LIVING WITH MCL

And as expected, I'm not vitamin D deficient. However, neither do I possess an over abundance of vitamin D either.  My vitamin D level was at 31 ng/mL. Reference range being 30 - 100 ng/mL. Needless to say, I was very disappointed. With as much time as I spend outside riding my bike, I would have expected my levels to be much higher, but it sure makes the statistic, 77% of all Americans may also be vitamin D deficient , a lot more believable. I am certainly not happy entertaining the thought of having to take a vitamin D supplement. Being the cynic I am, I have a general distrust of the pharmaceutical and supplement industries, but there seems to be overwhelming evidence of the harm resulting from a vitamin D deficiency, including an additional risk of cancer, cardiovascular disease, and even immune-system disorders , lymphoma being considered in the latter category. So I've resigned myself to take a vitamin D supplement. My friend, and medical expert, recommended I take 2000 I...

That sure doesn't sound like such a long time, does it? Heck, the typical home mortgage is 180 to 360 months. Even some car loans are in the range of 84 to 120 months. But when you're talking about cancer survival it's an entirely different story. It is a long time. And I should know, because that's how long it's been since that fateful blood test that led to my diagnosis of mantle cell lymphoma (MCL). That's 100 months of living with a terminal illness, 100 months of blood tests (121 total) watching my numbers gradually degrade, and 100 months of stress, waiting for the next shoe to drop. But when I read the results of trials, which consider remissions of 6, 12 or 24 month as being good results, along with the numerous problems and complications experienced by others, I can't help but also think of 100 months as being a milestone. Especially considering I haven't had any treatment, and still feel like I'm in pretty damn good shape. I even rode my b...

Well, I would have to say there was near perfect weather in Santa Barbara this past weekend for the California Wine Festival. The skies were clear, and the temperatures ranged from the mid 60's to low 70's. It doesn't get much better than that, and it's the main reason we love southern [and central] CA so much. Of course, I can always find something to complain about. It's just this time, it won't be the weather. My biggest complaint was I didn't ride my bike for 3 days, and watching all the other cyclists riding along the beach, heading out for what was likely a brisk morning ride into the foothills, made me envious. Then there was the fact, the hotel we stayed in wasn't what I had expected. It was nice [sorta], and the price was right, but it just didn't have the class nor the ambiance of the Fess Parker Doubletree Resort , or even the Hotel Mar Monte , both of which were on either side of us. Oh, but so what! We didn't go there for the room, ...

I haven't been very philosophical in a great awhile, but a recent conversation with one of my wine drinking buddies has compelled me to do so now. We were discussing a recent 60 Minutes segment about people choosing to walk away from their mortgages , and allowing their homes to fall into foreclosure, because the value of their homes had fallen well below the amount they currently owed, despite the fact, in many cases, they could still afford the monthly mortgage payment. The conversation got a little heated, when I said I could understand the reasoning behind the decision. It's purely a financial one. Why continue to pay [and pay] for something that's no longer worth what you paid for it, or even what you owe? Why keep throwing good money after bad, especially when it's cheaper to just stop paying? There has to be a time when it's best to just cut your losses and run [so to speak]. But my buddy felt, if you could afford it, you were morally obligated to continue ...

Well, I think I've managed to recover somewhat this morning, but that's exactly how I felt at the end of yesterdays bike ride. While it was only a 55 mile bike ride, there was 2775 feet of climbing (which is a lot more than normal), but the real problem was me being the weakest rider in the group, forcing me to step it up a notch so as not to embarrass myself too badly. The ride didn't start out that way, but after the first climb, about half of the original 20 or so riders who started the ride, many of whom I consider to be of comparable ability to myself, decided to cut the ride short, leaving me alone with the much stronger riders. I guess I could have cut the ride short as well, but then what fun would that have been. As it was, aided by a few short cuts, and the fact the group didn't push the pace as hard as they could have, I think I made a decent showing, not finding myself too far behind at any point. But that extra effort did take its toll. I spent the last 15 ...

I had an appointment with my oncologist on Tuesday, and the one thing of note, besides the fact my numbers were essentially unchanged, was she made mention of the benefits discovered in cancer progression by increasing Vitamin D levels. She researched other patients of hers, and discovered they were essentially all Vitamin D deficient, and recommended taking a Vitamin D supplement (1000 IU per day). Considering the constant reinforcement [hype] by the dermatology lobby, and sun screen manufacturers, of the hazards of extended exposure to sunlight, the major source of Vitamin D, and me being the uber cynicist I am, I find that fact very believable. She also knows I'm not much into taking supplements, plus I do get a lot of unprotected sun exposure when I ride my bike, but she put it out there for me to at least investigate. So I did some research on the subject, and came across this very interesting article on the benefits of Vitamin D, performed at the Mayo Clinic , in newly diagno...