LIVING WITH MCL

This  press release was just posted on the Precision Castparts website PORTLAND – August 26, 2009 – Precision Castparts Corp. (NYSE:PCP) has agreed to acquire Carlton Forge Works (Carlton) and related entities for $850 million. Blah, blah, blah, blah, blah.............. It looks like a few people are going to make out pretty well. That's a lot of money! Anyways, the company I work for is the related entity. It looks like they were really after Carlton Forge Works, and got us in the bargain. Oh well, at least we got mentioned in the next to last paragraph of the release. I can hardly wait to get to work tomorrow to learn what excitement this release has brought.

Got my latest blood test this morning, and as usual, there was good news, and bad news. The good news is my lymphocytes are still stable at just under 100 thou/mcL, and my hemoglobin actually increased to 12 g/dL, but [and there's always a but] my platelets dropped to 172 thou/mcL. That's the lowest they've ever been, and 13 thou/mcL lower than the previous low reading. Now don't everyone tell me that's still within the normal range (130-400 thou/mcL), because I know that already. I've also have read platelet counts can be lower if taken early in the morning (which I did today), but none of that is much consolation. In my case, a continuing drop in platelets is either an indication of bone marrow failure, or the spleen is traping the platelets [or both], neither of which is good, and both of which are indications for treatment sooner than later. It could have something to do with the green tea I've been drinking, but I've already cut back about a 1/3, si...

I don't need a fancy car. My 1993 Lexus SC coupe still looks like new, and works just fine. I don't need a big luxurious house on a golf course or on the beach somewhere. My 1800 square foot home, 3/4 of a mile from Eldorado Park golf course, and 4 miles from the beach is quite comfortable, and I don't have the need to be traveling the world, spending weeks away from home, visiting exotic destinations. But sometimes, despite not needing some things, you want them anyways.  A new Mercedes Benz E Class Coupe is one such thing I would like to have, but mostly I want to go to South America and visit the wine country's of Argentina and Chile, and experience the eco tourism of Patagonia. The only problem is, a trip to South America would entail a minimum of 15 hours of travel time (each way), and 3 weeks away from home [and off the bike], two [three] things I don't relish. Plus I'm not sure Edie has her heart set on this trip as much as I do, as the trip to Patagonia ...

I went to the Veterans Administration hospital today to check and make sure I'm still eligible for VA health insurance. It's been about 5 years since I was there last, and since I was never notified about the distribution of new ID cards, I had my concerns. So I thought that would be a good way to check my VA health insurance eligibility. If they give me a new ID card, I'd be good to go. Well, everything went fine. The VA still had me on file, and took me right in to take a updated picture for my new ID card. They said I should be receiving it in 7 to 10 days, and probably sooner. So Edie and I are pretty much set. Edie will be eligible for Medicare in about 6 months, and as a fall back I still have my VA benefits. So matter what happens with health care/insurance reform in front of Congress now, or with the recent buy out of the company I work for, at least I won't have to worry about having easy and affordable access to health care. I'm feeling much better now.

was this something I was expecting. I've just been informed that the company I currently work for, has been, or is in the process of being sold to Precision Castparts Inc *. Now I managed to survive the last sale of the company, back in the early '90's, but I was a lot younger then. I'm just not sure I can handle another sale, especially one of this magnitude, at this stage of my life, and considering my condition. What if they decide the company is spending to much on health insurance for employees, or decide to change health insurers, or even worse, what if they decide not to offer health insurance to employees at all? And as if I haven't been having enough problems lately. Between the blood noses, lots of fatigue, and having trouble staying awake, especially during my 80 mile commute to work, I may have to consider applying for disability. On the plus side (if you can call it that) Mantle Cell Lymphoma, being a very aggressive form of lymphoma, is one of those ca...

Well, it's been almost 48 hours, and my nose hasn't bled once. I think there might be some light at the end of the tunnel. With the exception of last Friday, when I had gone almost 72 hours, this will the longest stretch, without a bloody nose, since this saga started 2 weeks ago last Sunday. I am still nervous, and hesitant to exert myself [raising my blood pressure], expecting blood to come gushing out at any moment, and alarmed by every drip of my nose, but thank goodness there is nothing. I'll know better tomorrow, as I plan on going to work. I have a customer coming in, and I can't leave everything for Becky to do. Hopefully I'll be able cancel the appointment I have scheduled for Friday, and go for an easy bike ride instead.

Well I didn't make it to Thursday. Right in the middle of preparing for our AS9100 annual surveillance audit at work this morning, my nose started to bleed. Blood was everywhere. It was really embarrassing, and depressing. Fortunately we have a very understanding auditor, and a lot of good coworkers to pick up the slack for me, as I tried to get the bleeding to stop, and then call the doctors office. I wasn't about to wait till Thursday to get this problem taken care of. I was prepared to beg if need be. Happily I didn't have to beg. I simply explained my situation to the nurse, and she asked how quickly I could get there. I left work almost immediately, and headed to the doctors office. So to make a long story short, after an attempt at chemical cauterization didn't work out too well, plus some whining on my part, the doctor ended up performing an electrocauterization. [I don't know why he didn't do that in the first place, it seems the most effective, but........

to relax anyone. Just got back from the Central Coast Wine and Food Festival at Wally's in West LA , and despite the fear of blood gushing out my nose at some unexpected moment, I was spared that embarrassment. Instead, I managed to enjoy some great food from the such famed names as Wolfgang Puck and Mark Peel, and some unexpectedly good wines from wineries I had never heard of before from the central coast region of California. All in all it was a good day! Now if I can just make it through till my appointment with the ENT doc on Thursday, I'll be a happy man.

Nothing! I'm now convince the nose bleeds I've been getting are related to stress. Particularly stress at work (although there are few other things). At least that's what I'm hoping. This morning I went out for my usual Saturday bike ride, when I sensed another nose bleed coming on. It was at that point I realized I was thinking about work. I don't usually think about work on the weekends, heck, I don't even think about work much at work, but we are having a problem with a very uncooperative supplier, that is just driving me absolutely crazy. Plus we are having our annual AS9100 surveillance audit on Monday and Tuesday, which is always a stressful time for me. The nose hadn't started bleeding yet, so I tried thinking about something else. [Much easier said then done.] I managed to get another 2 miles down the road, when my nose started to bleed. (That's my 3rd nose bleed in 25 hours.) As usual, I got it stopped in a minute or two, and like yesterday, dec...

Here it was, almost 72 hours since my last nose bleed. That's the longest I've gone without one since they started almost two weeks ago. I was really feeling great, and since I hadn't experienced a nose bleed when I was outside before, I decided to go for a bike ride this morning. I don't normally ride on Friday's, but I wanted to see if I had gotten rid of the terrible clicking I've been experiencing on my Specialized bike. Plus I had just received my Garmin 305 warranty replacement, so I wanted to make sure I had set it up properly. But the gods were not with me this morning. About a mile and half down the road, I could feel the blood start to run from my nose. Fortunately I've been carrying kleenex with me [just in case], so I pulled over, sat down on the curb, and applied pressure until the bleeding stopped. I don't think I've ever felt so disappointed in my entire life, as I turned around and headed back home. BTW, thanks to my oncologist, I do...

And I haven't even had any chemo yet. I can't even begin to imagine what might happen if I ever do start treatment. Anyways, I was texting a friend earlier, who we go out to dinner with on occasion, to see when our next plans were. He texted back that we had tentatively set up August 29th for dinner, at either AOC or Campanile in Los Angeles. I immediately texted him back, We did? 8/29 is like Friday! He immediately texted back wondering what happened to the rest of July. What was I thinking? 8/29 isn't Friday. It might be a Friday (I haven't checked the calendar), but it's definitely not this Friday. And July 29th, which is what I was actually thinking at the time, isn't Friday either. It's tomorrow. Well that sure was a senior moment, if I'd never encountered one before. I just hope it doesn't have anything to do with these nose bleeds I've been having, and which don't seem to be going away. (I had another episode at work this AM.) I cont...

When I got up this morning, I felt like sh@#&! I was just plain tired, made even more so, knowing my latest blood work had me with a hemoglobin of 11.5 g/dl. I was also concerned about the two nose bleeds I had on Sunday and Monday , and wondering if I was going to be able to ride my bike at all this morning. I couldn't even back out of riding [which at the time I wanted to], as I committed to do Turnbull Canyon , with a friend. So I made the best of it, put on a happy face, and headed out at 7 AM to meet Ed. From the very moment, I left the house, I felt I was going to have problems. My speedometer was only registering about 16 mph, which was really discouraging as I felt like I was doing 18 or 19 mph, but I persevered anyways. There's no way I was going to ever admit anything was wrong. So we meet up, and headed for the Whittier foothills. I did my best to keep up with Ed, hoping only that I wouldn't get another nose bleed, and would not fall too far behind on the hil...

Last night I got a nose bleed. It wasn't very serious, nor did it last very long, but in 2001, I ended up in the emergency room, because I couldn't stop a nose bleed, which resulted after a sneeze. So the fear of that happening again is always in the back of my mind. The doctors attributed it to the low humidity, and the fact I took three aspirin (that was before my diagnosis) the night before, because of a bad headache. But while the nose bleed in 2001 occurred after an episode of sneezing, last nights nose bleed was not the result of any trauma. I was just sitting down to dinner, when suddenly, my nose started bleeding. Still, I wasn't overly concerned because of the brevity of the occurrance, but when I got another nose bleed this morning, again without any trauma, I became a little alarmed. So I immediately emailed my oncologist to ask if she would add some coagulation tests to my monthly blood work, which coincidentally was due today. (Platelet count alone is not an in...

What does it say about the state of manufacturing in the US, when the requirements for identifying parts are more onerous then are the requirements for producing those parts? For most parts, identification is a simple task. The most common method being simple ink stamping, like stamping a piece of paper with a notary stamp, but for the new F35 (Joint Strike Fighter) aircraft it's anything but simple. The identification of parts for the F35 aircraft can only be performed by suppliers specifically approved by the prime contractor (Lockheed), and requires laser etching the identification on a plate which is attached to the part. LASER ETCHING! Why in the world is that necessary? What's wrong with rubber stamping? So anyways, I decide fine, we'll send the parts out to be identified. It's not a big problem for us. All we have to do is tell the approved supplier what information to laser etch, and we're done. But them I'm told the first part has to be identified diffe...

One of the most difficult things about having a terminal illness, even when it may be in remission or slow progressing, is never knowing when it may take an unexpected and/or unwanted turn for the worse.  At the very least it makes planning for vacations difficult. Of course, as I realized this past week, planning for vacations can be a problem even if you don't have a terminal illness, because anyone [even healthy people get sick you know] can pick up a virus any time, and even if you do have a terminal illness you can get sick from things totally unrelated to your particular disease. Plus there reasons, other than illness, that can arise, resulting in the cancellation of a planned trip as well. As it turns out, in January of this year, Edie and I were planning a trip to France this month. We were going to leave on the 10th of July, and return on the 28th, spending the last 3 days in Paris, and watch the end of the Tour de France on the Champs Elysees. I even booked hotel reservat...

It's been 5 days with this cold/flu, and I don't appear to be improving much, if any. And what's even worse, with the exception of my fiasco on Wednesday , that means I haven't been on the bike in 6 days. Lately my days have consisted of waking up at 2:30 AM, with a completely stuffed nose, which for some reason, quickly changes to a much clearer, but runny nose, accompanied by fits of sneezing. This lasts until about 5 PM, when for some reason the runny nose subsides, and the sneezing stops. Oh, and I shouldn't forget the minor head ache and slight cough, that comes and goes through out the day. So I end up going to bed at 8 PM, only to start all over again 2:30 the next morning. And while I know I've had worse times, and likely been more bummed, that doesn't make things any easier. At least the Tour d'France is on, so I have something to occupy my time for part of the morning, but I'm still not a happy camper. I'd much rather be riding my bike...

I haven't been feeling too good the last couple of days (plus my knee was hurting on Sunday), so I haven't ridden my bike since last Saturday, but I promised to deliver some samples of titanium to an ex collegue who needed it for a presentation he was giving at Cal State Long Beach. So I decided I would take a short ride on my bike down to his hotel this morning (about 4 miles away) to deliver the samples. The ride down was fine, but as I entered the lobby of the hotel, and reached into my back pocket to retrieve the samples, I must have leaned back slightly causing my feet to slip out from under me on the tile floor, sending me sailing in the air, and flat on my tail bone. OUCH! As embarrassing and painful as that was, I still managed to jump up, and proceed to the front desk, to drop off the samples, but I was not feeling very good. Fortunately I don't think I broke my tail bone or anything else, as I probably wouldn't have been able to ride home, but that didn't ...

I just hate it when people ask me for advice about what I've done [and am still doing] to keep my MCL at bay for so long. I hate it because I really don't have a good answer, and I don't want to mislead anyone. Sure I drink a lot of green tea, and a lot of red wine, but I'm not really convinced they have been effective in holding my MCL at bay. There just isn't any scientific evidence proving their efficacy. I am hopeful, and believe that in moderation, taking only what can be obtained naturally, can't do any harm. I won't take and EGCG or Reservatrol supplements. [note]The main reason I drink lots of green tea is to ensure I hydrate myself enough, and I drink red wine, well... because I like it.[/note] There are however, some practices I follow which I believe have been effective in extending my longevity, i.e. restricting caloric intake, and intense exercise, but I haven't seen any scientific evidence to prove the effectiveness of those practices eithe...

It's hard to believe I've actually made it to another birthday. My 61st to be exact. When I was diagnosed with MCL over 7 years ago, I said I would be happy if I could just get 5 good years. Well, I've far exceeded that goal, and now have come to realize, that another 5 years won't be good enough.  And why should it? I'm not feeling significantly different than when I was first diagnosed. Sure I'm 7 years older, and I've slowed down a little, but who doesn't once they get over 50? The only real problem is always dealing with the fact of an incurable disease hanging over your head, and never really knowing when the shoe is going to drop, and things start to get worse. [Fortunately I've got a good support group close by to help me with that.] But at least for now, everything is the same. My latest blood work is in, and everything is still stable, essentially the same as it has been for the past 18 months. My platelets and LDH were even slightly improve...

And I'm having them a little more often than I would like. The hardest part about getting older is realizing how profoundly everything changes, and this mornings bike ride just seemed to emphasize that point way too much. Now while I've only been a member of this bicycle club for the past two years, I've been riding with them regularly for at least the past 5 years. Still as I surveyed the parking lot of riders this morning, I realized a few of the usual riders, ones I have come to enjoy socializing and riding with, were missing, and this wasn't the first time. Plus it's not just Saturday's ride, but the Wednesday ride, has changed, as well, with new riders participating, regulars not, and even going to a different destination. Admittedly, the Wednesday rides have mostly gone back to the ride I've grown accustomed to , but this past Wednesday, none of the usual riders, who push the pace, showed up, so it was slower than it has been. Plus one of the regular r...