Skip to main content

Like Sand Through the Hourglass

So are the Days of Our Lives

I never watched that soap opera, but that intro always seemed so profound, and it even seems more so today.

It's hard for me to believe that I was diagnosed with MCL over 4 years ago, and I have not had any treatment. Yet still, so many other things have changed. Even sitting in the oncologists office this morning, I realized I'm still here, but so many others have moved on.

My original oncologist moved on, as did a number of nurses that were always in the back office. The receptionists always changed more often than the others, but I mention it today, because one of the old receptionists returned for a visit. At least I think it was a visit.

I didn't recognize her at first, until someone mentioned her name. I didn't say anything to her either, because she didn't look as good as I remembered, and I surmised from her conversation that she may of had cancer, hearing something about chemo in the conversation. I guess I should have said something, but I chose not to, not really know what I should say anywaze.

Everyday, on the email lists I belong to, new subscribers write about themselves, or some relative, being diagnosed with MCL, while we are informed of the passing of others.

Yet here I still am, everyday thinking that day is getting closer for me.

I couldn't begin to count the number of times I've felt under my neck, and I thought I found an enlarged lymphnode, or the number of times I thought I was experiencing night sweats, only to uncover myself, and I cool right down. And neither can I count the number of times I thought I was too tired or fatigued to do anything, only to force myself to go exercise, and end up performing, as well as, or better than I have before.

Yes life goes on, just like "Sand through an hourglass". It waits for no one, and I know it won't wait for me either. Eventually we all have to deal with the inevitable, I just don't know why we have to dwell on it so. There are so many better things to do with our time.

Cross posted at A Patients Perspective.

Comments

Walt Kelley said…
I too have MCL and am a snowbird. I live in NORTH CENTRAL ASHINGON STATE WHERE THE AVERAGE PRICE OF A HOME IS AT OR JUST ABOVE $100,000. We're about 125 North of Wenatchee WA where we have excellent Medical facilities, I spend 5 months in Hemet Calif & there the facilities are closer, but so overcrowded ( you know the reason)In Calif. We live in a 55 plus mobile home park and though we pay $400 per month for rent, you can buy a decent mobile for under $40,000. So best of two worlds if you are retired. Like you site,Walt

Popular posts from this blog

My concerns reaffirmed today

When I was first diagnosed with MCL, I pretty much read just about everything I could get my hands on, I attended various conferences, and I talked to anyone who would listen. One of the most important lessons I learned, and which I've mentioned numerous times before was No one cares more about you than you. But in addition to that, I learned to fear the drug Doxorubicin , AKA Adriamycin, Doxil, Hydroxydoxorubicin, or more affectionately the Red Devil. Besides being a deadly chemical, as is the case with most chemotherapy drugs, it is one of the few chemotherapy drugs known to cause permanent heart damage. I even heard Dr. Sandra Horning , a noted Stanford lymphoma specialist, state at the first lymphoma conference I attended in LA, there was no evidence Doxorubicin provided any added benefit to chemotherapy protocols. This was music to my ears, since Doxorubicin is very common in most lymphoma treatment protocols. And even though Dr. Horning has since changed her tune [which my sk...

Bowling: A metaphor on life [sorta]

Over the past 15+ years the game of bowling has changed dramatically. Not only has the equipment changed, making it easier for bowlers of all ages and physical conditions to participate, and score well, but there have even been major advances to how the lanes are prepared for the start of bowling. No longer is it just heavy oil, light oil, long oil, short oil, or no oil, with the latest equipment, the amount of oil can be varied from front to back and side to side, producing a myriad of patterns designed to make the game more interesting, more challenging and as you might surmise, more frustrating. No longer does the "one ball fits all" approach work any more either. In order to navigate all the differing possible lane conditions, you need to have a varied selection of bowling balls. Most pros will tell you the average bowler needs 3 balls, plus a ball for spares, but to be an above average bowler you'll need at least 6 balls, with many possessing more than that. But just...

Fatigue! Part II - Maybe it is real?

Or it's actually Motivational Deficiency Disorder, MoDeD (pronounced Mo-Dee-Dee) for short. In a report this week by Roy Moynihan who reports for the British Medical Journal Austrailian scientists may have come across the reason for extreme laziness . The condition is claimed to affect up to one in five Australians and is characterised by overwhelming and debilitating apathy. Neuroscientists at the University of Newcastle in Australia say that in severe cases motivational deficiency disorder can be fatal, because the condition reduces the motivation to breathe. Neurologist Leth Argos is part of the team that has identified the disorder, which can be diagnosed using a combination of positron emission tomography and low scores on a motivation rating scale, previously validated in elite athletes. "This disorder is poorly understood," Professor Argos told the BMJ. "It is underdiagnosed and undertreated." Who knew? Maybe I have MoDeD, from my attempts to become a...