LIVING WITH MCL

For the past 10+ years I have been living with the belief Mantle Cell Lymphoma would be the likely cause of my demise. It became even more evident two years ago, when I decided to retire, due to some limitations as a result of my MCL. So never did it cross my mind, during that time, I would develop other health issues that could potentially be worse. But then 2012 happened. First it was a diagnosis of basal cell carcinoma in May , which put a crack in that belief, and now a diagnosis of coronary artery disease (CAD), with 90% blockage of the main left coronary artery, and the necessity for bypass surgery, has shattered it. On the surface that might not sound so bad. The condition was found early enough, and it can be corrected. Right? Well, not exactly. It becomes much more complicated when you have another underlying condition (Mantle Cell Lymphoma), and your health insurance/care is through the Veterans Administration (VA). I was told by the attending cardiologist, as he was describi...

There certainly is a lot of truth to that statement. I emailed the cardiology department at the VA this morning to ask about my angiogram, and a few hours later someone called. My angio is scheduled for 8 AM tomorrow morning. (I have to be there at 6:30 AM for the prep.) I was actually more surprised to learn the VA secure messaging system worked, and that somebody even read the email. I thought I was going to have to make a physical appearance in the department this afternoon. And neither was I anticipating such promptness in scheduling, so now I'm more anxious than ever. At least I won't have to worry about it over the weekend.  

Saw the cardiologist today, and he said it's not looking good. I definitely have coronary heart disease. My calcium scores are off the charts (> 3000), and I'm likely going to need a stent or two. Maybe even bypass surgery. BYPASS SURGERY!!! Not even in my wildest dreams was I anticipating that news. And the worst part is, he said I shouldn't be exercising until then. (And cycling has been the only thing that seems to alleviate some of this discomfort my enlarged spleen causes.) Oh well, as I always say, such is life! We'll know more after the angiogram. I guess I'd better start making out my will.

Now that I've mostly recovered from our "vacation" to Kauai, I think I can honestly say, other than the fact the room I reserved wasn't available the first night, I lost my phone charger when we changed rooms (fortunately I had a back up), Edie came down with the same "viral" infection on Wednesday, I had the previous two weeks, and my phone drowned when it went swimming with me in the ocean, it wasn't that bad. The hotel was nicer than expected, the weather was perfect, and the food was good (maybe a little too good, as I gained 8 pounds). The only question is why I felt the need to travel 3000 miles to experience all that, when I can get all that [and more], i.e. good food, nice beaches, great scenery and fantastic weather, right here in southern California, or at most only a few short hours away by car. Plus there is nothing more mortifying and profoundly exhausting, then traveling anywhere by airplane. Getting to and from the airport, going through s...

My upper respiratory infection is gone, and I'm finally feeling normal again. A recent check of my immunoglobulins were nearly identical to the results of last February . 68 today vs 68 in February for IgA, 1422 today vs 1458 in February for IgG, and 342 today vs 332 in February for IgM. I was still able to have my heart CT scan as scheduled Friday, despite being 45 minutes late for the appointment. (I thought it was for 10:30 AM, and when I arrived I was told it was for 9:30 AM) But mostly I was feeling good about things having come out unscathed, after being side swiped on my bike Thursday, by an old man in a van. Apparently he was in a tremendous hurry to get to the stop sign ahead, and decided I didn't have a right to the road. So he swung wide into the other lane, clipping my fore arm with his right side mirror, while nearly taking out another rider, as he swerved around him as well. Not sure how I was able to stay upright, but I did. (Must be my tremendous bike handling s...

I received some interesting criticism the other day for my stance on alternative therapies. I ......... cannot for the life of me understand why you would not use supplementation and then use an over the counter poisonous liquid which has proven liver toxicity. Especially while taking a statin. She was referring to the use of an over the counter cough medication, I have been taking to help ease the symptoms of my upper respiratory infection. I did this once and vow to never use it again! I have gotten off Lipitor by using Nicotinic Acid and getting much better results but still use COQ10 to protect Liver as you must do while taking Statins. If you are not using CoQ10, I urge you to research this issue. MCL reduces your D3 and should be taken everyday! I use 5000mgs a day. I was sorta taken aback. She was partially correct. I'm against taking supplements, but when necessary I don't have a problem taking over the counter medication, when my ailments finally get the better of me. ...