach and a few other things are in my immediate future.

My CEA is up slightly but still in a range that Dr. Patel is comfortable with. I think it is more a measure of colon issues than liver or lymph node issues and the liver and lymph nodes are our primary focus.

My hand/foot syndrome got bad over the weekend, the same as two weeks ago. I think it gets better duringthe non-Xeloda week. I hope so. It was tough playing tennis on Monday morning and I took today off to recover a little bit.

The mouth sores are also back in a minor way. But I will survive..

I learned that a bridge club nearby runs a stroke clinic on Saturday morning. That is super, tennis for those with heart problems.

I am thinking of having a baby. The less than a year old grandson of two of the tennis players was brought down to the tennis court the other day and the ladies all fawned over him. With a baby, I would get at least peripheral attention.

I still need rest and so I am going for my soak now. Earlier this week, the research manager said that she was out of thyme and that is how I feel some evenings also.

Changes

There were a few surprises this week.

The first is that I did not have any blood tests. There were some scheduling errors and as a result, the blood tests were not scheduled. When I called about it, I was told my numbers were okay last week and so I did not need to come in.

In general, I feel good. Just battling all the usual issues, but I am still smiling.

As many of you will know, we made our goal in raising funds for the book. The research manager has been working on the Appendix which details the supplements and activities that I am following in addition to the Chemo pills. I hope that her appendix will not burst like it did for the wife of one of my tennis friends last week. Seriously, her appendix will be valuable to many. I am thinking of sending it to Alex Trebek. He has pancreatic cancer just like Mary Jo did.

Three things have changed this week, two of which are true.

I have always said that I will not eat dinner for breakfast or breakfast for dinner. I broke the breakfast for dinner hurdle a while ago, but now I have had dinner items for breakfast a few times in the last week. Who would have ever thought that I would be eating peas in the morning!

The second is that I have always indicated that I do not like sushi.. Imagine my surprise when I went to pick up our take out order of Thai food the other day and was told that the sushi would be ready in a minute or two. When I said that I did not order sushi, I was told that the seaweed salad which I eat is sushi. Who knew?

The third is that I was told by a lady at the health food store where I get my wheatgrass that what I needed was Noni Juice. When I said that I can get that locally, I was told that you have to go to Hawaii to get the real stuff. Do you think that I should abandon the book idea and use the funds to move to Hawaii. I will let you know how this turns out!

I am still waiting for the oncologist and the dentist to get together on my tooth extraction. Meanwhile, it does not hurt much anymore. Besides that, I am too busy to take a few days off to recover.

Thanks for your interest.

Side Effects

Today, for your reading pleasure, I will share the side effects that I am currently experiencing.

You have heard for weeks now about hand/foot syndrome. It seems that it gets worse during the weeks that I am taking Xeloda. That was this past week and my hands, in particular, turned about as read as Rudolph's nose and as sore as a jilted lover.

My mouth has a few sores and dry mouth lurks during most nights. I have magic mouth wash, a supplement recommended by the dentist and Biotene gel to deal with this. And the research manager has added Hydrogen Peroxide to the mix.

I now have some digestion problems, another possible side effect. The research manager has been pushing more fiber, particularly more veggies.

I am dealing with all of this and still playing tennis. I even make the odd good shot and win from time to time.

My blood numbers? Oh yes....they were good, better across the board. That should allow me to have the tooth extraction which I need. I am just waiting for the oncologist and the dentist to communicate with each other to clear me for the oral surgery. But let's see if the post Xeloda decline kicks in again this week.

I am a few hundred short of my Kickstarter goal and have 24 hours left. Thanks to those who have gotten us this far. If you are interested, you still have time. Go to www.kickstarter.com  and search for Red Shirts and Rubber Duckies.You will have the dual benefit of my eternal gratitude and a copy of the book when it comes out.

Thanks all. You inspire me with your prayers and supportive comments.

The toilet paper test

What a difference a week makes.

A week ago, I had improved blood numbers. This week, many of them are lower. Heather, the Nurse Practitioner says that it is normal for numbers to get worse after you have finished a week's worth of Xeloda. We will see. I am back on Xeloda now and if Heather is right my numbers will improve.

What does a visit to the cancer center entail. Well, it may be slightly different for me, but this is what happens. I enter the center to a waiting room and a receptionist. I sign in under a fake name. (This week, it was Mack N. Cheese). This week, I also got told that the sign-in slips are sent to corporate and that I should use my real name. This, after months of using fake names.

After a wait, the blood technician comes and gets you, takes your weight, blood pressure and then takes blood (this week it was from my arm for multiple tests.) I learned that the Snoopy I had given them the week before was now sporting a bandage wrapped around his arm, just like me.

I then visit with the doctor or nurse practitioner prior to getting an infusion of Avastin to discuss how things are. We discussed my hand/foot syndrome, my dry mouth and my mouth sores. And then my possible tooth extraction. There has to be coordination between the oncologist and the dentist when you have cancer treatments. It looks like things will be okay to do the extraction.

The extraction and not extractions? Yes.....I met with the second opinion dentist on Friday and we agreed on only extracting only one tooth for now. I think that is a safer route. I am glad that I got a second opinion because the dentist (Rachel Caldwell) reminds me of the Doctor that I fell in love with at Moffitt Cancer Center. She is smart, attractive and has a wonderful sensitivity to her patients' needs.

Today I was at the extraction specialist for a consult and I know things will be okay. They put the toilet paper on the roll the right way! I was given three prescriptions preparatory to the surgery. An antibiotic, a powerful painkiller and something to help heal my mouth after the surgery. The only issue is that I will not be able to play tennis for a few days afterward. I presume that is because I will not be able to yell (What?) every time the opponents call my shots out.

We have a six hour drive on Friday to Tallahassee on Friday. Since the research manager insists on driving, I will use the time to review the second and, hopefully final edit of the book.  I promise that this is the last time I will mention the Kickstarter campaign (go to www.kickstarter.com and search for Red Shirts and Rubber Duckies.) We still have a way to go to reach the goal and there is only a week left. Thanks to those who have indicated interest already.

Time for a soak and the nighttime routines. I finished the House of Spies last night and so I will have tell the research manager about Deep Freeze tonight.