News from Auburn: Fri Sept 19, 2008


Health update: How do you like the new title for this section of the newsletter?


While I am still using a wheelchair most of the day, my strength and energy continues to improve.  Yesterday I actually emptied the dishwasher.   I had to do it slowly so that I didn't get tired, but it was wonderful to actually do something around the house.  I also took our dog for a walk to the end of the driveway and back, but that's about as far as I could go.

I learned this week that a lot of people didn't expect me to survive this long.  Wednesday I had a follow-up appointment with the radiation oncologist who treated me last month.  He was both very pleased and surprised by the scan results of last week.  He still isn't hearing any breathing sounds in my right lung, and so he doesn't think I'll get that function back.  On the other hand, he didn't expect me to get better either.  "I'm going to live," I said, "so either way is fine with me."  He enjoyed that.

Of course, as one of my friends likes to say, "We don't believe in miracles: we depend on them!" 

Next stop: this Wednesday I go back to Birmingham to talk to the bone marrow transplant doctor.  I have to confess that I feel like I'm on the first part of a roller coaster when the chain just grabbed hold of the car and we're starting to go way, way, way, way up .... so that the bottom can fall out when I start the high dose chemotherapy.  Some mental preparation ahead of time may be in order.

For those who don't know: when doing a bone marrow transplant, they don't have to drill into your bones anymore!  The process (as I remember it) starts with replacing the port-a-cath that was used for chemotherapy with a pair of IV lines.  Then they give me a drug called Neupogen to stimulate stem cell production.  For a week, they will take out blood, centrifuge out the stem cells, then return the blood back to me.

Once the stem cells are collected, then (perhaps after a recovery period), I will be hospitalized for 2-3 weeks, during which I'll get the chemotherapy.  Unfortunately, while that's supposed to kill any tumor remnants, it will also kill my immune system, which is the reason behind the bone marrow (stem cell) transplant.

That's how I plan to spend my Thanksgiving and Christmas holidays.  How about you?  :-)

Random news and such
I saw a new sign on the road this week: "Men and Equipment Working."  That sign is funny to me on so many levels.
- These signs usually just say, "Men working."  Did the equipment complain that it was being neglected?
- This begs the question: why aren't women listed?  Because it would  be redundant.  Women are ALWAYS working.  :-)  (Viva liked that thought).

I noticed at the parking garage for the Kirklin Clinic in Birmingham that the elevators have buttons for the blind.  They are next to the real elevator buttons.  Now, the braille is on a fake button that doesn't do anything, which is next to another button that doesn't have braille on it.  Does anyone else see the irony here?

Blog searches: someone from Saudi Arabia did a search on "What Does Being Open Minded Means" and they found my blog entry:
Open mindedness is one of the few virtues that are still celebrated in our society, but I think we may be missing what it means. I've often understood open-mindedness to mean being open to new and different ideas. However, in Lk 24:45, the Bible says Then he (Jesus) opened their minds so they could understand the Scriptures. The implication here is that being open-minded actually means to be able to recognize or perceive truth. I think I like that definition better.
I wonder how that will play in the Saudi culture.

Adam wrote an interesting paper for school this week.  From his facebook page:

Adam just finished writing a 5 page paper on how the goddess Athena was a "father figure" to Telemachus. That's right. 

Comments from his readers:
Mamadoc this would be something i would LOVE to read
Daniel M ...sounds fulfilling...have you found your aura of mythology?
Adam responded: oh yeah... I glow.

Posted: Fri - September 19, 2008 at 08:15 PM           | |

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