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Even in California it Gets Cold in February!

This is always the time of year I hate the most. I'm sure I'm not alone in that belief, but that still doesn't make it any more reassuring.

This past week did, however, seem unlike any other I can remember in a long time. It's not so much that it was cold in the mornings, which is typical most of the time for soCal, but its that the cold never seemed to mitigate throughout the day, making golfing and cylcing more difficult.

I still managed to get in 3 rounds of golf on Wednesday, Friday and Saturday last week, although Saturday was somewhat difficult due to the added rain. Fortunately it only rained for a total of 3 holes, but the sun only shined briefly, and it never warmed up any significant amount. I did manage to ride my bike on Friday, but haven't ridden since then, and may just take off another couple of days to rest up. I was a little sore on Sunday, I hope from all the golfing I did the past week.

The biggest problem I have right now is, I just don't seem to have a lot of energy, and I'm not sure if the cause is my MCL, or if it's merely psychological due to the time of year, and other factors occurring at the same time. While my hemoglobin (Hg) is still above 13, which would be OK if I were a woman, it is below average for a man. That could be part of the problem, although most experts don't believe you experience much of an impact until the Hg falls below 10.

My oncologist's has finally got all his licensing and paperwork completed for his move to Corpus Christi, and his last day is the 23rd of February, so I had to schedule an appointment with my new oncologist. I've really grown attached to my current oncologist, so having to change could be adding to my lack of energy. (I hate to use the word depression.) I just hope my new oncologist is just as trainable.

Plus I am still gaining weight. I was up to 163 lbs this AM, and my old jeans actually fit me again. Some people still think I could stand to gain a few more pounds, but I don't agree. My goal is to get back to 145 lbs, so I'm hoping to accomplish that by the end of March, just two months behind my original schedule.

The only bit of good news was an improved lymphocyte count as of my last blood test on Wednesday. The lymphocyte count dropped approximately 10K with all the other counts remaining relatively stable. Platelets, a major indicator of bone marrow performance, was still excellent at 263 (reference range 140-400). Still I've learned that one test does not a trend indicate, so before I can really get too excited, I have to wait for my follow up test in about two weeks.

Only time will tell. I'm still looking forward to my 40th high school reunion in September, so I am planning to make it until at least then.
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