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!!!
I just had a friend write, and ask why there wasn’t anything on my blog about the Pittsburgh Steelers record setting 6th Super Bowl win.
The truth of the matter is, despite it being the most exciting Super Bowl in ages, and my team winning (remember I was born and raised in Pittsburgh), for some reason, it just didn’t mean as much to me this time.
Now don’t get me wrong, I was excited about the victory, I just have a few other problems, most notably my hand, that are occupying my mind more right now than worrying about posting to my blog.
I think my hand is getting better, but it’s still swollen, and doesn’t seem to be improving fast enough for my liking.
I was able to get back on the bike this weekend, riding 30 miles on Friday, and 50 miles on Saturday, and even though I didn’t lose too much ability, I wasn’t able to ride to my full potential because of my hand.
Oh well, what can you do? Fortunately the Steelers did win, cause who knows how I’d be feeling right now had they lost.
GO STEELERS!
Because I sure can’t say much about the rest of the week.
Even my beloved Steelers, defeating the Baltimore Ravens to start off the week, didn’t do much to stem the mostly negative tone to the week.
It started on Tuesday, when I put gas in my car at the neighborhood gas station, before going to work, and soon discovering the gas station 1 mile down the road was selling it for 6¢ less per gallon. That was followed by my realizing I had forgotten to brush my teeth before leaving the house (and I was too far from home to turn around).
Then the work week seemed overly burdened by some very annoying customers [thank goodness Becky was there to calm me down]. One customer even sent us a letter stating we weren’t working to the latest revision of a specification that was released barely a month ago.
The audacity! How can they Continue reading »
had my beloved Steelers won the Super Bowl.
Not only was last nights Super Bowl one of the most exciting football games I have ever watched, the New York Giants won, beating the smug, and over confident New England Patriots.
And when Bill Belicheck walked off the field in a huff, even before the game ended, it made the victory by the Giants just that much sweeter.
WAY TO GO GIANTS!!!!!
Not sure how much this might relate to having cancer, or in its treatment, but in every day life, and in the world of football, it’s a sure fire way to guarantee a loss.
I saw it about a month ago when Baltimore lost to New England in the final seconds of the game, and you can see it for yourself, in the body language of Hines Ward, as my beloved Steelers lost to the Jacksonville Jaguars last night.
After being down by 18 points, in the 3rd quarter, the Steelers played brilliantly, gaining the lead by one point, with just over 6 minutes remaining in the 4 quarter, using a varied attack of short passes, and the occasional run.
But with just over 3 minutes to go in the game, the Steelers resorted strictly to their running game, in an attempt to run the clock down, and ended up giving the ball back to Jacksonville with 2:38 to go.
The rest is history, but I think there is a valuable lesson to be learned.
Never second guess yourself. Your first instinct is usually the right one. And you always have to go with what you’re most comfortable with, and what’s working at the time.
Had the Steelers done that, they might have won the game.
At least that’s one piece of good news. It’s not that something drastic has changed in my condition, but it’s been awhile since I posted so I thought this might be an appropriate time to post at least one piece of good news. No offense Denver fans.
Like I said, not much has really changed for me. I still feel fine, but my performance on the bike is not as good as I would hope. Maybe it has to do with the weather? It’s been very cold here lately, making training more difficult due to the extra clothing I need to keep warm. The cold weather coupled with the accident that kept me off the bike for awhile, I hope is the real reason I seem to be getting into such bad shape. Plus I am getting older. Maybe just the fact that I’m 57+ is another reason I can’t keep up with the 30 year olds.
I ‘ve also started running on the treadmill at home. Running is great exercise, (you can get an equal or greater aerobic work out in a shorter time), but as with everything, there are trade offs. Running is brutal on the body, and it can depress the hemaglobin levels somewhat, which can be another factor attributing to my worn out feeling.
I prefer to think it’s old age! Yeah, that’s the ticket!
Well the weather has finally warmed up today. The temperature this morning was 58°F which is about 20°F warmer then it has been over the weekend. Hopefully the weather will stay nice for awhile, and I can get some good training miles in. In the mean time I’ll stick to the Computrainer at work.
I guess I’ve vented enough for one day. I’ve got a doctor’s appointment on Wednesday, and as usual I’ll have my blood checked. I’m also going to have to pick a new oncologist, since my current one is moving to Corpus Christi [TX] in the next month or two. I’ve pretty much decided on Dr. Chen. I’ve been told he is more in to research, and I think that will be of benefit in the long run.
GO STEELERS!!
Hi, my name is Marc [that's my wife Edie beside me], and I have Mantle Cell Lymphoma, a typically aggressive form of lymphoma, except it so seems in my case.
I was diagnosed over 9 years ago, and have managed to survive since then without treatment, by following a few simple rules. Eat a [mostly] well balanced diet, exercise (cycling, at least up until recently), abstaining from taking supplements or any medications, drinking 5 to 6 cups of [Japanese] green tea a day, and most importantly [lots of good wine], flossing and brushing my teeth twice a day, everyday.
I started this blog mainly to chronicle my life, putting down in writing what goes through the mind of a cancer survivor (although I have been seen straying into unrelated areas on occasion), and along the way help educate others about lymphomas and other blood cancers, and filter out some of the hype and misinformation so often associated with the internet, which unfortunately there is plenty.
You can read a lot more about me by clicking here