I am retired. I like to write. I like to read. I live in Hood River, OR. I am married (47 years!) and have two grown sons, Noah and Isaac.
Slowly, my health rebounds from the shock of high-dose chemotherapy. Even the doctor at my exit interview referred to this medicine as “poison.” Most of its lingering effects are invisible. The light-headedness and shortness of breath are mine alone to observe. My stomach’s orientation remains slightly tilted; unpredictable upsets remind me that the toxins ticketed … More This Is Not Who I Am, Or Is It?
I’m taking two medications as preventative remedies. One, acyclovir, staves off shingles. The second, bactrim, puts a stop to a couple of common pneumonias. During this past week, my recovery stabilized. My appetite improved though my taste buds continue to be flat. I have renewed energy and I am walking 2+ miles, weather permitting. The … More Bubble Boy
Marilyn and I spent 3 1/2 months in Seattle, 104 days to be exact. That is a long time away from home. We advanced through the adventure of the new environment and treatment to a sense, finally, of confinement. There were good days, bad days and a lot of just endured days. Now, at home, … More Home = Healing
Today is getaway day. We expect to arrive home this afternoon. I am tired and bored. There’s little desire to read or write. I lost my strength to explore Seattle. Television’s meaningless braying insults my intelligence, in fact, our collective intelligence. You need only be stuck in front of it for a period of time … More Do Not Hug
We just returned from the SCCA’s Long Term Follow-Up Class for transplant patients. The class is a requirement before a patient can be discharged, and we have only more day of appointments to keep here, concluding with tomorrow afternoon’s Exit Conference. We plan to drive back to Hood River on Friday, one day early! John … More Long Term Follow Up Care
Monday was a good day, Tuesday not so much. Wednesday I ate well, maybe 75% of normal. That evening I spiked a fever, not high enough to hospitalize me, but close. It vanished within a couple of hours. Thursday, I gave blood and met with the team nurse. Evidently, several transplant patients reported similar fevers. … More Good Blood, Bad Blood
Sunday we got a break from our daily clinic visit and blood work. So, we went out to breakfast. Returning to the apartment, we then watched 300 hours of football, which wouldn’t be so bad but we’d watched 200 hours on Saturday. I am soooo tired of TV. Monday, it was back to the lab. … More Our Goal
The phone rang; I vomited. Granted, the ringer for the landline at our apartment blares like a fire engine, demanding attention NOW! I leapt up, relatively speaking, from my easy chair next to a sunny window. I chemo-shuffled at top speed to answer. I absorbed the thirty-second message. Then I reached for my “phucket” bucket, … More More Than You Ever Wanted To Know
“Don’t bail: The best gold is at the bottom of the barrels of crap.” So said the late Randy Pausch in his “Last Lecture” that I mentioned in an earlier post. Not that we have anywhere to bail, but it’s an appropriate message today. My friend the accountant says the numbers in yesterday’s post are … More Me And Alex Rodriquez
Last night John’s fatigue, diarrhea, lack of appetite, pain, and low-grade fever culminated in a decision to go to the hospital. I was somewhat surprised by the nurse and doc’s reaction to our arrival, something akin to, “What are you doing here?” While John’s fever had not reached the red flag level (100.9, he got … More Pit Stop At The UW Hospital
Good Blood, Bad Blood 