LIVING WITH MCL

I know I've made that same claim numerous times in the past, but for some reason, this time feels different. For the third time this year I've been stricken with an upper respiratory infection, leaving me sidelined for the past several days. I am feeling [mostly] better now, but only because I relented, and started taking a cough suppressant. That's something I've tried to avoid ever since my diagnosis, but this time I figured, why not? I already conceded to taking a baby aspirin and a statin drug everyday, due to a heart issue I may or may not have, so taking a cold medication didn't seem much more a violation of that principle. I've always tried to abstain from taking any medication [and vitamins and supplements] since my diagnosis, believing when the time does come to start treatment, the medications that I do take will be that much more effective. Not sure that is true, but it seems logical to me. So while I'm not sure I do need treatment at this point, ...

Not even a weekend of eating and drinking wine in the Santa Rita Hills wine country, could alleviate all of the anguish I've experienced since the start of this month, but it did help. So to keep whatever momentum I've started going, I thought I'd switch focus to something else that has been bugging me for some time now. The concept of complementary treatment ! It appears the bad name alternative treatments have been receiving is finally taking its toll. Why else would advocates of alternative treatments be trying to steer clear of the term alternative . A term often met with skeptism by medical experts, in addition to carrying the much deserved stigma of being unproven, risky and dangerous at best. So now, in order to remove that stigma, the industry is taking a new approach. In order to create legitimacy, where only skepticism existed before, the industry is promoting the concept of complementary therapy, that is alternative treatment(s) combined with conventional treatm...

Morris was a real man's cat, as independent as they come. That's why I loved him so, and it was also for that reason, I never worried about him either. I always thought of Morris as a lean, mean, fighting machine, who was keenly aware of his surroundings, knowing how to avoid cars, and avoiding other dangers as well, although he was never one to shy away from an encounter with Max the neighbor cat, who was younger, and maybe even somewhat stronger. But today was apparently not Morris's day. Maybe he used up his 9 lives already, and his time was up. We don't know for sure, but about 10 AM this morning, Morris came through the back door with his right eyeball out of the socket, and his jaw severely damaged/distorted. We assumed he was hit by a car. I can't think of anything else that could have caused that much injury. Morris was the kindest, easiest going cat. Certainly an encounter with Max wouldn't have resulted in those kind of injuries, and I'd sure hate ...

I've never complained much, at least not about my station in life. Of course, I have been luckier than most. I've always managed to come out ahead of the game, even when obstacles have been put in my way. Managing to survive a rather aggressive form of lymphoma, for more than 10 years, without experiencing many of the ill effects most other experience, could definitely be considered one of those obstacles. Now whether that's just been pure dumb luck, or some innate ability of mine to make well informed decisions, is debatable, but as an avid believer in fate, my vote would tend to go to the former. Something that has become even more evident as of late, as it seems my luck is starting to run out. First is was the basal cell carcinoma, then bibasilar atelectsis, and now most recently, angina, all of which are starting to take their toll on me. It's something I just wasn't expecting. Sure I've always known I was going to die [eventually]. Everybody does. I even re...

I finally had the stress test I've been anticipating the last several weeks. Unfortunately, everything didn't go as planned. I thought I would just breeze through it, but it was by far one of the most difficult things I've ever done. The procedure started out benign enough. I laid down on a bed, a blood pressure cup was attached to my arm, and technicians started applying numerous (at least 15, maybe more) electrodes all over my chest. A base ultrasound was obtained, and then I got on the treadmill. That's when I knew I was going to have a problem. I'm not a jogger/runner. I'm a cyclist, so a treadmill is not something I'm very comfortable with. Plus add in an extra 10 pounds of cables and transmitters, and I was already worn out, and they hadn't even started the treadmill. The treadmill starts out slow enough, and despite only increasing speed and elevation every 3 minutes, it started getting pretty hard pretty quick. After about 6 minutes, I'm star...

The mere mention of someone touting the benefits of vitamins and supplements, whether it be from some renowned[?] source , or another cancer survivor , usually sends me into a tirade. There is not much good that comes from taking vitamins and supplements. Their is no proof that any of them provide the benefit(s) claimed, they are easily abused, and there is no regulation guaranteeing you're even getting what the label says. But you don't have to just take my word for it anymore, simply because I've managed to fight my MCL for over 10 years, without any conventional cancer treatment, and by completely abstaining from taking any vitamins, supplements or herbal remedies. Now  Consumer Reports  is also warning of the 10 Surprising Dangers of Vitamins and Supplements .