LIVING WITH MCL

A very nice young kid called about 10:30 last night, indicating he found her. Four days she was gone, and it's a good thing he found her then, because she was about 5 blocks away, right at a major intersection with lots of traffic. Who knows what might have happened if he hadn't found her then. She was a little disheveled, but didn't look the worse for wear. Of course the first thing she did when we got her home was head straight for the food. Now all she seems to want to do is sleep. She slept with us the entire night, and today, she's spent the entire day on our bed. It must have been a very trying ordeal for her. I guess it's true that cats have 9 lives. The problem is at this rate (this is the second time she's disappeared), Chloe's going to use hers up before she turns 3 (She's not even 2 yet). But Edie and Morris are happy now. Ok, maybe Morris not so much, but Edie was much relieved.

I've heard it said, things happen in 3's. I sure hope that's the case, and it doesn't turn into 4's or ........... Ever since returning from Vegas things have just not been going as I would hope. First it was the abnormally low platelet count, which fortunately seems to have resolved itself [for now], and then our cat Chloe decides to disappear, and despite repeated searches of the neighborhood has not turned up yet. I just hope if someone finds her they will call (Morris misses her), or at the very least give her a good home. Even worse, this morning I crashed on my bike. It wasn't a bad crash (we weren't going that fast), and fortunately it wasn't my fault (they're always worse when you're to blame). The person in front of me fell, and I ran over their wheel, scraping up my shin and knee, and screwing up the rear wheel. I didn't even tear any of my riding clothes, but now that I'm home, my knee has started stiffening up some, I'm st...

Ever since buying my Kindle about a year ago, I've started reading a lot more. I've never been much of a book reader, but the thought of spending more time sitting in front of the TV, being bombarded [for the most part] with mindless jabber, no longer seems appealing.  Plus after reading more of Far Beyond the Stars , I've become inspired. Not only that, but reading has become so much more convenient, especially since there's an app which allows me to read my kindle books on my phone. (There's even this report to indicate I may not be unique to this trend.) It's so amazing when you think about it. Items which not to long ago were big, and bulky and difficult to carry by themselves, can now be packaged in such convenient formats. If you're as old as me, you'll remember when computers took up entire rooms, telephones consisted of two parts, and had rotary dials, and cameras had to loaded with a roll of film before you could take a picture. Now all that st...

I've been reading this blog, Far Beyond the Stars , a blog about living minimally, and the quote "less stuff more living" came to mind. That's how a family in Denmark described their life, after an interviewer commented on how small their home was. A home half the size of the average home in the US, without a lot of stuff , but a home none the less, and one that seemed quite comfortable for a husband, wife and two kids. That interview happened quite awhile ago, but that statement has stuck in my mind all this time. (It also came up while talking with the couple from Germany we met at the Aureole Wine Weekend .) It just got me thinking about how materialistic we have become in the US. Even myself, although I don't consider myself overly materialistic, or one who strives to impress anyone. Yeah, we have a lot of the usual stuff, including a 52" wide screen LCD TV, with built in surround sound (we watch a lot of TV), but that's pretty much the only over ind...

The further there is to fall. As if it wasn't bad enough I started having withdrawal pains Monday night about not riding my bike, after not riding for about a week, and then over sleeping yesterday morning, and not able to get a ride in before work [and it was too hot afterwards], today I had a visit with my oncologist, and discovered my platelets dropped to a minuscule 112 thou/cumm, well below the norm of 140 to 400 thou/cumm. I had noticed a little more fullness in my spleen the last couple of days, but that isn't really anything unusual. I often have those feelings. They come and go all the time. Even this morning they seemed to have dissipated, and I felt good riding the bike, but that was before seeing my oncologist. Of course now I am experiencing a sensation of fullness again, along with a some feelings of trepidation. Low platelets and fullness in the spleen is a good indication of a malfunctioning spleen, especially when all my other counts were essentially stable. It...

Fleur de Lys Aug '10 That's Edie and me having dinner at Fleur de Lys the night before attending the Aureole Wine Weekend at Mandalay Bay in Las Vegas this past weekend. Now while dinner at Fluer de Lys was one of the best meals I've had anywhere, it still pales in comparison to what was in store for us the following three days at Aureole . To put it in its proper perspective, I would just say it is probably the only event, or place I've gone to where I didn't miss being off the bike. That's how good it is. The level of the food, wine, and service is unmatched anywhere. It is a little pricey, but there are some things you just can't put a value on. But always remember, you can't take it with you, and the event included 2 dinners, 3 lunches and 2 breakfasts. So it was definitely worth it. Even better is the exclusivity of the event. There were only 28 in attendance, most of whom also attended last year. Some of whom I even remembered. :) One couple even ...

Last night I discovered I pissed off a friend with one of my recent posts. I won't mention which post, but if you frequent this blog, it shouldn't be too difficult to figure out. Be it known, that certainly wasn't my intention. It's just sometimes I'm compelled to express my feelings of frustration. It's a big reason I continue with this blog. Let's face it, I'm a pretty liberal guy, and when confronted with something that goes against my core beliefs, I vent. I could scream and yell (which I do on occasion), but this blog seems to be a more appropriate venue to do that, not only because it's less confrontational, but I can usually get some support from at least a few people here. But if it's any consolation to my friend (who incidentally I don't hold any animosity against because he doesn't believe how I do) this morning was not a good one. It started off by getting up late. So I was already in a rush when I decided to grease my left bic...

I hate Mondays. Monday is a day off for me. A day off from work, and a day off from riding. I did have a golf game lined up in Industry Hills this morning, but golf just hasn't excited me as of late, so I passed. I also could have gone for a bike ride, but I put in over 900 miles last month, and I think my body could do with a little R&R. Besides it was foggy this morning, and that never makes for a pleasant or fun ride. So what did I do instead? I got up (after a lousy nights sleep), surfed the internet for interesting stuff (which there wasn't much of), watched some news and early morning talk shows on TV, and then just got depressed. The ever bleak and gloomy picture[s] being painted by many economic experts is disheartening at best, and the continual bickering and infighting by our elected representatives, and others, repeating the same old rhetoric over and over again, is enough to make a grown man cry. I really need to put a stop to this! Work might have even been m...

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...

At last, a day that went off without a hitch. Arrived at the airport at 6 AM in plenty of time for our 7:35 AM flight, which even managed to leave on time. The best part was Delta had sent our bags ahead last evening, and they were waiting for us at baggage claim at LAX when we arrived. No waiting or fighting everyone to grab our bags. Delta finally got it right this time. It feels so good to be home! Especially since we were out of green tea.

How difficult can it be to get an aircraft off the ground, on time, when the aircraft arrives the night before? Well, leave it to Delta Airlines to accomplish the near impossible. Not only did the aircraft leave late from Roatan, but it left so late, we missed our connecting flight in Atlanta, which had a 2 hour cushion. So here we are in the Atlanta airport Double Tree hotel (courtesy of Delta Airlines) spending yet one more night away from home, awaiting our 7:35 AM flight home tomorrow morning. Hopefully by around 10:00 AM tomorrow, we'll finally be able to put this ordeal behind us.

As it turned out Delta Airlines (the airline we are flying) was the only airline not flying in or out of Roatan today, so we're stuck here [Roatan] for one more day. At least they decided to fly in an additional, and bigger, aircraft tomorrow morning to relieve the situation, and fly everyone out of here.  Unfortunately they didn't give Edie and me, and one other in our group of 8, our business class tickets for the Atlanta to LA leg, despite having paid for them. Everyone else in our group got their business class tickets, but for some reason Delta decided the two sickest people on the airplane didn't need theirs. Go figure. Anyways, I complained, and of course played the sympathy card, and I think I remedied the situation. At least I'm hoping that's the case. I didn't get a 100% written confirmation, but the Delta customer rep (Jenna) assured me it was fixed. I'll know tomorrow for sure when we check in. I'm not sure what I'll do if it isn't fi...

Here it is our last day on Roatan, and tropical storm Alex is bearing down on us.  It's raining, the wind is blowing at a brisk clip, and the seas are a liitle rough, even in the normally tranquil lagoon, and we've just been informed our flight to Atlanta has been canceled. Our only hope for now is the Continental flight doesn't make it in this morning, so we'll at least have a place to stay tonight. Oh well, such is life.  [BIG SIGH]

I used to think there was no greater sensation than scratching an itch, but after spending 5 days in Roatan, Honduras I've discovered something at least equal to that. And that is entering an air conditioned room after spending any length of time outside in 90F heat and 100 percent humidity.  I'm sure it's possible to get used to, afterall there are millions who live in this type of climate, and profess to love it, but do they really? Or do they just have no other choice? Now don't get me wrong, Roatan is beautiful (at least where we are), the diving (the principal reason for coming here) is great, as is the resort (although the food is a little lacking), and it has been a fun trip, so far, but none of that changes the fact it's freakin' hot and humid here. If nothing else, it sure serves to remind me just how fortunate I am to live in southern CA.  I know I often complain about the weather in southern CA, with its continually changing weather patterns, but de...

Another person expressed some concern today, after my last post, that I may be starting treatment soon. Well, let me clear up any confusion. That isn't the case. It's just I get into these moods every now and then, when I can't help but question how much longer can I be so lucky? Especially when I look at Edie, and so many others in similar situations to me. Why have I been so fortunate to be so active, and not require any treatment for over 8 years, despite having a terminal illness? It just boggles my mind, and I find it difficult to believe it can go on much longer, but ............. Anyways, I had an appointment with my oncologist today to review my latest BMB and cytogenetic test results, and guess what? I have Mantle Cell Lymphoma. Actually I knew that all along, but if you remember back in April, I posted how my new oncologist was convinced I had Splenic Marginal Zone Lymphoma. Well, he's now convinced otherwise. We also discussed my low hemoglobin/fatigue, and ...