A Rude Intrusion :: Day 32

This is my blog for day 32 of cancer treatment, Thursday, 10 Aug 2017.

I woke at 4:14 AM today, to the sound of the sliding door being opened (from the inside). Sally, our Pug, had awakened Nancy, who was sleeping on the couch in the family room, never having come to bed last night. I guess Sally had to GO, though she had been out with me for the last time at 9:30 PM.

When Sally came back in, Nancy and I both climbed back into bed, but I laid there for a while before I feel asleep, waking again just after 7:00 AM. I did a tube feeding this morning, and had a glass of apple juice. (I can still take liquids by mouth, though my throat is pretty sore.)

I'm noticing some traces of blood when I sneeze or blow my nose. I guess my throat is getting pretty beat up. Will have to ask the doctor about that this afternoon, at the radiation treatment. Today's doctoring includes getting fluids at the oncologists office at noon, and radiation at 2:15 PM.

Hey! I'm getting a day off! My radiologist told me I didn't have to come in Friday (though I will have to have a treatment on Mon, 28 Aug 2017) as he was updating the radiation profile for the last two weeks, which are called "boost". This is where they focus more on the tumor sites than doing a wide-field treatment. I'm hoping that my throat will start to heal, then, as my tumors are on the base of my tongue, underneath a tonsil and in a lymph node. But we'll see. Still, it will be nice to know I don't have to go anywhere tomorrow.

I have some additions to the food list I shared yesterday (things I'm looking forward to eating again):

• Jalapeno-stuffed queen olives
• Paisley Farms four-bean salad, if just for the sweet, sweet taste of the vinegar swirling around my mouth
• Polish sausage or smoked sausage with sauerkraut and boiled white potatoes, with the potatoes thoroughly buttered, salted and peppered
• Buttered peas and sweet corn
• A Portillo's jumbo dog with mustard, onion and "easy" relish, as well as a Chicago-style tamale ("a tasty blend of enriched cornmeal, ground beef, garlic and seven secret spices all rolled into one"). What's more, you can buy them here!

Agree or disagree with me, there are the things I'm looking forward to. Anybody have any suggestions of their own?

Now, let's discuss the Korea situation. Really? Yes, really. Does North Korea really think it can attack the United States and get away with it? If I was President (and some may hope I never get to be), I would do the following:

1. Make sure North Korea knows that if it attacks the US in any way, shape or form all options are on the table: conventional, chemical, biological and nuclear. And we will destroy them . . . all. I would use a third-party to deliver this message (Norway, Sweden, et al), not the UN and not the media. However, I would also make sure that they know we can talk at any time they choose. 
2. Tell China to do everything they can to stop what's-his-name, the short little bastard running that country - they only get one chance - and we will not be responsible for the nuclear fallout that moves over Chine if we desire to launch nukes.
3. Prepare an attack against North Korea that will do the following: destroy, as much as possible, the nuclear weapon and missile-launch sites, military bases of all kinds, their forward-deployed troops (against South Korea, that is), and various other sites of importance, such as bridges, dams, power plants, and, especially, sites inside Pyongyang, so everyone (including those in the military who may have a chance to stop him can) knows we are serious. 
4. Prepare a naval attack plan to destroy North Korea naval facilities and submarines. Their surface craft have quite limited capabilities and are old. Our fast attack submarines should have the capability to track and destroy their aging sub fleet, supposedly numbering around 20 1950's-era Soviet style Romeo class vessels and 50 "midget submarines".  
5. Attack only if and when North Korea attacks first. 
6. Move the American troops into South Korea ASAP. Concentrate on defending South Korea from whatever attacks North Korea may attempt by their ground forces. 
7. Continue the attack for days and weeks, ramping up the amount and type of munitions we are dropping each day. Give them no rest. They will capitulate or be totally destroyed. 
8. Open a diplomatic channel to the North and let them know we're listening. 

Now, if we're afraid that North Korea will deploy and attack South Korea or Japan with nuclear weapons, then we should do so to them first. Isn't it time to stop wasting time with this little bastard, and time to show the world that little bastards like him will not hold the world hostage? I know it's not very Christian, but did the Lord ever tell us that we need to commit suicide?

Alternately, we can simply laugh at him, laugh some more, and constantly make fun of the little bastard over all of our news channels.

Naturally, today's music video from YouTube is War, by Edwin Starr - Link.

But wait! Today is a bonus day! Here is Living in the Past, Jethro Tull, from the Tonight show in 1993 - Link. One of my favorite bands of all time!

For convenience sake, here a running list of all of the links I've posted to YouTube in the past few days:

According to Plan, Carolyn Arends - Link
And I Love Her - Link
Apollo 11 launch - Link
Back In You Own Back Yard, Al Jolson - Link

Because We've Ended As Lovers, Larry Carlton & Steve Lukather - Link
Blessings, Laura Story - Link
Comfortably Numb, Pink Floyd - Link
Cross Road Blues, Robert Johnson Link
Crossroads, Eric Clapton and Cream Link
Cry Me A River, Joe Cocker - Link
Cry Me A River, Diana Krall - Link
Gentle On My Mind, Glen Campbell - Link
Groucho Movie Clips - Link
I Love Being Here With You, Diana Krall - Link
In the Cool, Cool, Cool of the Evening, Bing Crosby and Jane Wyman - Link
In the Cool, Cool, Cool of the Evening, Bing Crosby and Jane Wyman, from the movie Here Comes the Groom  - Link
Karn Evil 9, 1st Impression, Part 1, An International Collaboration - Link
Limbo Jazz, Coleman Hawkins and Duke Ellington - Link
Living in the Past, Jethro Tull - Link
Lookin' At The World Through A Windshield, Bill Kirchen - Link
Montana/We Are Not Alone, Univ. of Montana Percussion Ensemble - Link

My Funny Valentine, Kristin Chenoweth - Link

My Funny Valentine, Miles Davis - Link
On The Street Where You Live, Dean Martin - Link
Powdermilk Biscuit Break, Garrison Keillor, et al - Link
Questions 67 and 68, Chicago - Link
Route 66, Asleep at The Wheel - Link
She Used To Be Mine, Sara Bareilles - Link
Shim, Sham, Shimmy (dance) to Tain't What You Do, Jimmy Lunceford - Link
Sisters, Bette Midler and Linda Ronstadt - Link
Sisters, from White Christmas - Link
Sixteen Tons, Tennessee Ernie Ford - Link
St Louis Blues, Stephanie Trick & Paolo Alderighi - Link
Standing at the Crossroads, Elmore James - Link
Starts and Stripes Forever, United States Marine Band - Link
Sweet Georgia Brown, Wynton Marsalis/Mark O'Connor - Link
That's Jazz, Bing Crosby, Louis Armstrong & The All Stars - Link
Time, Pink Floyd - Link
Time to Blow, From That Thing You Do - Link
War, Edwin Starr - Link
Your Love Is My Saving Grace, Kristin Chenoweth - Link
Zappa Medly, George Duke - Link

A Rude Intrusion :: Day 31

This is my blog for day 31 of cancer treatment, Wednesday, 9 Aug 2017.

I woke around 7:00 AM today, and finally finished reading The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn. I feel "okay" today, but no better. Am worried about nausea and dropping much more weight. Only radiation today, but they're making a new mask for me as I have gotten so thin, so my appointment is scheduled for 2:00 PM instead of 2:15.

The new mask was made on time, and so I had my appointment for radiation on time, as well. But that was it for the day, so we headed home from the hospital. I spent some time on the deck, reading Woodsmith magazine, but also falling asleep for a little while. It was really quite nice outside, the temperature made it seem as if the air wasn't even there. I couldn't feel it at all - neither hot, nor cold. Just . . . beautiful.

I've slowly moving to only tube feedings for nourishment. I did two yesterday, one with a gravity bag we received from Quorom, the healthcare provider which supplies my "clone feed" (you have to be a Doctor Who fan to get the reference). I have to tell you, Illinois may be one of the largest soybean providers in the nation, but you an have this crap! It smells like baby formula and comes out like baby poop. (You probably didn't need to know that.) But it's gross. Thing is, it's there to help me get through this. And I guess that's its saving grace.

While I complain about the clone feed, let me put together a list of those things I'm looking forward to having once I can eat again. Feel free to go out for any of them, if you'd like, in honor of my recovery! (You may have to travel, though.) Here they are:

1. Thin crust, pepperoni pizza from Nancy's 
2. A screwdriver in a tall glass, garnished with an orange slice, where the vodka, orange juice and ice are perfectly balanced
3. Steak and lobster from Bob Chinn's Crabhouse
4. The skin of a potato baked on the barbecue grill, crisp, smothered in butter and sour cream
5. Two eggs, sausage, hash browns and rye toast at "a good breakfast place". Especially the sausage.
6. A Margarita from Casa Rio, while sitting at a table alongside the San Antonio Riverwalk
7. Tacos and a cheese enchilada at Taco Cabana, where the tortillas are made fresh, right in front of your eyes
8. Leftover spaghetti, with Italian sausage, pan-fried, where the sauce is braised onto the spaghetti itself, and it's put on my plate steaming hot! (I cook it this way - it's delicious!)
9. A chocolate long-john and a carton of cold milk
10. Salad from the salad bar at work, with mixed greens, carrot, a sprinkle of cheese, a good shake of sunflower seeds, hard-boiled egg, kidney beans, cottage cheese and green olives piled in the four corners, and a nice stripe of honey mustard dressing
11. A hand-formed patty melt, with a side of onion rings and crisp, cold coleslaw
12. A dark chocolate and sea salt Kind bar, first introduced to me by our neighbor Debra, on a long, long drive back from Nashville, TN
13. Chicken fried steak, mashed potatoes and milk gravy, with green beans, perhaps at the Tip Top Cafe in San Antonio
14. A glass of Sprecher root beer, served on tap from the barrel, at the Tap House Grill. A bottle will do, as well, though it's not as good. But various Sprecher flavors are sold at Menards, and I've been known to pick one up every once in a while . . .
15. Marshmallows!

Interestingly, you won't find potato chips, Doritos or any other type of chip on this list. I'm finding I don't miss them.

Today's YouTube music is from Kristin Chenoweth, Your Love Is My Saving Grace - Link. It's for you-know-who, my help-meet and mate, Nancy.

For convenience sake, here a running list of all of the links I've posted to YouTube in the past few days:

According to Plan, Carolyn Arends - Link
And I Love Her - Link
Apollo 11 launch - Link
Back In You Own Back Yard, Al Jolson - Link

Because We've Ended As Lovers, Larry Carlton & Steve Lukather - Link
Blessings, Laura Story - Link
Comfortably Numb, Pink Floyd - Link
Cross Road Blues, Robert Johnson Link
Crossroads, Eric Clapton and Cream Link
Cry Me A River, Joe Cocker - Link
Cry Me A River, Diana Krall - Link
Gentle On My Mind, Glen Campbell - Link
Groucho Movie Clips - Link
I Love Being Here With You, Diana Krall - Link
In the Cool, Cool, Cool of the Evening, Bing Crosby and Jane Wyman - Link
In the Cool, Cool, Cool of the Evening, Bing Crosby and Jane Wyman, from the movie Here Comes the Groom  - Link
Karn Evil 9, 1st Impression, Part 1, An International Collaboration - Link
Limbo Jazz, Coleman Hawkins and Duke Ellington - Link
Lookin' At The World Through A Windshield, Bill Kirchen - Link
Montana/We Are Not Alone, Univ. of Montana Percussion Ensemble - Link

My Funny Valentine, Kristin Chenoweth - Link

My Funny Valentine, Miles Davis - Link
On The Street Where You Live, Dean Martin - Link
Powdermilk Biscuit Break, Garrison Keillor, et al - Link
Questions 67 and 68, Chicago - Link
Route 66, Asleep at The Wheel - Link
She Used To Be Mine, Sara Bareilles - Link
Shim, Sham, Shimmy (dance) to Tain't What You Do, Jimmy Lunceford - Link
Sisters, Bette Midler and Linda Ronstadt - Link
Sisters, from White Christmas - Link
Sixteen Tons, Tennessee Ernie Ford - Link
St Louis Blues, Stephanie Trick & Paolo Alderighi - Link
Standing at the Crossroads, Elmore James - Link
Starts and Stripes Forever, United States Marine Band - Link
Sweet Georgia Brown, Wynton Marsalis/Mark O'Connor - Link
That's Jazz, Bing Crosby, Louis Armstrong & The All Stars - Link
Time, Pink Floyd - Link
Time to Blow, From That Thing You Do - Link
Your Love Is My Saving Grace, Kristin Chenoweth - Link
Zappa Medly, George Duke - Link

A Rude Intrusion :: Day 30

This is my blog for day 30 of cancer treatment, Tuesday, 8 Aug 2017.

I woke around 7:30 AM today, having already awakened to visit the bathroom at 5:00 AM. I feel much better today, after getting fluids two days in a row, and watching my intake of water, as well, through the feeding tube. I'm also getting fluids at 3:00 PM today, after meeting with the PA at the oncologist's office.

Nausea returned this evening, even after taking my anti-nausea medicine, and I lost the little bit of scrambled egg I had already swallowed. And again late in the evening when I was brushing my teeth. The PA suggested I could use a different medication, one that is in liquid form and can be poured down the tube directly into my gut. I'm going to call about that tomorrow. I've got to get 'hold of this and stop it before I disappear, I'm getting so thin!

Again, thanks for the cards, instant messages and phone calls!

Today's YouTube video has to honor the recently-departed Glen Campbell, who passed away far too soon, today, at age 81: Gentle On My Mind - Link

For convenience sake, here a running list of all of the links I've posted to YouTube in the past few days:

According to Plan, Carolyn Arends - Link
And I Love Her - Link
Apollo 11 launch - Link
Back In You Own Back Yard, Al Jolson - Link

Because We've Ended As Lovers, Larry Carlton & Steve Lukather - Link
Blessings, Laura Story - Link
Comfortably Numb, Pink Floyd - Link
Cross Road Blues, Robert Johnson Link
Crossroads, Eric Clapton and Cream Link
Cry Me A River, Joe Cocker - Link
Cry Me A River, Diana Krall - Link
Gentle On My Mind, Glen Campbell - Link
Groucho Movie Clips - Link
I Love Being Here With You, Diana Krall - Link
In the Cool, Cool, Cool of the Evening, Bing Crosby and Jane Wyman - Link
In the Cool, Cool, Cool of the Evening, Bing Crosby and Jane Wyman, from the movie Here Comes the Groom  - Link
Karn Evil 9, 1st Impression, Part 1, An International Collaboration - Link
Limbo Jazz, Coleman Hawkins and Duke Ellington - Link
Lookin' At The World Through A Windshield, Bill Kirchen - Link
Montana/We Are Not Alone, Univ. of Montana Percussion Ensemble - Link

My Funny Valentine, Kristin Chenoweth - Link

My Funny Valentine, Miles Davis - Link
On The Street Where You Live, Dean Martin - Link
Powdermilk Biscuit Break, Garrison Keillor, et al - Link
Questions 67 and 68, Chicago - Link
Route 66, Asleep at The Wheel - Link
She Used To Be Mine, Sara Bareilles - Link
Shim, Sham, Shimmy (dance) to Tain't What You Do, Jimmy Lunceford - Link
Sisters, Bette Midler and Linda Ronstadt - Link
Sisters, from White Christmas - Link
Sixteen Tons, Tennessee Ernie Ford - Link
St Louis Blues, Stephanie Trick & Paolo Alderighi - Link
Standing at the Crossroads, Elmore James - Link
Starts and Stripes Forever, United States Marine Band - Link
Sweet Georgia Brown, Wynton Marsalis/Mark O'Connor - Link
That's Jazz, Bing Crosby, Louis Armstrong & The All Stars - Link
Time, Pink Floyd - Link
Time to Blow, From That Thing You Do - Link
Zappa Medly, George Duke - Link

A Rude Intrusion :: Day 29

This is my blog for day 29 of cancer treatment, Monday, 7 Aug 2017.

I woke around 7:15 AM, having had to go to the ER last night for fluids, returning home by 3:00 AM. Feel better today, and am taking care to make sure I pour 3-4 oz. of water through the feeding tube each hour. Also arranged to go to the oncologist's office to get fluids after today's radiation treatment.
My sister Janet came to pick me up today, with Kerry having taken Nancy for her IVIG infusion at 7:15 AM. I don't have to sit at the hospital all day this way. A big Thank You to Jan!

And another surprise - my son Andy stayed home tonight to be with me. We talked, a lot, and watched four episodes of the Discovery Channel series When We Left Earth. We both love the space program. While I had the good fortune to live through it, Andy wishes he had been a young man in the 60's. And we both agree that we have to see a launch to make our lives complete. Perhaps when they start flying the Space Launch System we'll bracket the launch in a week's vacation and try to see it off.

Thanks for the cards, text messages and phone calls!

Today's YouTube video is, what else, the launch of Apollo 11 (here). Enjoy!

For convenience sake, here a running list of all of the links I've posted to YouTube in the past few days:

According to Plan, Carolyn Arends - Link
And I Love Her - Link
Apollo 11 launch - Link
Back In You Own Back Yard, Al Jolson - Link

Because We've Ended As Lovers, Larry Carlton & Steve Lukather - Link
Blessings, Laura Story - Link
Comfortably Numb, Pink Floyd - Link
Cross Road Blues, Robert Johnson Link
Crossroads, Eric Clapton and Cream Link
Cry Me A River, Joe Cocker - Link
Cry Me A River, Diana Krall - Link
Groucho Movie Clips - Link
I Love Being Here With You, Diana Krall - Link
In the Cool, Cool, Cool of the Evening, Bing Crosby and Jane Wyman - Link
In the Cool, Cool, Cool of the Evening, Bing Crosby and Jane Wyman, from the movie Here Comes the Groom  - Link
Karn Evil 9, 1st Impression, Part 1, An International Collaboration - Link
Limbo Jazz, Coleman Hawkins and Duke Ellington - Link
Lookin' At The World Through A Windshield, Bill Kirchen - Link
Montana/We Are Not Alone, Univ. of Montana Percussion Ensemble - Link

My Funny Valentine, Kristin Chenoweth - Link

My Funny Valentine, Miles Davis - Link
On The Street Where You Live, Dean Martin - Link
Powdermilk Biscuit Break, Garrison Keillor, et al - Link
Questions 67 and 68, Chicago - Link
Route 66, Asleep at The Wheel - Link
She Used To Be Mine, Sara Bareilles - Link
Shim, Sham, Shimmy (dance) to Tain't What You Do, Jimmy Lunceford - Link
Sisters, Bette Midler and Linda Ronstadt - Link
Sisters, from White Christmas - Link
Sixteen Tons, Tennessee Ernie Ford - Link
St Louis Blues, Stephanie Trick & Paolo Alderighi - Link
Standing at the Crossroads, Elmore James - Link
Starts and Stripes Forever, United States Marine Band - Link
Sweet Georgia Brown, Wynton Marsalis/Mark O'Connor - Link
That's Jazz, Bing Crosby, Louis Armstrong & The All Stars - Link
Time, Pink Floyd - Link
Time to Blow, From That Thing You Do - Link
Zappa Medly, George Duke - Link

A Rude Intrusion :: Day 28

This is my blog for day 28 of cancer treatment, Sunday, 6 Aug 2017.

I guess I finally feel like myself, mostly, after recovering from chemotherapy last Tuesday. I awoke early, and read more in The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn. It just seems to keep going, but I think I'm almost done.

One of the things I'd like to talk about today is how dehumanized I feel by this whole thing I'm going through. But that will have to wait, as I have had company today, and then ended up getting sick. Had a trip to the ER last night with nausea, caused by dehydration. Got home at 3:00 AM Monday morning. Poop!

(I had already lined this up before the troubles began.) Today's YouTube music comes from two different artists, singing versions of the same song: Cry Me A River. First, the very-1970's Joe Cocker version (here) in all its wretched excess; next, the Diana Krall version (here), with her finest torch-singing. I prefer the latter, certainly. Which do you prefer? By the way, the are a thousand versions in between these two, I'd bet.

For convenience sake, here a running list of all of the links I've posted to YouTube in the past few days:

According to Plan, Carolyn Arends - Link
And I Love Her - Link
Back In You Own Back Yard, Al Jolson - Link

Because We've Ended As Lovers, Larry Carlton & Steve Lukather - Link
Blessings, Laura Story - Link
Comfortably Numb, Pink Floyd - Link
Cross Road Blues, Robert Johnson Link
Crossroads, Eric Clapton and Cream Link
Cry Me A River, Joe Cocker - Link
Cry Me A River, Diana Krall - Link
Groucho Movie Clips - Link
I Love Being Here With You, Diana Krall - Link
In the Cool, Cool, Cool of the Evening, Bing Crosby and Jane Wyman - Link
In the Cool, Cool, Cool of the Evening, Bing Crosby and Jane Wyman, from the movie Here Comes the Groom  - Link
Karn Evil 9, 1st Impression, Part 1, An International Collaboration - Link
Limbo Jazz, Coleman Hawkins and Duke Ellington - Link
Lookin' At The World Through A Windshield, Bill Kirchen - Link
Montana/We Are Not Alone, Univ. of Montana Percussion Ensemble - Link

My Funny Valentine, Kristin Chenoweth - Link

My Funny Valentine, Miles Davis - Link
On The Street Where You Live, Dean Martin - Link
Powdermilk Biscuit Break, Garrison Keillor, et al - Link
Questions 67 and 68, Chicago - Link
Route 66, Asleep at The Wheel - Link
She Used To Be Mine, Sara Bareilles - Link
Shim, Sham, Shimmy (dance) to Tain't What You Do, Jimmy Lunceford - Link
Sisters, Bette Midler and Linda Ronstadt - Link
Sisters, from White Christmas - Link
Sixteen Tons, Tennessee Ernie Ford - Link
St Louis Blues, Stephanie Trick & Paolo Alderighi - Link
Standing at the Crossroads, Elmore James - Link
Starts and Stripes Forever, United States Marine Band - Link
Sweet Georgia Brown, Wynton Marsalis/Mark O'Connor - Link
That's Jazz, Bing Crosby, Louis Armstrong & The All Stars - Link
Time, Pink Floyd - Link
Time to Blow, From That Thing You Do - Link
Zappa Medly, George Duke - Link

A Rude Intrusion :: Day 27

This is my blog for day 27 of cancer treatment, Saturday, 5 Aug 2017.

Today was another day to recover from chemotherapy. I did awake early, and read more in The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn. Mr Twain really took ol' Huck around a bit in this adventure, shore 'nuff he did. But I'm enjoying it, nonetheless.

Took a shower today, too, and weighed myself. Now, under normal circumstances, where weight loss was an thing to be done, I might happily say I weighed 250.8. But when weight loss is not a goal, but merely a side-effect of the treatments I'm going through, I will un-happily say I now weigh 250.8 pounds. I'm down 14 pounds from where I started on day 1.

To put this in perspective, I am expected to lose weight. And the tube feedings I'm supposed to be doing (see below for more on that fiasco) are expected to help. I'm still able to eat, I'm happy to say, but have no appetite. No desire for food whatsoever. Not only doesn't that help the cause of weight-maintenance, but it adds to the need to get nourishment through tube feedings. I'm hopeful that this is merely a side-effect of chemotherapy, and that my appetite will improve. (Can anyone image a Mark who didn't like to eat? It's part-and-parcel of who I am, rightly or wrongly.)

Another side-effect of chemo is a slight ringing in the ears, and a loss of hearing overall. This may or may not be retained once I'm done, but we'll simply have to wait and see. The ringing comes and goes, but, as I'm writing this, it is certainly with me.

I appreciate all the cards and the phone calls! I received a couple of cards recently, and they really do help to buoy my spirits. And don't be afraid to call; if I can't make time to talk to you at a particular moment, I'll certainly call you back!

So now to the Tube Feeding Incident. I fed myself through the G-Tube at lunch time, starting with 2 oz of water, adding some 2-3 oz of water to the feed (now I feel like a Sontaran in a Doctor Who episode, getting his daily clone feed), The feeding time was more than 20 minutes, and it left me feeling like I had consumed a far-too-large quantity of beer. Liquid gut. Should have been a clue.

I sat down in my dad's motorized recliner (brought over from my sister Jan's once we knew I'd be undergoing this cancer treatment) and tried to watch TV. After another some 20 minutes or so, I still felt bad, so decided to try to rest in our bedroom, with my head raised up off the bed by two pillows, laying only on my back. I seemed to be doing okay, drifting off into a little nap, when - EMERGENCY . . . EMERGENCY YOU ARE GOING TO . . . - yep, I puked up a bunch, all over my shirt. I called for Nancy, and was able to make my way into the bathroom to get cleaned up.

It's not necessary to describe the mess, but may be important to go into the particulars of what happened, just in case anyone needs to use tube feedings. Liquid, you may remember, flows to its lowest level. Forget density, forget oil-floats-on-water and all those other things, this is liquid contained in a vessel (me). So when I slipped lower in bed, the liquid, which had not yet evacuated my gut, flowed back into my esophagus and triggered, well, you know.

IMPORTANT SAFETY TIP :: Do NOT recline until well after the feed has passed into your digestive system!

How can you tell, you might ask? Seems to me that all of the water is stripped out early in digestion, as I really had to pee (how else can I say this?) about an hour after taking the feeding. Really.

I was able to eat a little by dinner time, but not too much. Didn't even finish a Culver's "short" vanilla shake. Ate their mashed potatoes and gravy, that's about it. I know I have to do better.

Today's YouTube video is not just music - it IS a video, as well. It's called "Karn Evil 9, 1st Impression, Part 1 - An International Collaboration" (here) and features Rachel Flowers, a young lady whose talent would be considered monumental, but whose story is even more amazing. Read about it here.

For convenience sake, here a running list of all of the links I've posted to YouTube in the past few days:

According to Plan, Carolyn Arends - Link
And I Love Her - Link
Back In You Own Back Yard, Al Jolson - Link

Because We've Ended As Lovers, Larry Carlton & Steve Lukather - Link
Blessings, Laura Story - Link
Comfortably Numb, Pink Floyd - Link
Cross Road Blues, Robert Johnson Link
Crossroads, Eric Clapton and Cream Link
Groucho Movie Clips - Link
I Love Being Here With You, Diana Krall - Link
In the Cool, Cool, Cool of the Evening, Bing Crosby and Jane Wyman - Link
In the Cool, Cool, Cool of the Evening, Bing Crosby and Jane Wyman, from the movie Here Comes the Groom  - Link
Karn Evil 9, 1st Impression, Part 1, An International Collaboration - Link
Limbo Jazz, Coleman Hawkins and Duke Ellington - Link
Lookin' At The World Through A Windshield, Bill Kirchen - Link
Montana/We Are Not Alone, Univ. of Montana Percussion Ensemble - Link

My Funny Valentine, Kristin Chenoweth - Link

My Funny Valentine, Miles Davis - Link
On The Street Where You Live, Dean Martin - Link
Powdermilk Biscuit Break, Garrison Keillor, et al - Link
Questions 67 and 68, Chicago - Link
Route 66, Asleep at The Wheel - Link
She Used To Be Mine, Sara Bareilles - Link
Shim, Sham, Shimmy (dance) to Tain't What You Do, Jimmy Lunceford - Link
Sisters, Bette Midler and Linda Ronstadt - Link
Sisters, from White Christmas - Link
Sixteen Tons, Tennessee Ernie Ford - Link
St Louis Blues, Stephanie Trick & Paolo Alderighi - Link
Standing at the Crossroads, Elmore James - Link
Starts and Stripes Forever, United States Marine Band - Link
Sweet Georgia Brown, Wynton Marsalis/Mark O'Connor - Link
That's Jazz, Bing Crosby, Louis Armstrong & The All Stars - Link
Time, Pink Floyd - Link
Time to Blow, From That Thing You Do - Link
Zappa Medly, George Duke - Link

A Rude Intrusion :: Day 26

This is my blog for day 26 of cancer treatment, Friday, 4 Aug 2017.

Today was a day to recover from chemotherapy. Nothing else to report.

No YouTube music today . . . apologies!

For convenience sake, here a running list of all of the links I've posted to YouTube in the past few days:

According to Plan, Carolyn Arends - Link
And I Love Her - Link
Back In You Own Back Yard, Al Jolson - Link

Because We've Ended As Lovers, Larry Carlton & Steve Lukather - Link
Blessings, Laura Story - Link
Comfortably Numb, Pink Floyd - Link
Cross Road Blues, Robert Johnson Link
Crossroads, Eric Clapton and Cream Link
Groucho Movie Clips - Link
I Love Being Here With You, Diana Krall - Link
In the Cool, Cool, Cool of the Evening, Bing Crosby and Jane Wyman - Link
In the Cool, Cool, Cool of the Evening, Bing Crosby and Jane Wyman, from the movie Here Comes the Groom  - Link
Limbo Jazz, Coleman Hawkins and Duke Ellington - Link
Lookin' At The World Through A Windshield, Bill Kirchen - Link
Montana/We Are Not Alone, Univ. of Montana Percussion Ensemble - Link

My Funny Valentine, Kristin Chenoweth - Link

My Funny Valentine, Miles Davis - Link
On The Street Where You Live, Dean Martin - Link
Powdermilk Biscuit Break, Garrison Keillor, et al - Link
Questions 67 and 68, Chicago - Link
Route 66, Asleep at The Wheel - Link
She Used To Be Mine, Sara Bareilles - Link
Shim, Sham, Shimmy (dance) to Tain't What You Do, Jimmy Lunceford - Link
Sisters, Bette Midler and Linda Ronstadt - Link
Sisters, from White Christmas - Link
Sixteen Tons, Tennessee Ernie Ford - Link
St Louis Blues, Stephanie Trick & Paolo Alderighi - Link
Standing at the Crossroads, Elmore James - Link
Starts and Stripes Forever, United States Marine Band - Link
Sweet Georgia Brown, Wynton Marsalis/Mark O'Connor - Link
That's Jazz, Bing Crosby, Louis Armstrong & The All Stars - Link
Time, Pink Floyd - Link
Time to Blow, From That Thing You Do - Link
Zappa Medly, George Duke - Link

A Rude Intrusion :: Day 25

This is my blog for day 25 of cancer treatment, Thursday, 3 Aug 2017.

A late posting . . . again. Apologies!

Having gone to bed early last night, Sally had to wake me at 5:15 AM this morning, naturally, to take her out and feed her (and the cat). I went back to bed and woke again at seven, then read until eight. Still tired today, from chemo, but not quite as much. Have a radiation treatment today, followed by a meeting with the nurse and dietitian.

Tim came over at 11:00 AM and took me for a haircut. It was really needed!

Weight was maintained at 266, which the nurse and dietitian were happy about. I took a tube feeding this morning, the first time I've done that. A 375-calorie pack preceded by 4 oz of water, and succeeded by the same. I was bloated at the end of it! Not something I'm looking forward to, I'll tell you, but food just doesn't taste right any more (taste buds are affected by radiation). So if I have to supplement, I have to supplement.

Still knocked back by chemo. Napping a bit, and going to bed by 9:00 PM each night.

Today's YouTube music is from Chicago, Questions 67 and 68 (here), another classic!

For convenience sake, here a running list of all of the links I've posted to YouTube in the past few days:

According to Plan, Carolyn Arends - Link
And I Love Her - Link
Back In You Own Back Yard, Al Jolson - Link

Because We've Ended As Lovers, Larry Carlton & Steve Lukather - Link
Blessings, Laura Story - Link
Comfortably Numb, Pink Floyd - Link
Cross Road Blues, Robert Johnson Link
Crossroads, Eric Clapton and Cream Link
Groucho Movie Clips - Link
I Love Being Here With You, Diana Krall - Link
In the Cool, Cool, Cool of the Evening, Bing Crosby and Jane Wyman - Link
In the Cool, Cool, Cool of the Evening, Bing Crosby and Jane Wyman, from the movie Here Comes the Groom  - Link
Limbo Jazz, Coleman Hawkins and Duke Ellington - Link
Lookin' At The World Through A Windshield, Bill Kirchen - Link
Montana/We Are Not Alone, Univ. of Montana Percussion Ensemble - Link

My Funny Valentine, Kristin Chenoweth - Link

My Funny Valentine, Miles Davis - Link
On The Street Where You Live, Dean Martin - Link
Powdermilk Biscuit Break, Garrison Keillor, et al - Link
Questions 67 and 68, Chicago - Link
Route 66, Asleep at The Wheel - Link
She Used To Be Mine, Sara Bareilles - Link
Shim, Sham, Shimmy (dance) to Tain't What You Do, Jimmy Lunceford - Link
Sisters, Bette Midler and Linda Ronstadt - Link
Sisters, from White Christmas - Link
Sixteen Tons, Tennessee Ernie Ford - Link
St Louis Blues, Stephanie Trick & Paolo Alderighi - Link
Standing at the Crossroads, Elmore James - Link
Starts and Stripes Forever, United States Marine Band - Link
Sweet Georgia Brown, Wynton Marsalis/Mark O'Connor - Link
That's Jazz, Bing Crosby, Louis Armstrong & The All Stars - Link
Time, Pink Floyd - Link
Time to Blow, From That Thing You Do - Link
Zappa Medly, George Duke - Link

A Rude Intrusion :: Day 24

This is my blog for day 24 of cancer treatment, Wednesday, 2 Aug 2017.

Special Announcement: Today is radiation treatment 18 of 35 - I am over 50% done! My last radiation treatment is Friday, 25 Aug 2017. And I have now had two of three chemotherapy treatments. The last will come the week of 21 Aug 2017, the last week of any treatments at all,

This blog posting is late because I had a really "down day", sleeping for much of the day and being generally listless from the prior day's chemo treatment. I had to go to the oncologist's office for fluids (a scheduled visit) at noon, then we went over to Northwest Community for radiation. Once back home, I was wiped out! I went to bed at 9:00 PM, and that was that.

Today's music is a piece we've done in church, Blessings by Laura Story. It can be found on YouTube, here. With what I'm going through, it strikes  chord. Here are the lyrics:

Blessings

We pray for blessings
We pray for peace
Comfort for family, protection while we sleep
We pray for healing, for prosperity
We pray for Your mighty hand to ease our suffering
All the while, You hear each spoken need
Yet love is way too much to give us lesser things

'Cause what if your blessings come through raindrops
What if Your healing comes through tears
What if a thousand sleepless nights are what it takes to know You're near
What if trials of this life are Your mercies in disguise

We pray for wisdom
Your voice to hear
We cry in anger when we cannot feel You near
We doubt your goodness, we doubt your love
As if every promise from Your Word is not enough
All the while, You hear each desperate plea
And long that we'd have faith to believe

When friends betray us
When darkness seems to win
We know that pain reminds this heart
That this is not our home

What if my greatest disappointments
Or the aching of this life
Is the revealing of a greater thirst this world can't satisfy
What if trials of this life
The rain, the storms, the hardest nights
Are your mercies in disguise

For convenience sake, here a running list of all of the links I've posted to YouTube in the past few days:

According to Plan, Carolyn Arends - Link
And I Love Her - Link
Back In You Own Back Yard, Al Jolson - Link

Because We've Ended As Lovers, Larry Carlton & Steve Lukather - Link
Blessings, Laura Story - Link
Comfortably Numb, Pink Floyd - Link
Cross Road Blues, Robert Johnson Link
Crossroads, Eric Clapton and Cream Link
Groucho Movie Clips - Link
I Love Being Here With You, Diana Krall - Link
In the Cool, Cool, Cool of the Evening, Bing Crosby and Jane Wyman - Link
In the Cool, Cool, Cool of the Evening, Bing Crosby and Jane Wyman, from the movie Here Comes the Groom  - Link
Limbo Jazz, Coleman Hawkins and Duke Ellington - Link
Lookin' At The World Through A Windshield, Bill Kirchen - Link
Montana/We Are Not Alone, Univ. of Montana Percussion Ensemble - Link

My Funny Valentine, Kristin Chenoweth - Link

My Funny Valentine, Miles Davis - Link
On The Street Where You Live, Dean Martin - Link
Powdermilk Biscuit Break, Garrison Keillor, et al - Link
Route 66, Asleep at The Wheel - Link
She Used To Be Mine, Sara Bareilles - Link
Shim, Sham, Shimmy (dance) to Tain't What You Do, Jimmy Lunceford - Link
Sisters, Bette Midler and Linda Ronstadt - Link
Sisters, from White Christmas - Link
Sixteen Tons, Tennessee Ernie Ford - Link
St Louis Blues, Stephanie Trick & Paolo Alderighi - Link
Standing at the Crossroads, Elmore James - Link
Starts and Stripes Forever, United States Marine Band - Link
Sweet Georgia Brown, Wynton Marsalis/Mark O'Connor - Link
That's Jazz, Bing Crosby, Louis Armstrong & The All Stars - Link
Time, Pink Floyd - Link
Time to Blow, From That Thing You Do - Link
Zappa Medly, George Duke - Link

A Rude Intrusion :: Day 23

This is my blog for day 23 of cancer treatment, Tuesday, 1 Aug 2017.

Another beautiful day today - 80 degrees, but partly cloudy again. Heck, what does partly cloudy mean to an 80 degree day in August? It's still lovely!

Slept well for the first part of the night last night, but woke to take a Tylenol and found Nancy awake at about 2:00 AM. She had her treatment yesterday, and that always messes with her sleep. So we both went back to bed, but I was in-and-out of sleep after waking. Perhaps it was because I had to get up at 5:30 AM in order to get to my radiation treatment at 7:15 AM. Perhaps it was worry. I don't know.

Nancy and I headed out at 6:15 AM, and were at the hospital on time. After my treatment, we went to the Egg Harbor restaurant in Arlington Heights for breakfast, where I had scrambled eggs, an English Muffin and some of their potatoes, though really just a few. It was somewhat difficult to get the potatoes down. So I drank a lot of water. Nancy had a fruit-covered French Toast ("Very Berry" French Toast) which included strawberries, blueberries and blackberries. She loves her fruit!

And about Nancy . . . she has been unbelievably helpful to me, in terms of getting through treatment. She is supportive, helpful, kind, encouraging - in short, everything you could possibly ask for in your spouse. I cannot say enough good things about her. But those of you who have met her know. I'd like to say I love her even more, now, but I'm not sure I can love her more than I already do!

And a tip-of-the-hat to my daughter Kerry, who drove us to Nancy's treatment yesterday. I piggy-back for the 2:15 PM treatment, and pretty much stay in Nancy's room all afternoon. In the morning I do a few things in various places the hospital - the cafeteria, an alcove on the north side, an area by the east entrance set up with round tables and a sofa or two. When I'm working, it all revolves around whatever meetings I have or tasks I have to complete. Now that I'm off, it involves keeping up with the bills and the budget, and reading. Kerry works near the east entrance all day.

And since we take our car I'm able to run errands, as necessary, or get lunch from Mariano's, or both. Yesterday I went to the bank, for example.

Am at chemotherapy today. I had a 9:45 AM appointment, which is why my radiation therapy was moved up to 7:15 AM. I'll probably be here until 5:00 PM or so.

And so I was; am writing this after 7:00 PM this evening. Nancy dropped me at chemo at about 9:15 AM or so, going back home to meet with Orkin. We have them come out every two months, and have a wasps nest in one of our trees, so we wanted to make sure he dealt with that. Wasps are not pollinators, so I don't feel particularly bad about them. (Though there is a pollinator relationship with the fig tree, but we don't raise them.)

I was catching up on mail and watching YouTube today, though napping quite a bit in the morning. I guess the night's lack of sleep the culprit. When Nancy returned, she brought me chicken noodle soup from Culver's and a vanilla shake. No longer calorie conscious am I - I've been told to eat! My wreak havoc with my blood sugar, though. I stayed awake all afternoon, I think.

My chemotherapy treatment generally runs as follows: first, I get called in, weighed (just over 263 today, fully clothed without phone in pocket or glasses on for you detail-oriented people), then taken to a room, where the tech takes my oxygenation level, heart rate, BP (126/76 . . . calm!), and goes over my medication list. Then my blood is taken using the medi-port, and access to the port is retained (the needle is not taken out). I see Dr. Gordon, go over the details of what is happening with me, and answer any of his questions. He also answers any questions I may have.

Next, I'm taken into a long, narrow room, bounded by a bank of windows that looks out north over the scenic IL 53 interchange at Algonquin Road (Rt 62). There must be twelve reclining chairs along the windows, and a second room with even more.

Side note: Nancy has to sit in a simple padded chair with a low back if she stays with me. She did the first time, and did not like it. Too many hours in an uncomfortable chair.

In any case, I choose a chair, then my nurse comes over, gets me started with a steroid and an anti-nausea medication, and gives me a shot of a long-acting anti-nausea medication, which shot goes right in my stomach. The staff applies a kind of "freeze" to the skin first, so I'm pretty numb when the medicine is slowly injected into me.

Once the steroid is done I get Lasik (a diuretic, or drug designed to make me go to the bathroom), my port is flushed, and a bag of good old IV fluid (1000ML or two 16.9 oz water bottles) is run into me. Then comes 1000ML of fluid with the Sysplatin chemotherapy drug, which step takes about four hours to complete. Then it's another 1000ML of IV fluid and I'm done. Total time, including arriving 15 minutes early to the doctor: just about 8 hours.

The staff could not be nicer, I have to say. There is only one thing that will get them going, I'd bet. There is a sign on the blanket-warmer (yes, I can have a nice, warm blanket while I'm sitting in the chair) that say Blankets Are For Patients Only! I'd bet you'd get them riled if you took one and you weren't the patient. I have shared mine with Nancy (the day after my first chemo session when I went back for hydration), and nobody said anything to me. But if she had her own, well, I'd bet we'd get a talkin' to.

Oh, and I decided that this blog is lacking in pictures, so I'm adding one. Hello!

Today's music is something I ran into by accident, while watching and listening to YouTube. It's a combination of two Frank Zappa songs, joined with a long-ish drum solo, by the University of Montana Percussion Ensemble: Montana and We Are Not Alone (here). While I realize that many folks are not Frank Zappa fans (God save his soul), I think this is worth a listen. Zappa would have loved it: the U. Montana ensemble playing Montana. And they do a good job!

For convenience sake, here a running list of all of the links I've posted to YouTube in the past few days:

According to Plan, Carolyn Arends - Link
And I Love Her - Link
Back In You Own Back Yard, Al Jolson - Link

Because We've Ended As Lovers, Larry Carlton & Steve Lukather - Link
Comfortably Numb, Pink Floyd - Link
Cross Road Blues, Robert Johnson Link
Crossroads, Eric Clapton and Cream Link
Groucho Movie Clips - Link
I Love Being Here With You, Diana Krall - Link
In the Cool, Cool, Cool of the Evening, Bing Crosby and Jane Wyman - Link
In the Cool, Cool, Cool of the Evening, Bing Crosby and Jane Wyman, from the movie Here Comes the Groom  - Link
Limbo Jazz, Coleman Hawkins and Duke Ellington - Link
Lookin' At The World Through A Windshield, Bill Kirchen - Link
Montana/We Are Not Alone, Univ. of Montana Percussion Ensemble - Link

My Funny Valentine, Kristin Chenoweth - Link

My Funny Valentine, Miles Davis - Link
On The Street Where You Live, Dean Martin - Link
Powdermilk Biscuit Break, Garrison Keillor, et al - Link
Route 66, Asleep at The Wheel - Link
She Used To Be Mine, Sara Bareilles - Link
Shim, Sham, Shimmy (dance) to Tain't What You Do, Jimmy Lunceford - Link
Sisters, Bette Midler and Linda Ronstadt - Link
Sisters, from White Christmas - Link
Sixteen Tons, Tennessee Ernie Ford - Link
St Louis Blues, Stephanie Trick & Paolo Alderighi - Link
Standing at the Crossroads, Elmore James - Link
Starts and Stripes Forever, United States Marine Band - Link
Sweet Georgia Brown, Wynton Marsalis/Mark O'Connor - Link
That's Jazz, Bing Crosby, Louis Armstrong & The All Stars - Link
Time, Pink Floyd - Link
Time to Blow, From That Thing You Do - Link
Zappa Medly, George Duke - Link

A Rude Intrusion :: Day 22

This is my blog for day 22 of cancer treatment, Monday, 31 Jul 2017.

This blog posting is late . . . apologies!

Another beautiful day today - 82 degrees, but partly cloudy today.

This is the first night I can say I did not sleep well. I woke several times, with pain in the my mouth and throat, and have decided that I can no longer use my CPAP machine, as it dries out the inside of my mouth, leading to the afore-mentioned pain. Plus, I think the Tylenol I take before bed needs to be doubled.

Found out something interesting today: starting in week five, the field of radiation is narrowed, and concentrated more on the tumor sites. I guess this means that the soreness in my throat will start to diminish, as less radiation is directed there. So while I had thought it was still uphill all the way through week seven, it appears that it's not.

Another thing: Dr. Mohideen told me that he could no longer feel the tumor in the lymph node along the right side of my neck. So it seems that things are working as designed, and the treatments are doing what they were supposed to do. Good news!

Today's music includes two songs from Garrison Keillor's show: the Powdermilk Biscuit Break (here) from the 30th anniversary of A Prairie Home Companion (tell me this isn't a fun little ditty!) and She Used To Be Mine by Sara Bareilles (here) from her musical Waitress (tell me this isn't a great song!).

For convenience sake, here a running list of all of the links I've posted to YouTube in the past few days:

According to Plan, Carolyn Arends - Link

And I Love Her - Link

Back In You Own Back Yard, Al Jolson - Link

Because We've Ended As Lovers, Larry Carlton & Steve Lukather - Link

Comfortably Numb, Pink Floyd - Link

Cross Road Blues, Robert Johnson Link

Crossroads, Eric Clapton and Cream Link

Groucho Movie Clips - Link

I Love Being Here With You, Diana Krall - Link

In the Cool, Cool, Cool of the Evening, Bing Crosby and Jane Wyman - Link

In the Cool, Cool, Cool of the Evening, Bing Crosby and Jane Wyman, from the movie Here Comes the Groom  - Link

Limbo Jazz, Coleman Hawkins and Duke Ellington - Link

Lookin' At The World Through A Windshield, Bill Kirchen - Link

My Funny Valentine, Kristin Chenoweth - Link

My Funny Valentine, Miles Davis - Link

On The Street Where You Live, Dean Martin - Link

Powdermilk Biscuit Break, Garrison Keillor, et al - Link

Route 66, Asleep at The Wheel - Link

She Used To Be Mine, Sara Bareilles - Link

Shim, Sham, Shimmy (dance) to Tain't What You Do, Jimmy Lunceford - Link

Sisters, Bette Midler and Linda Ronstadt - Link

Sisters, from White Christmas - Link

Sixteen Tons, Tennessee Ernie Ford - Link

St Louis Blues, Stephanie Trick & Paolo Alderighi - Link

Standing at the Crossroads, Elmore James - Link

Starts and Stripes Forever, United States Marine Band - Link

Sweet Georgia Brown, Wynton Marsalis/Mark O'Connor - Link

That's Jazz, Bing Crosby, Louis Armstrong & The All Stars - Link

Time, Pink Floyd - Link

Time to Blow, From That Thing You Do - Link

Zappa Medly, George Duke - Link

A Rude Intrusion :: Day 21

This is my blog for day 21 of cancer treatment, Sunday, 30 Jul 2017.

Another beautiful day today - 82 degrees and sunny! Sat outside with Linda Martinez, her two younger boys and a grandson this morning, then saw Nancy's sister Linda and her husband Bryan, as well as my mother-in-law Sonja, for lunch. Yesterday's visitor was our friend Beth, a teacher, like Nancy. We took a walk and sat outside to talk about all kinds of things. On Saturday afternoon I spoke with Nancy's brother Bill, who stopped by the house, and in the afternoon and evening we entertained Kim, a social worker from the hospital and friend. So it was a busy weekend with friends, and it certainly helped my spirits.

Bryan and I watched the Cubs win a game today, though we both napped on-and-off. Then it was on to the Canadian Open golf tournament for a short while before they left to head home.

All in all, a nice weekend.

Today's music: two classics of another sort: Time (here) and Comfortably Numb (here) by Pink Floyd.  One comment states it perfectly: "No flashy wardrobe, no sexual innuendo,  no ranting and raving of how good you are, no dirty and dull lyrics, no auto tune, no dancers, no repetitive beats. There is just pure and delicious musical ingenuity." Pure and delicious, indeed!

For convenience sake, here a running list of all of the links I've posted to YouTube in the past few days:

According to Plan, Carolyn Arends - Link
And I Love Her - Link
Back In You Own Back Yard, Al Jolson - Link

Because We've Ended As Lovers, Larry Carlton & Steve Lukather - Link
Comfortably Numb, Pink Floyd - Link
Cross Road Blues, Robert Johnson Link
Crossroads, Eric Clapton and Cream Link
Groucho Movie Clips - Link
I Love Being Here With You, Diana Krall - Link
In the Cool, Cool, Cool of the Evening, Bing Crosby and Jane Wyman - Link
In the Cool, Cool, Cool of the Evening, Bing Crosby and Jane Wyman, from the movie Here Comes the Groom  - Link
Limbo Jazz, Coleman Hawkins and Duke Ellington - Link
Lookin' At The World Through A Windshield, Bill Kirchen - Link

My Funny Valentine, Kristin Chenoweth - Link

My Funny Valentine, Miles Davis - Link
On The Street Where You Live, Dean Martin - Link
Route 66, Asleep at The Wheel - Link
Shim, Sham, Shimmy (dance) to Tain't What You Do, Jimmy Lunceford - Link
Sisters, Bette Midler and Linda Ronstadt - Link
Sisters, from White Christmas - Link
Sixteen Tons, Tennessee Ernie Ford - Link
St Louis Blues, Stephanie Trick & Paolo Alderighi - Link
Standing at the Crossroads, Elmore James - Link
Starts and Stripes Forever, United States Marine Band - Link
Sweet Georgia Brown, Wynton Marsalis/Mark O'Connor - Link
That's Jazz, Bing Crosby, Louis Armstrong & The All Stars - Link
Time, Pink Floyd - Link
Time to Blow, From That Thing You Do - Link
Zappa Medly, George Duke - Link

A Rude Intrusion :: Day 20

This is my blog for day 20 of cancer treatment, Saturday, 29 Jul 2017.

No doctor visits today! And it looks like it's going to be a beautiful day - 77 degrees and sunny!

One of the things I thought I'd do with today's blog is to describe exactly what a radiation treatment is like. I don't think I've done that before. So here goes.

All my radiation treatments are at Northwest Community Hospital in Arlington Heights, IL. It's a 45-minute drive (during the day) from the house. So Nancy and I leave at 1:15 PM every day, or so, and Nancy drives me to the treatment, the same drive we've done for years - what I call "the back way" to the hospital - down Roberts to Barrington to Cuba to Ela to Northwest Highway to Wilke to Kirchoff. (Those who live in the are will perhaps recognize the route.) We park in the Oncology parking area on the first floor of the Busse Center parking garage. We have a placard that identifies us as being allowed to park there, so it gets displayed in the front window.

From the parking lot, we walk into the main floor of the Busse Center, past registration, on down a hallway bordered by a row of windows to a bank of elevators. We take the elevator down one floor, then walk through a hallway to the Radiation Oncology department. Being downstairs, this area gets no natural light, but is well-lit by fluorescent lights, giving it a . Generally, as we know all the admins, we are greeted warmly. I swipe a bar-coded card under a card reader - twice - and that tells the staff I'm there. After an exchange of pleasantries I usually sit in the waiting are. There are a few "regulars" in the waiting area, including one poor fellow who has his head bandaged, and is generally wearing a cap.

After a short wait - these appointments are punctual - one of the technicians comes to get me. We walk down two hallways, past several examination rooms and a nurses office, and I'm usually asked to sit down in one of two chairs in an alcove just outside the unit. There are multiple machines in the unit, but I've only been treated in one - the particle accelerator. The techs sit inside the unit, opposite a bank of computer monitors that tell them what's happening with the machines. They also have a monitor which shows the patient. It's really rather high-tech.

The same patient almost always walks from the treatment room every day. He's older than me - I'd guess he was in his late 70's - and we now exchange greetings each day. Once he's done, the technicians call me in - Barb, Linda, Cindy or Mary - working in a team of three. One of them will walk me in while the others prepare for treatment. I stop by a mirror, place my phone and glasses on its ledge, then take out my mouth guards (technically, they're called "fluoride trays"), pop them in and leave the case on the ledge.

The treatment room is full of the various components of the machine. On the far wall is a rack containing the various masks and molds into which the patients are placed. In my case, a mask was made of my face, using a plastic which keeps its shape when room temperature, but was pliable enough to conform to my face, head and chest when warm (and wet), I think I described how this was done in a previous post. The person that followed me, one day, appeared to have had a mold made of their knee. This is done to ensure that you are in almost the exact same position day-to-day.

In my case, I am asked to lie on a table, with my head in a depression at the top of the machine - again, to ensure that I'm in generally the same position each time. The techs place a piece of foam under my knees, for comfort, and then put the mask in place over my face and the top of my chest. The mask is then snapped into place, six buckles in all, I think, and the techs verify that my face is in the proper place. They set the table into its place using a series of three numbers (X-, Y- and Z-axes, I'd bet). (I hear, "Shout out your numbers loud and strong!", each time, though they never say it out loud.)

When they're ready to go they let me know, and leave the room. At this point, I'm laying on my back, unable to move, hands clasped together and feet splayed out to the left and the right. For some reason, I'm not allowed to cross my legs. The machinery starts moving around me, and does a CAT scan to ensure that I'm in the right position. I think the machine will make slight adjustments if it needs to. The table shakes a bit when the treatment is ready to begin, and at this point I puff my cheeks out and hold them there.

The particle accelerator itself makes a buzzing sound when it is working, and I swear that I can feel the radiation hitting my tongue. Really. But the machine makes one pass on the right side of my face, concentrating on the tumor on the base of my tongue (and its associated parts, wherever they stretch out to), then the buzzing stops while the machine moves on to its second pass. I continue puffing my cheeks out (to keep stray electrons from burning the inside of my cheek - it does seem to work), and the machine eventually finishes it second pass. At this point, the staff returns to the room and unbuckles me from the machine.

They have to lower the table back to the proper height, then they help me to a sitting position and I swing my legs over the side, stand up, walk over to a sink, take out my fluoride trays and rinse them off. I take the wadded up paper towels I use to dry the trays and toss them into the garbage can, about six feet away from the sink (I'm a perfect 15-for-15 at this point). Then I gather my belongings and head out to get Nancy and return home.

Total time in the room: around 15 minutes, I think. Have to do it 20 more times, starting Monday.

Today's music is another classic - Sixteen Tons by Tennessee Ernie Ford (here) - 'nuff said!

For convenience sake, here a running list of all of the links I've posted to YouTube in the past few days:

According to Plan, Carolyn Arends - Link
And I Love Her - Link
Back In You Own Back Yard, Al Jolson - Link

Because We've Ended As Lovers, Larry Carlton & Steve Lukather - Link
Cross Road Blues, Robert Johnson Link
Crossroads, Eric Clapton and Cream Link
Groucho Movie Clips - Link
I Love Being Here With You, Diana Krall - Link
In the Cool, Cool, Cool of the Evening, Bing Crosby and Jane Wyman - Link
In the Cool, Cool, Cool of the Evening, Bing Crosby and Jane Wyman, from the movie Here Comes the Groom  - Link
Limbo Jazz, Coleman Hawkins and Duke Ellington - Link
Lookin' At The World Through A Windshield, Bill Kirchen - Link

My Funny Valentine, Kristin Chenoweth - Link

My Funny Valentine, Miles Davis - Link
On The Street Where You Live, Dean Martin - Link
Route 66, Asleep at The Wheel - Link
Shim, Sham, Shimmy (dance) to Tain't What You Do, Jimmy Lunceford - Link
Sisters, Bette Midler and Linda Ronstadt - Link
Sisters, from White Christmas - Link
Sixteen Tons, Tennessee Ernie Ford - Link
St Louis Blues, Stephanie Trick & Paolo Alderighi - Link
Standing at the Crossroads, Elmore James - Link
Starts and Stripes Forever, United States Marine Band - Link
Sweet Georgia Brown, Wynton Marsalis/Mark O'Connor - Link
That's Jazz, Bing Crosby, Louis Armstrong & The All Stars - Link
Time to Blow, From That Thing You Do - Link
Zappa Medly, George Duke - Link