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26 Jun |
There is no magic bullet Diagnosis, My MCL
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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.
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 either, although there is this one anectdotal study on the restriction of caloric intake by Arthur B. Robinson, which seems plausible to me.
So despite everything I continue to do, I don’t have any illusions that there is a magic bullet out there. Principally, I believe it is just the luck of the draw, that has allowed me to last this long [without treatment], and the fact I likely received my MCL diagnosis earlier than most people.
Of course that doesn’t mean I won’t keep looking for that magic bullet either, nor do I plan to stop riding my bike, or drinking green tea and red wine.
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23 Jun |
A semi decent birthday present Life, My MCL
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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 improved over last months, which is good, but I attribute that more to lab variation than anything more profound happening.
So happy birthday to me!
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20 Jun |
I keep having these moods Cycling, Life
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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 riders wasn’t feeling good, and didn’t go to the coffee shop.
Then there’s the fact that since I’m doing more hills, and I’ve lost some weight (which has helped me in the hills), I’ve lost some speed, making it harder to keep up on Wednesday’s and Saturday’s.
Oh well, it’s just been one of those weeks.
Hopefully things will change as summer approaches, the weather gets better (it rained today which may have helped contribute to this feeling of malaise), and all the teachers start participating more during the week, now that school is out.
