LIVING WITH MCL

It's seems ironic that shortly after blogging about how green tea has shown some efficacy with Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia (CLL) my lymphocyte count would drop about 30%. After hovering around 70 to 90 thou/mcL for the past 2 years, my absolute lymphocyte count dropped to 46 thou/mcL today. Normally I would be delighted with those results, if it weren't for the fact my platelets also dropped to 128 thou/mcL (ref range 130-400) after ranging between 150 to 170 thou/mcL over the same time frame. I did experience a similar drop in platelet count last year, to 112 thou/mcL, after returning from the Aureole Wine Weekend in Vegas. It did rebound the following month, and since Edie and I attended a wine tasting of Howell Mountain [mostly] Cabernet Sauvignon's yesterday (which BTW were above average good), I'm going to assume that was the reason for the drop, and it will rebound next month. Not sure why the lymphocytes dropped. I have increased my green tea intake to between ...

I blogged on this topic about a year ago, but after watching the video below, and considering everything going on in the country now, I thought it was worth repeating. I even learned a few things I didn't know before. Admittedly it isn't much, but it is something, and 'you never know'. At the very least maybe it could help save the US Postal Service from additional cuts . Just doing my part!

The temperatures are trending lower, and daylight is in short supply. I was rudely reminded of that yesterday and today, when temperatures dropped below 50°F for the first time this fall. The lack of daylight is one thing, it's still dark at 7 AM, but couple that with the falling temperatures, and............. My only saving grace is I don't have to drive 80 miles in the dark to get to work any more, and the skies lately have been clear enough to allow the sun to shine through first thing in the morning (when it finally does come up), but that doesn't change the fact, I hate this time of year. The worst thing though, this is only the start of the season. There's at least another 4 (more likely 5) months to endure, before things start to turn around again. I just hope I have enough warm clothes and wine stocked up to make it through. BIG SIGH!

I know this topic may not sound that enticing, but bear with me. You might find it of some value. A couple of weeks ago, while sitting at the coffee shop, one of the old[er] timers, who we used to ride with, stopped by. We hadn't seen him in awhile, and were surprised to learn he was recovering from bypass surgery. He had a heart attack. WOW! A heart attack. That's not something I think about a lot, or at all for that matter. Why should I? I have Mantle Cell Lymphoma, and I've planned my life around that. Not having a heart attack. I was more interested to find out he didn't realize it at the time. It was only after he went to the doctor, because he wasn't feeling so good, and had a blood test, did he learn he had a heart attack. I've heard that before, but it never dawned on me it actually happens. The explanation he was given for the mildness of the heart attack was while he had [I think it was] 2 blocked arteries, because he was in such good physical conditio...

There used to be a time when I enjoyed going on vacation, but now not so much. I don't know if it's simply because of all the little things I hate about traveling, i.e. packing and unpacking, checking into and out of hotels, airport hassles etc. or simply the fact I don't need to travel anywhere. I already live in an area which has everything most people dream of in a vacation. I sure don't need to drive very far, or fly to all corners of the world, to get away (my justification for our latest trip to Solvang/Santa Inez). I can go to Disneyland for that, and still sleep in my own bed at the end of the day. Sure it's enlightening to experience new places, but I've seen most of the US, and I've been to France, Italy and England. I lived in Okinawa for 18 months, and vacationed in the Philippines, Taiwan, Hong Kong, Fiji (twice), Tahiti, Hawaii, and the Caribbean. I've even been to New Zealand. I don't need any more enlightening. Plus, I'm not into ...

Well, I managed to survive my colonography. I'm just not sure it's a preferred alternative to a standard colonoscopy. I still had to go through the cleansing process, and to my surprise they still had to stick this instrument (for lack of the correct term) up my butt, in order to fill my colon with air, before starting the scan. (For some reason, I didn't think I was going to have to endure all that.) The hardest part was trying to relax enough to keep from pushing the "instrument" back out, which seemed like it could easily be done. Plus, the scan had to be performed while on my stomach and back. This required me to turn over half way through the procedure, which was made more problematic by that "instrument" sticking out my backside. I can only imagine how comical this must have all been to those in attendance. All I will add is, if you don't have a good reason for a colonography, e.g. an enlarged spleen, go with a colonoscopy. I think it takes les...

No, that isn't a mistake in the title. Because of my enlarged spleen (which can get in the way of the scope), and the potential problems as a result of that, my doctor has obliged my request for a colonography in lieu of the standard colonoscopy. The only advantage to a colonography being, I won't have to endure the torture of having someone stick a 10 foot probe up my butt.  I still have to go through the standard cleansing process (the second most difficult part of this entire ordeal), plus if anything is discovered during the colonography, I may still have to go through the torture of a standard colonoscopy anyways. The other problem with the colonography is I will be exposed to radiation from the CT scanning machine, which is how a colonography is performed, and all the problems associated with that. At least I've not been exposed to much artificial radiation in the past 8 years, having had only one CT scan, and I think one X-ray, during that time frame. So as I sit her...