Thursday, September 22, 2011

Been Awhile

It has been awhile since I last posted. Sometimes I delay because I am too sick; sometimes just lazy but often because I fear I will bore you with the same old news which is always good news... namely I am doing well. Yes I get sick every other week, yes I grow tired of that never changing calendar but the news is generally the same: labs are great, cancer cell count low, and tumors not growing. This current chemotherapy however is not working as well as we had hoped and tumors are growing, slow, but growing none the less. So, with no other chemo treatments available, we are going to start in October by going back to my original treatment cocktail and see if we can get it to kick in again. I went off in the first place as I got toxic, but now, after eight months of being off, I can go back and try again. We are hopeful it will work again. If not, I am done with modern medicine treatments and I will be sent to Scottsdale to qualify with TGEN, a research company doing clinical trials. There are not many, but a few available now and after trying them all, perhaps some new ones will pop up. We shall see. I can see why medical docs will tell you, if asked, that you only have 3-5 years to live. It is because in the best case scenario, what is available usually can only hold things at bay that long. Medical docs do not consider alternative treatments, faith or anything that is not FDA approved. There are some good studies going on in Canada now, perhaps I will need to move there later, we shall see
 
For now, we continue, life is as good as one can expect in this lousy economy and while I am positive I will continue to fight this disease with a vengeance, I am equally convinced our economy has not hit bottom yet. So prepare for it. Take steps to protect what you have, get rid of debt and do not expect housing values to rise anytime within the next seven years. Interest will probably rise in a couple years so get rid of loans and credit cards that have no restrictions on raising their rates whenever they choose. Eat healthy, but stock the basics so you can get by when food prices rise or we, the middle class suffer more taxation.... which we will in this term of ignoramus’s or the next. They may call it something else, but it will happen, it always has... historic trends come true. OK enough politics.

Stay well, keep searching for new and innovative treatment if you have cancer, and pay attention to diet and preventative measures if you do not. Be happy, be well, and always pursue only Positive Pursuits.

A little humor: 

Two old baseball buddies with lung cancer were chatting on a park bench. Paul says, "I hope they have
a baseball team in heaven." "Me too", says Jack. "Tell you what", says Paul, "If I die first, I'll give you a
message about whether there is baseball in Heaven. If you die first, you can do the same for me." A year
later, Paul is dead and Jack is sitting on the park bench when he hears: "Jack, it's me, Paul. I have great
news! Guess what. There really is a baseball team in heaven." "Thank God", sighs Jack, "Now I can die in
peace." "I'm glad you feel that way," says Paul, "because you're pitching tomorrow!

I like this one:

Talking About Death

Three buddies were talking about death and dying.

One asked, "When you're in your casket and friends and family are mourning you, what would you like to hear them say about you?"

The first guy says, "I would like to hear them say that I was a great doctor of my time and a great family man."

The second man says, "I would like to hear that I was a wonderful husband and school teacher who made a huge difference in our children of tomorrow."

The last guy says, "I would like to hear them say LOOK, HE'S MOVING!!!"