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Observation
The first of August. Now, I am not superstitious, except for triskaidekaphobia, but my track record when it comes to August is not good. I was run over by a driverless car in August of 1974, I tested positive for HIV on August 1st, 1997, in August of 2006 I suddenly began limping in what…
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You’re a cool guy
Sometimes support and kindness comes when you aren’t expecting it and from the least likely of places. For me, it was yesterday in the ER. It all started last Sunday. The dining room here was serving vichyssoise, a chilled soup made from cooked and puréed leeks, potatoes, onions, and cream. I’d been making hay all…
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Poodles say the darndest things!
I have a knack for saying the wrong thing, innocently and unintentionally of course. I honestly thought a “teabagger” was someone from England, because they drink tea there. So I introduced the new head of Technicolor New Media’s International Versioning department at a staff meeting as “the newest member of our management team and our…
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A Day in my Life
While you were basking in the glory of the Seahawks’ Superbowl win, or wallowing in the misery of the Patriots’ defeat, I quietly snuck off to have surgery. I’ve already discussed the why and the what, so I won’t rehash that here. And I’m doing fine… a little tired, a little sore, but at this…
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I did it!
I completed radiation treatment (radiotherapy) for lung cancer (adenocarcinoma) last Monday. This is treatment room A (above) in the radiation oncology department (called Bighorn) at the Lucy Curci Cancer Center in Rancho Mirage, California. I underwent a two-week course of Stereotactic Body Radiotherapy, or SBRT, delivered daily with one day off to rest between doses. …
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We have a plan
Yesterday marked one month since my cancer diagnosis. In that time, I have had multiple consultations with doctors, quite a few tests, and I have been reading everything I can find on cancer and its treatment. When I was diagnosed with PML, I took quite a different approach; PML is a rare disease, so there…
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A journey of a thousand miles
Chinese philosopher Lao Tzu taught that “a journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step” in his work the Tao Te Ching. Today, I am taking the first step on my new journey. I have my first appointment with an oncologist. I have a lot to learn. But this is not unfamiliar territory.…
Your mileage may vary.