TGIF

 Life  No Responses »
Feb 012012
 

Thank goodness it’s February!

It’s difficult to put into words what a lousy month January was [but I'll try :) ].

It started out with me getting sick for a week, followed by hurting my neck the next week, which I am only now 95% recovered (but at least it is getting better), accompanied by a number of other little things which I’ll just categorize as TMI.

In between all that, there was a long stretch of bitterly cold weather, for southern California that is (upper 30′s), topped off with the deaths of 3 close acquaintances. Edie’s brother being one of them, a wine drinking buddy, a second, and of course Dr. Terry Hamblin, who I give a great deal of thanks for all the help he provided me in dealing with my MCL.

I could go on and on, listing a few other things which have made this January a particularly memorable one, from a negative standpoint, but I think I’ll just leave it that, and spare you any more of my whining.

It just seems the older I get, the more emphasis I tend place on the bad things that happen, when maybe I should be focusing on the good things instead.

I guess I need to work on that, as do a lot of others!

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 Posted by Marc at 5:45 am  Tagged with:

If it’s not one thing, it’s another

 General Health, Life  3 Responses »
Jan 242012
 

Just when I thought I was completely over being sick, and ready to resume my normal everyday [boring] routine, what happens? I hurt my neck.

I was fine up until about 4 AM this morning, when I awoke to make the last of my usual 2 or 3 nightly [routine] pit stops, and as I was walking back to bed, all of a sudden, I felt this excruciating (only slightly exaggerated) pain in my neck. It’s like I pulled a muscle, except that I didn’t do anything like that. Not even close. And the pain was almost immediate.

I laid back down in bed hoping the pain might subside, but no such luck.

So now I’m laid up again, feeling sorry for myself, alternating ice and heat, in the hopes I will be somewhat recovered by tommorrow.

I probably shouldn’t be writing this post, as it’s not doing my neck any good, but I thought by doing so, I could garner some well deserved sympathy. :)

Oh well, time for more ice!

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 Posted by Marc at 11:12 am  Tagged with:

Isn’t it enough?

 Life, Philosophy  2 Responses »
Jan 152012
 

Isn’t it enough my wife and I are both dying of incurable diseases? Isn’t it enough I have to put up with the constant vilification of so many people, by so many other people in this country, who think they know it all? Isn’t it enough weather extremes (whatever the cause) are creating havoc and misery in many places [even southern California]. Isn’t it enough that in the past 3 months, 2 long time neighbors across the street decided to move, and rent out their houses, and the young couple 2 houses north of ours had to default on their mortgage and moved to New Mexico (the house is still empty), and now I just learned our next door neighbors have sold their home and are moving out as well, even as I write this post.

When can I just throw up my arms, and say enough is enough!

After living in the same house, in the same neighborhood for 26 years, with very few upheavals during that time, and when I finally getting to the point where both Edie and I are retired, and totally content with the way things are (despite all the vilification occurring in the rest of the country and within our government), my whole world [the neighborhood where we live] is being turned upside down.

So is this an omen of sorts? Is it telling Edie and I we need to move as well? Our neighbors across the street and next door were all retired as well.

So far the neighbors that have moved in across the street, seem quiet (I haven’t bothered to meet either of them yet), but they’re only renting, so I would expect them to be fairly transient, and who knows who’ll move in next door. Will the people who purchased the house move into it, or will they rent it out also?

As always, only time will tell what changes will come about, but I can’t imagine anything better coming of them. Things were already pretty good. I think the best we can hope for is they don’t get any worse!

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 Posted by Marc at 9:49 am  Tagged with:

Steelers lose!

 Life, Philosophy  No Responses »
Jan 082012
 

I’m still sick, and Dr Hamblin died this morning. (So I guess there really isn’t any difference between hospice and palliative care).

This year is definitely not starting out on a good note, and there’s still 358 days left to go.

The optimist in me is telling me things can’t get much worse. Unfortunately, the pessimist in me doesn’t believe that for a minute.

GREAT BIG SIGH!!!

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 Posted by Marc at 5:25 pm  Tagged with: ,

Update on Dr. Hamblin

 General Health, Life  3 Responses »
Jan 052012
 

I just learned Dr. Hamblin (referenced in my previous post) is actually in palliative care, where the intent is to nurse patients back to better health through nutrition, etc. (?) rather than in hospice care, where they have given up all hope.

That certainly is good news.

Now, hopefully everything else will start turning for the better as well!

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 Posted by Marc at 8:27 am

2012 – Not off to a good start!

 Diagnosis, Life, My MCL  6 Responses »
Jan 032012
 

WOW! We’re only 3 days into 2012, and already it’s not looking that good.

It actually started New Year’s Eve, when I thought my surround sound audio receiver was malfunctioning [Dolby Digital wasn't being displayed]. It took me 3 days to figure out the problem, which turned out not to be such a problem. Still it was stressful, especially since over the holiday weekend no one was available to contact for support.

Then yesterday the termite inspector came by, and said the house needs to be tented. Jeez, we just had it tented barely 16 months ago, and the termites are [supposedly] back already.

I’m not about to go through another tenting. It’s not the cost so much, which isn’t cheap at about $2K, as much as the hassle of moving out of the house for 3 days, costing at least another $500, dealing with 2 cats, plus having to double plastic wrap all the food and wine to boot. It’s just not worth the hassle. The termites can have the house!

So I contacted another inspector, who treats with Boric Acid (doesn’t require the occupants of the house to move out), and he’s coming on Wednesday to inspect the house. At least if he confirms the findings, and we do decide to treat, we won’t have to move out of the house.

And finally, I just heard that Terry Hamblin isn’t doing so well, and is in a local hospice in England. Dr Hamblin is the first specialist I contacted shortly after being diagnosed with CLL in 2002. He was one of the first to do research in the field of IvGH mutations, and was instrumental in recognizing I had MCL [not CLL], and in my decision to wait and watch, rather than jumping into treatment right away.

Dr. Hamblin retired a few years back, after being diagnosed with cancer, the type I can’t remember. I do know it wasn’t a blood cancer though. Still, he always responded to me personally whenever I had a question or concern, and to the questions of other patients on one of the message boards. He also provided great insight into some the latest treatment protocols and research being conducted on his blog, even when he was receiving treatment for his cancer.

I was fortunate enough to meet Dr. Hamblin for an examination, during the Christmas holiday in Bournemouth, England, in 2002. A visit I will not easily forget. My heart goes out to him and his family. He will be sorely missed.

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 Posted by Marc at 2:14 pm  Tagged with:
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