Treatment Day 5 of 28

Today's appointment is a 1:15, Reminder to me.

So I checked out too early they scored again before halftime.

I finally timed leaving for my appointment so I arrived onetime, rather than 45 minutes or more early.

Drank my water on the way in and they took me in almost as soon as I arrived. Line up, radiate, I am out of there.

Walked outside to a whiteout snowstorm, decided my errands could wait for another day and I headed home. The snow finally let up about half way home. I could see again.

Then I headed up Goldmine Road and it started to snow, again. That is better than rain as the 2 miles of dirt road turn in to a muddy swamp when it rains. Made it home with no problem.

Made some tacos for lunch, lots of leftovers.

Worked on some photos and then vegged out the rest of the day.

Tomorrow, I start my 10am appointments, yeah, don't have to figure out a time to leave everyday.

Treatment Day 4 of 28

It snowed last night, I will have to adjust my timing.

Triple check the time of my appointment, 2:15pm.

I am waiting to hear if a light I ordered is ready for pick-up. That will determine the time I will leave.

Light isn't ready, so I am leaving a bit after 11am. I will get some gas and possibly, lunch.

No time for lunch, I head to the Cancer Center. Drink my 16 ozs of water and head in.

No sooner do I sit down they call me in. I tell her I just drank my water, they set me up and get everything lined up and zap, I am done.

I exit the building to snow flurries.

I cross the parking lot to the grocery store and grab a few items and head home.

I am hoping to beat the rain coming, my road becomes a muddy river when it rains.

I get to the dirt road as some snow flurries begin to fall. I get home and it is more rain than snow coming down.

I have been attempting to put in five miles a day, with the weather yesterday and today I am doing a circuit around my house, very boring. I still have .7 miles to go today, I plan to do that during the Halftime on tonights football game. I want to see who the 49ers will be playing next week.

Less than 2 minutes to Halftime, 12-0 Dallas leads Tampa.

Tomorrow 1:15pm 

49ers

 I spent the day working on working out. Put in my 5 plus miles and 30 minutes of exercise. Working on increasing my stamina and losing some weight.

Started the day with some blueberry waffles and some blueberry sausage, homemade by a friend of mine. I am waiting for her to call, her next batch will be some breakfast sausage. she raises and slaughters her own pigs and make different flavor combinations of sausage.

I settled down to watch the 49ers obliterate the Seahawks, good game.

After the game, I drove down to Madrid, where a friend was having the Grand Opening of her new Art Gallery. Which happens to be next door to the gallery where I show my work. Nice opening ran into a few friends. Listened to some live music and they had a nice spread of food and drinks, include some good fudge.(Great for losing weight)

Watching the Chargers playing the Jaguars, then off to bed.

Treatment Day 3 of 28

 Last night before bed I checked the time for the appointment today, 2:15 pm.

The morning check the time again and calculated the time I need to leave. Allow 45 minutes for the drive, arrive 30-40 minutes before the scheduled time. Leave at 1 pm.

Made my breakfast, did the morning chores. Walked the perimeter of my property, plus a bit more to get my first two miles in for the day. Started to marinate some chicken wings for lunch.

Check some things around the house and start the BBQ for the wings at 11:30. Phone rings unfamiliar number, 505 area code. I answer, it is the Cancer Center asking if I can move my appointment up to 1:30.

Quickly, recalculate the time I would need to leave, 12:15. The time to cook, eat, get ready and leave in 45 minutes. I tell her no problem. Quickly cook, eat, clean, get my stuff and leave. 12:10 pm

I arrive just 10 minutes before one and down my 16 ozs of water, then head to the waiting room. I sit down, the tech comes out at 1:08 and asks if I am ready. I said give me ten more minutes. She started to walk away, turned back and said: come in now, we can line you up on the table and wait a few until your bladder is full.

They get me on the table and line me up. then the CT Scan to fine tune the line up and focus where they are going to send the radiation. Then they start, so I assume the bladder is full, which she confirms after.

That's it for the week, I get the weekend off and then M-F for the next few weeks. Monday at 2:15 PM, for the moment.

Treatment Day 2 of 28

 Last night I decided to enter all my appointments into my calendar, with alerts to remind when to go.

I did this because the first week of appointments the times fluctuate, then they are all at 10am. I requested mornings so I could still work at the gallery. After entering them all my last thought was that the next appointment was at 1:15pm.

Forty minutes to drive there, then empty my bladder on arrival, fill it back up with 16 ozs of water, wait 30 minutes for it to refill my bladder and I am ready for my treatment.

I entered the waiting area and the tech came out and stated that I was early. I explained my drive and routine and she said your appointment is for 2:15. What, wait a minute, pull out calendar, oops. She asked when I had drunk my water, I told her about 5 minutes before. She said she would squeeze me in after the 30 minutes for the bladder to fill. I apologized, she said no problem it happens all the time.

When she came to get me she commented on my camera and asked what I photograph, I happen to be on my phone, on my web site searching for a picture to enter in a contest, so I showed her. I also told her about my mazes and where I show my work in Madrid. She said she lives in Albuquerque but drives up Hwy 14, through Madrid to avoid I25. She asked me which gallery and said she would stop by one day.

So, second treatment went very well.

Tomorrow I will go back for the next treatment. Check for time on calendar on my iPad, there is nothing there not one appointment, WTF. Grab iPhone, check calendar, all appointments are there, for some reason they are not showing up on my iPad. 2:15 today.

January 2023 Update

I haven't been traveling since returning to New Mexico in August.

Before I left for Alaska last July, I had a medical situation arise, a bit of blood while urinating. I thought it was a simple UTI. After a couple a weeks, gallons of unsweetened cranberry juice and no blood. There was blood again. I decided before leaving for Alaska it might be time to get tested. If it is a UTI, I could get some medicine to treat it.

Drinking unsweetened Cranberry Juice is a good test for Covid, if you can't taste it, you have it. That stuff will awaken dead taste cells. (just my opinion) So far, knock on wood, I have not had covid.

I made an appointment at the local clinic and the result were negative for a UTI. Unfortunately, the test showed a high probability of Prostate Cancer. They scheduled a second test, which confirmed the first test. I received the results of the second test after arriving in California on the way to Alaska.

Before leaving for California, after the first test, I told my two sisters involved, with the trip, about the condition. Swearing them to secrecy until I received a confirmed diagnosis. I told them that I wouldn't be informing them at this time, except because of the potential for something happening on the trip, I felt they should know.

On the first day in California my urine was pink and, then again, once on the second day.

I contacted a urologist to make an appointment, the earliest they could see me was in September, so I decided to continue on to Alaska.

Now there is some humor in this, after returning home. One night I went to urinate, there was blood, lots of blood and then lots more. Now I am thinking "great they are going to find me on the bathroom floor bleeding out of my dick", then I started to feel faint. It stopped, I went to the couch and rested for awhile, then drank lots of fluids. Turns out the bleeding has very little to due with the condition and has abated.

Seems because my prostrate was enlarged and I have these little cystoids in my bladder, that are like tiny "goat heads", one of them nicked one of my veins.

Meeting with the urologist for the first time, it turned out we knew people in common, so we had a nice chat. He then scheduled me for a Biopsy, CT Scan, Bone Scan, MRI, Blood tests, etc, etc, etc.

After all the tests had come in, diagnose, CANCER. Good news, caught it somewhat early. Even though the initial PSA test came back high, the biopsies were moderate.

The diagnosis came back, about, a week before my 70th birthday, since my son was coming from California and my sisters were all coming out, I felt this would be the best time to inform them, in person. I, also, informed my best friends at that time. I had my best friend in stitches as I joked about it. Laughter is the best medicine. 

I was then given a choice of "surgery and radiation" or just "radiation". We talked about it and I decided to just do radiation. I then met with the doctor who would be my oncologist and then my hormone doctor.

When they did the bone scan there were "hotspots" which showed old broken bones (okay I am old so the bones are old, not what I mean, the breaks are old) and arthritis. One in particular concerned them, it was on the back of my head. At first they thought it might be brain cancer.

As it turned out way back in the early '70s I had been climbing a cliff at a beach in California. I was about sixty feet up when the packed sand I was climbing decided to separate from the cliff. I fell about 45 feet and hit a ledge, I had turned upside down and hit my head and shoulder, flipped over and fell the remaining 15 feet before rolling onto the beach. So I am assuming, I fractured my skull and the doctor missed it at the time, I did have a vey large bump. Of course the doctor at the time said my neck should have snapped and the only thing that saved me was I was, totally, stoned and had completely relaxed before hitting. When I started to fall I grabbed for the rope, missed, then thought if I am going to die I might as well enjoy it. I watched as the cliff receded, like a movie of someone repelling, of course I was free falling, I thought, this is cool. I was stoned, remember.

The end of October, I was given the first hormone shot. Years ago a friend had acquired hepatitis and all his friends were required to get Gama Goblin shots. At the time that was the worst shot I every had. Well this shot out did that by a long shot. I felt like I had been kicked by about four mules, for days. The best part is I get to get a shot every three months for the next two years. My ass hurts thinking about it, of course if they decide to use the other medication they give it to you in the abdomen. I was told that is much worse. 

One of the side effects of this hormone treatment is I get to enjoy "Hot Flashes" for the next two years. At first I didn't have any symptoms, that didn't last long. It is no fun stripping down and seconds later putting everything back on, repeat several times per day and night. Two years of this, wow, sorry for what you ladies go through.

At the outset I was told that without treatment I had 5-10 years to live, followed by a very painful death. I opted for treatment and was told I would have 20-30 years, still wondering if that is a good thing. Of course that is only if I am not hit by a bus or trip falling of the porch.

Today, January 11th, I went in for my first radiation therapy. I arrived at the proper time and was taken in. everything went very well. Except, while laying perfectly still, "Hot Flash", "do I say something? hold still? I need an ice pack NOW", I think to myself. I lay still and endure.

After, they take my blood pressure, way too high for the machine to read. They have me meet with my oncologist, which I will do every Wednesday after treatment. Good News, I have those same little cystoids in my prostrate, only five percent of men have them. The doctor explains that they allows him to focus and direct the radiation to a much finer degree. This means less chance of side effects, which may include, burning the rectum or bladder, which isn't big deal. The big deal is if it affects a nerve that could cause incontinence or impotency. It doesn't rule it out but it greatly reduces the risk.

This is the first of 28 treatments, everyday except the weekends. Every day a 40 minute drive each way for 15 minute treatment.

February 1st, I am scheduled for the second hormone shot.

Now they will monitor my BP to see if it comes down, as we agreed that being anxious about beginning treatment as well as, the "Hot Flash" during the procedure may have affected the readings. I ordered a BP Cuff to check it at home, which they advise doing.

Next treatment, tomorrow.

A day in the City by the Bay

 Monday August 9th

Spent the day in the, City by the Bay, I do miss the city and the fog, but not all the people and the noise.

We stopped at, Tartine Bakery, had chocolate croissant and bought some bread. When we got home they had given her the “Rustic” loaf rather than what she had ordered. It was delicious.

My sister, niece and nephew, went to see the exhibit by, Guo Pei, which she thought was at the De Young museum. It wasn’t.

We were passing by the, Japanese Tea Garden, which we had not been to in quite some time so we started there.

In the Japanese Tea Garden

Japanese Tea Garden

My sister, niece, me, nephew, 

We then went to the De Young Museum and saw the Obama Portraits. Where we found out the, Guo Pei exhibit, was at the Legion.

My sister told me to remove my mask, forgot to tell me to fix my hair.

Arriving, at the Legion we found there was a timed entry for the exhibit and we had a hour to kill before our time. so we wandered through the exhibits. Which included some of the work by Guo Pei. Including this stunning Dragon Dress.

At our scheduled time we entered the main Guo Pei exhibit. If you get the opportunity to see this GO!

The embroidery and workmanship, the use of natural and other materials is incredible.

Having done theatrical and art gallery lighting, I can say they did an outstanding job of lighting and casting shadows.

We ordered, Chinese food, for dinner from the Dumpling Depot in Sunnyvale it was very good, I will be having leftovers for lunch, which is right about now.

Checked in this morning for my fight back to New Mexico, we will be flying out first thing in the morning.