Getting Aredia Today

I am at the oncologist, getting an infusion of Aredia. The Aredia is supposed to reverse the bone destruction caused by the tumor.

Drip, drip, drip. Very peaceful. Peace to you as well!

Everything is fine

Nothing to report except good health. And sleepiness....

Great Music, from the Trombone Player's perspective....

Still on Hiatus

Thanks for checking in! ;-)

It was fun while it lasted....

It is time to put this blog on hiatus. The cancer is nowhere to be found, and there is really nothing new to report. Repeated postings of "I feel great!" are not very news worthy. And instead of posting "One Year Ago this Week" items, I direct you to the Blog Archive box to the right. You can peruse all of the 134 posts at your leisure.

As of tonight, there were 2,260 unique visits to this blog since it started last July. I am amazed at that number.

I will probably not post again until the cancer flares back up (hopefully, a long time from now). I would like to thank all of you for your prayers, kind words, and for doing things for me. I have enjoyed blogging, and I'll probably start another blog soon, writing about other topics -- none of which will be lymphoma.

Take care.

-Kevin

One year ago this week: (Part 5)

The Calm before the Storm happened at this time last year. I had my second chemotherapy on August 6th. I began my Lovenox injections, which would continue through April of 2010. I could barely walk. I had no hair.

But, I didn't feel bad. I did go to work. Little did I know how sick I was going to be.

By August 24th, things deteriorated to the point where I was admitted to intensive care for pneumonia and a blood clot in my lung. I stayed in the hospital for 8 days. I came out on oxygen.

I am getting ahead of myself. More later....

A Great Way to Commute

One year ago this week: (Part 4)

August 1st, 2009 -- I had my hair buzzed off because it was starting to fall out. I do remember it was hot that day, and being bald is much cooler than having hair.

Hmmm. Maybe I should celebrate the anniversary by having the hair buzzed off again....

Jumpin' at the Woodside

One year ago this week: (3rd Installment)

One year ago this week was pretty light:

Monday, July 20th: At the doctor for a Neulasta injection. This was to boost the white blood cell count. In retrospect, this may not have been too effective. Ah, well. Better luck next time.

Thursday, July 23rd: Blood work at the doctor.

Friday, July 24th: Met with the surgeon to discuss putting in a port. Ports go in the chest and facilitate infusions by giving a direct route into a major vein near the heart. As I recall, I decided not to do this at first, but went back later and got one installed.

Monday, July 27th: Severe pain in my right leg resulted in an ultrasound of the leg, revealing a large blood clot (DVT). I started Lovenox injections to reduce the chances of additional blood clots. The pain and swelling from this clot was severe. It would be 6 months before I could walk any distance.

Needless to say, this July is much more fun. I walked four miles this morning with no pain, but a lot of perspiration!

Raisin Brahms

One year ago this week: (2nd Installment)

One year ago this week was quite busy:

July 14, 2009: First meeting with oncologist.

July 15: Bone marrow biopsy. Fun!

July 15: Echo test (a sonogram of the chest to look for heart problems. No, I don't know why.)

July 16: PET scan (looking for cancer)

July 17: First chemotherapy treatment. This took place at the hospital. I will recount the hilarity of this event in a subsequent blog post.

This year, 2010, I celebrate with a CT scan on the 14th. See ya!

One more round in the history books....

Thursday the 8th was my latest round of chemotherapy. I am on maintenance -- I get chemo every three months. I am supposed to be on maintenance for two years, and then doctor will watch for more cancer through CT scans and other tests.

Aside from knocking down my white blood cell count, the chemo causes me no ill effects. So, it looks like more chemo around October 1st!

One year ago this week:

Monday, July 6th, 2009 -- MRI. The doctor was looking for a bad disk in my lower spine. He found a healthy tumor instead!

July 7th -- Received cancer diagnosis from the doctor. I had figured this out on Monday afternoon when he canceled my appointment with the orthopedic doctor and scheduled me for a Tuesday morning visit. As I recall, I didn't lose a bit of sleep over this: either before or after the diagnosis.

July 8th -- CT Biopsy at the hospital. This is where they put me out, and poked a needle in my backside to extract tissue from the tumor. It took about an hour. As I recall, it was a fairly pleasant experience.

July 10, 11, 12 -- Did the server transition at work anyway. Just because I have cancer doesn't mean that real work can stop! I had great help. The transition was very successful, and I remember it fondly.

More memories next week! It's exciting to not be doing all of this in 2010.

July 2009 -- A Month that will Live in Infirmary

July of 2009 is when I received my cancer diagnosis. Now, one year later, it's time to relive those exciting moments of big words (Follicular Lymphoma), doctor visits, and exotic drugs.

So in the upcoming weeks I will review and update posts from last year. I will bring my usual blend of humor, sarcasm, and incomprehensibility. The narrative will be predictable -- I am better off today than I was one year ago.

With Obama as your President, can you say the same?

The Unengaged President Obama

Mark Steyn, in National Review:

He doesn’t seem to know, and he doesn’t seem to care that he doesn’t know, and he doesn’t seem to care that he doesn’t care.... The president seems to stand foursquare for nothing much.

And this:

...White House aides indicated that what angered the president most about the Rolling Stone piece was “a McChrystal aide saying that McChrystal had thought that Obama was not engaged when they first met last year.” If finding Obama “not engaged” is now a firing offense, who among us is safe?

July is Memories Month

July 6th, 2009 was the date my cancer was discovered. I had an MRI that day to look for an explanation for my severe (and I mean SEVERE) back pain. As it turns out, the back pain was caused by a large tumor.

I know that many of you are mourning the untimely passing of the tumor. He was gone by Thanksgiving and has not been seen since.

The good news is that I am still here. That is good news, right? Ok. Don't answer that....

In the next couple of weeks I'll be reliving my many doctor's visits and medical procedures from last July -- a month that will live in infirmary. I know you can't wait to walk down memory lane with me. Nothing is quite as sentimental as reliving old times in and around the hospital.

If you don't like this plan, I can always post YouTube clips of Lawrence Welk shows. You can vote your preference in the comments.

See ya!

How sad

This is about the saddest thing I have read.

Dudley Moore plays Beethoven (parody)

Items Sold at a Chinese Wal-Mart

Sixteen items you can find at a Chinese Wal-Mart.

Everything is Wonderful

I could not be more pleased with how good I feel or how much I am able to do. No pain at all now from the formerly swollen right leg. I can walk and run. Although running reveals my lack of conditioning, it's fun to do since my back no longer hurts.

I'm not taking any medication. Chemo is now quarterly, and I won't get another dose until the first week of July.

I do everything I want to do, and nothing that I don't want to do. ;-)

Speaking of stuff I don't want to do: I have a backlog of house projects waiting. I can no longer use the "I've got cancer" excuse for not getting them done. It looks like Lowe's and Home Depot will be seeing a lot of me in the coming months.

New Age terrorists develop homeopathic bomb

‘It was only a matter of time before these people got hold of the material that they needed to make these bombs,’ said former UN weapons inspector, Hans Blix, ‘The world is a much more dangerous place with the advent of these Weapons of Mass Dilution.’

Read all about this weapon here.

Running

I ran a half-mile today. The first quarter-mile went effortlessly. The second quarter-mile revealed my age and lack of conditioning.

Now I have a base-line. Soon it will be 1 mile, then 2, then 5. I think I will stop at 5. I don't want to mess up my back.

I can't believe I'm writing this. A month ago, I was thinking that running, if I could ever do it again, would not happen until Autumn. Wow. God is good!

Bye Bye, Lovenox

As of today, no more "blood thinner" for me. Twice-a-day injections of Lovenox are now a thing of the past.

I'm really going to miss giving myself injections. However, I will step up and gladly make the sacrifice!

Swelling Down

The swelling in my right leg is getting much better. It is almost gone. I can walk 90% normally now, and -- let me tell you -- that is a big, big, BIG improvement over dragging my right leg around behind me.

Based on the recent progress, I will probably be free of any swelling by the first week in July, which is the 1st anniversary of my cancer diagnosis.

Swelling is bad. God is good. Praise Him for allowing me to feel good!

Quote of the Day, #2

"Tip to younger readers as a lesson about life: People who tell you that they are humble aren't. People who brag that they are generous aren't. People who boast of how honest they are - lock up your wallet. And finally (perhaps a shocking thing for me to say), whenever a local business advertises that it runs according to Christian principles, I keep looking. People who announce how Christian they are often the biggest cheats around."

From Sense of Events.

Quote of the Day

"I have talked to therapists who feel they are superhuman yet see it as an asset."

Read it here.

Moving well

I am doing 4 to 6 mile walks most evenings. I stop every now and then to do push-ups along the route. I have done as few as 50 and as many as 80 push-ups during these hour to hour-and-a-half walks.

Not bad for an old man!

Chemo complete!

Chemotherapy went off without a hitch on Thursday. It seemed to take all day.

No ill effects as of yet. The White Blood Cell count usually dives within a week. However, the last chemo didn't produce much of an ill effect. I hope this will make two uneventful treatments in a row!

Chemo Tomorrow

First chemo of 2010 is tomorrow. Pray for the doctor and staff! They have to put up with me....

Good on ya!

Makenzie says "Eye Love You!"

"The problem is not in Muslims," he continues. "The problem is with their God. They need to be liberated from their God. He is their biggest enemy."

Mosab Hassan Yousef talks about, among other things, Hamas and Christianity.

Great Questions I Never Thought to Ask

Why is there no Jewish Narnia?

This is a very well-written and lengthy essay and brings a fresh look to some of the joys and wonders of Christianity that I have been overlooking.

Not bad....

In my last post, I bragged about doing a 2 mile walk.

Today, I walked 5 miles. 5.4 miles to be exact. I was a little slow: about 1 hr and 20 minutes. But I completed the course without a rest and with no pain in my foot, leg, hip, or back. The weather was gorgeous. It was a perfect day for a walk.

I have not been able to walk 5 miles in over a year.

Words cannot express HOW ENTHUSED I AM about this development. I'm sure I will be a little sore tomorrow, but I love being out and about. Don't you?

I don't think I will take "out and about" for granted again. Ever.

Still Here!

Yes, I am still here. Everything has been going very well, health-wise. I fought a cold this week, and won!

The swelling in my right leg is now almost completely gone, and I walk with a 90% normal gait. The remaining swelling is slight and is confined to the right ankle and foot. When I walk, I have a very mild stinging sensation, not unlike the sensation you can associate with your foot when it "goes to sleep".

I took a two-mile walk at lunch time today, and enjoyed every step. A year ago, my constant back pain would have made that walk impossible.

My next doctor's appointment is on Feb 25th, and I won't have chemotherapy until the end of March.

Stay tuned. I promise to post more often in the next two weeks, God willing and the creek don't rise....

Results of the Bone Scan

The results of the bone scan on February 1st are in. The report was very good.

I still have a cancerous lesion on a bone (I'm not exactly sure where), but that lesion has not changed since July. There was still no evidence of a tumor from the CT scan in January.

My chemotherapy has been changed to quarterly. I will do my next chemo session some time in March. This is called maintenance chemotherapy, and I'm happy to be on maintenance.

I feel great. I walk without any pain, and the swelling in my right foot is now minimal, even at the end of a busy day.

The bone scan did discover that I have a fractured 7th rib. I had no idea. Just like my broken elbow last August, it will require no treatment.

God is good, and I will be around through the middle of 2010 at least. ;-)

Shakespeare and Obesity

CAESAR

Let me have men about me that are fat;
Sleek-headed men and such as sleep o' nights:
Yond Cassius has a lean and hungry look;
He thinks too much: such men are dangerous.

ANTONY

Fear him not, Caesar; he's not dangerous;
He is a noble Roman and well given.

CAESAR

Would he were fatter! But I fear him not:

- Julius Caesar, Act 1, Scene 2

Cancer Update

I have to admit, updates on my cancer have been few and far between. Since the tumor disappeared in November, all I have had are two additional chemotherapy treatments.

This week, the results of my most recent CT scan revealed that the tumor is still gone. And, as a bonus, my chemotherapy for this month was canceled! It may be that I will go on a quarterly schedule for future chemotherapy.

Next week I will have a bone scan to look for additional cancer. If that comes back clean (as I expect it will) then I am definitely in "maintenance mode" for my cancer treatment.

That is a good thing. God is good, and I'm happy to be on the mend.

How to Hammer a Nail (in German)

You will have to provide your own translation:

Tape Measure Mastery

Taxman

“It says that in Massachusetts, they are willing to elect a guy who doesn’t believe in evolution just to keep the Democrats from having 60 votes.”

So says former Senator Bob Kerry (Nebraska) in this article in the New York Times.

His comment follows a statement by Senate candidate Coakley, "You can have religious freedom, but you probably shouldn't work in an emergency room." She was referring to a law that would mandate that any emergency room worker would have to distribute contraception, even those contraceptives that induce abortions, even if the conscience or religious beliefs of the worker did not permit them to participate in abortion (or contraception).

If I understand Ms. Coakley, she thinks that Christians should not work in an emergency room.

If I understand Mr. Kerry, believing in evolution is required for any candidate seeking to represent Massachusetts in the U.S. Senate.

Mr. Kerry's comment is troubling to me as a Christian. One of the things that belief in evolution could imply is a corresponding unbelief in God. After all, if evolution exists, then God isn't really necessary. God might exist, but his role as Creator would be in serious doubt.

Permit me to reformulate his remarks. Mr. Kerry might be saying that “...in Massachusetts, they are willing to elect a guy who doesn’t believe in evolution believes in God just to keep the Democrats from having 60 votes.”

I would like to know more of Mr. Kerry's and Ms. Coakley's views of religious freedom. And, since I don't believe in evolution, I would also like to know what other jobs, besides ER worker and Senator, for which they think me to be unfit.

More Good News

More good news from the doctor yesterday. My white blood cell count is normal. In fact, all of my blood counts are normal. Yippee! That bodes well for me staying out of the hospital (which is my #1 New Year's resolution).

CT scan is next week. Hopefully, I will not have to do any more chemo if the CT scan once again shows no cancer.

New CT Scan on the way

I have a CT scan next week to check on the progress of my tumor. The last CT scan reported the tumor was gone. So, it will be interesting to see if the Tumor is gone for good, or just playing hide-and-seek with the radiologist.

In other news, my right leg swells much less now, and I can walk with some speed and an almost normal gait. It's been a long time since I have been able to walk perfectly normally. Almost a year, I think.

Stay warm!

Sixth Round of Chemo is Complete

I almost forgot: my sixth round of Chemo is complete. I had it on December 28th.

Which reminds me: having cancer might prevent Alzheimer's -- and vice-versa.

People who have Alzheimer’s disease may be less likely to develop cancer, and people who have cancer may be less likely to develop Alzheimer’s disease...

I think I prefer cancer to Alzheimer's.

Happy New Year

Let's ring in 2010 with a little Scarlatti. I love the mood of this piece!