|
|
|
The day is almost over and I’m about ready for bed. Actually I’m already in bed, perhaps I should say, I’m about ready to go to sleep. I plan to get a Dilaudid shot in my IV and then I’m out. It hurts quite a bit right now, but I want to stay conscious enough to finish this posting.
I’ve discovered something that improves sleeping comfort. As you may know, these hospital beds can help one to become a piece of origami with the bed. When I go in for my CT scans they always put a small foam pillow under my knees.
I tried putting a very slight bend in the bed under my knees. I probably only have a three inch rise, but it dramatically increases the comfort. I found that if one puts too much rise, it feels like you’re sleeping on the steps and your feet are in lower step.
When I get home I’m going to experiment with different foam pieces to see what works best.
One of the doctors that regularly visits, told me he thinks they may pull the chest tube tomorrow. Then they should let me out of jail and I can go home – if I can walk. They tell me my lungs sound very good and my x-ray was very good this morning.
We’re a little concerned about Danny. Someone was over to our house this morning. He likes to bark at new people, so Karol gave him a treat. With treats he seems to like to carry them around the house before he eats them. He dropped his treat and then started to pick it up. The lady didn’t see him drop the treat and she though he was eating something bad. When she went to pick it up and throw it away, he snapped at her.
That gave us some pause for concern. I’ve got to break him of that.
I’ll be interesting if it goes through and what comes of it. For some reason I’m not overly enthusiastic about it. After all, I sort of already have my own newspaper. If it goes through, I’ll provide a link.
I’m ready now. All I need is my Dilaudid shot and I’m ready for sleep.
My brief with time with feelng well is over.
I’m hurting at the moment. The good news is that I’m soon to leave ICU and get a regular room.
When I get there I’m going to order a Dilaudid shot and go to sleep
I hurt.
I’m arguing with the IT department to get better internet access to my office. So far, no improvement. But I’ll keep trying.
At least I have this connection – for now. They may get fed up with me and turn me completely off.
I’ll get the name of the head of IT. Perhaps he would like to know about my interview with the local newspaper tomorrow.
I’m doing rather well this morning – now that I have my two cups of coffee in me. I’m still in ICU.
I got a call from the local newspaper. They asked if I was the Ted Armstrong that was blogging about my cancer experience. They asked to come by and do an interview tomorrow. I responded affirmatively – as long as they don’t make me look like TOO big of a fool.
She promised not to do that.
A little later my oncologist stopped by to see how I was doing. I told him about the impending interview and asked what he wanted to me to say about him. He just said to say what I really thought.
We have always had a cordial relationship. I thank him that in the beginning he took charge and to get me going when I knew nothing.
We had a brief mutual admiration meeting while I told him that I had high regard for him and that I thought he is competent. He said we sometimes disagree, but my questions make him and his staff think. The he hurried off to visit his other customers.
I have had this same newspaper talk about an interview before and it all fell through. It may be that nothing will come of it.
I feel like I should prepare for the interview, but I don’t know how. I guess I’ll just get my pocket recorder and make a copy of the interview for myself.
Tomorrow’s chemo has been postponed until sometime next week. A little vacation of sorts.
I am sitting here in ICU. I liked the other room better as I could close the door.
They put me here overnight to be sure I don’t have any life threatening swelling from the breathing tube. Currently my diet is restricted to - water.
Actually I think this is a good idea. Currently I am high risk of pneumonia and this is probably the best place I could be for that.
Perhaps I was a bit overbearing when we transferred me from on bed to the other as I told them what to do. I have them bring the two beds together and made sure they properly controlled all the tubes while I moved myself from one be to the other. I think my take charge surprised them a bit.
Very shortly, I’m going to sleep.
I’m currently sitting in the recovery room waiting to go to ICU. I’ve had the thoroscopy and they’ve installed the mediport. Except for one irregularity, everything went fine. It seems they had trouble installing the breathing tube. They want to watch overnight to make sure there are no complications. I wonder if a small throat is why I couldn’t run faster when I used to foot-race.
I asked the surgeon about this and although he didn’t fully understand my question, his response agreed with my conclusion. He said that I would get out of breath more easily than others. It’s like restricting the carburetor port on an automobile engine.
The surgeon explained it to me, but my brain was off-line at the time. Right now my throat is rather sore.
Overall I’m feeling fairly well. I’m gaining strength hour by hour. It helps to have my laptop back on my lap.
I’m a little tired tonight, but I got a pleasant surprise from Reb and Nora. It’s a food basket, and it not just filled with healthy foods. Aside from the usually fruit, it also got some junk food!
Thank you Reb and Nora.
To top it off I see the Nestle Crunch bar is packed in the new fresh wrap. That’s what I appreciate. Junk that is packed to be fresh.
They tell me I can’t have anything to eat after 12:00. So I’m setting my Palm to go off at 11:30 and down some goodies with water while I still can.
I’ll have to pick something our before I go to sleep.
Tomorrow I’m having the mediport installed and they are also going to do a thorocoscopy on my lung. It is hoped that will prevent the fluid from accumulating again.
We will see.
The Vorlon Wife says the Vorlon Dog wants to be the center of attention. If she ignores him too much, he woofs for attention. She says it’s not to go out as she has just brought him in.
I’m fading fast now. I just got my Dilaudid shot. That really knocks me on my butt. I’ll be asleep shortly.
Ir’ll be a miracle if rhis is legible to read in my current condition.
Good night.
Here’s a photo of Danny Boy big enough for your desktop. Just click on the thumbnail and then right click and select Save as background.
It may take a couple of minutes to open as it’s about 700KB in size.
For some reason I’m feeling really tired tonight. I really wish I could get a visit from the Vorlon Dog. The Vorlon Wife says he looks so sad, when she has to leave him behind. My heart goes out to him.
I’m getting some conflicting advice from my medical team and that concerns me a bit. At least I’ve eliminated radiation for the moment.
I just realized I have chemo this Friday. That one snuck up on me. Tomorrow I’m going to have a mediport installed in my chest. I’m running out of veins in my arms for IV’s. The chemo doesn’t help your veins.
I thought I had made the decision to not have the talcum powder treatment to my lung, but in a brief conversation with the lung guy that may not be the right decision. I need to go back and review that decision with the surgeon.
The last week, Monday in particularly, seems like a blur and I don’t know why.
I’ve got to hurry up and get my stuff together for my hyperthermia treatment on Friday. When I describe it to my oncologist he sort of rolls his eyes. I suspect he’s seen a lot of quack cures and is afraid this is another one.
I spoke to my oncologist this morning. We have not made any final decisions yet. I have yet to speak with the radiation guy and I’m not looking forward to it. In my opinion the man is a jerk. I though my oncologist’s body language seemed a little off.
On another issue I spoke with a researcher that works with hyperthermia. To my surprise he was extraordinarily helpful and forthcoming. He gave me the name and phone number for someone at the University of Texas to talk to and he gave me two web sites to visit – here and here. He also gave me a protocol to follow.
I was really taken aback by his forthrightness and desire to help.
He said I should do the hyperthermia as soon after my chemo as possible. He suggested going to a temperature of 105.8 degrees F for four hours. He stressed not going over. He said not to do it more than once a week. He also suggested I do a blood pressure reading every half hour, which I had already planned to do. He said the best way to get a body core temperature was with a rectal thermometer – that sounds like fun.
My oncologist suggested I see him directly. His emphasis seemed to be on the legal responsibility for the recommendation. I’m not sure how that improves my results.
I just finished supper and have called for my Dilaudid shot. I’ll tell you, that is good stuff. I mg really knocks down any pain and puts you right to sleep. It is also available in pill form. The only let me have some every two hours. It’s right up there with morphine. I think I’m going to find something that will help me to sleep when I get home.
The Vorlon Wife says that Danny looks sad, when she walks out the door and he realizes he’s not going with her. I feel sorry for the little guy, but there is little I can do to help him. I think I’ll ask the hospital if I can bring him in. I suspect not, but the worst they can do is say no.
One of the doctors stopped in this morning. He said my serum creatinine was back down to normal levels. It was down to 1.3, which is good. 1.5 is the upper limit. That means they will take me off the saline drip. That will free up one-half my body for movement.
The chemo whacks my renal function. I’m going to half to be more careful in the future. When I get my chemo, I need to be careful to up my fluid intake by a lot. He said probably by at least as extra quart of water per day.
While here they’ve introduced me to something called Enlive!. It’s a nutritional drink sort of like Ensure and Boost. Except it is clear and doesn’t have that chalky flavor. It comes in two flavors, apple and peach. Both seem to be tasty flavors. I think I’ll get some and keep it on hand.
I’m feeling well today, except I’m still stuck in the hospital. The Vorlon Wife tells me the Vorlon Dog continues his good behavior.
About lunch time I experience some very severe pain in my left nipple area. I requested and received to injections of Dilaudid two hours apart. I get 1 mg and it really takes the pain away. It also really makes you sleep well. One doctor stopped by and he thought it is was likely due to a nerve ending getting aggravated. I will tell you, five minutes after the injection the pain is gone. But I can only get the injections every two hours – which is OK.
I think I’ll get one more shot before bed and then be out for the night.
Today was rather boring. I wasn’t in a lot of pain; it was just sat here and waited. At least I have my laptop.
I’m getting ready for bed. I just ordered my pain killer for the night. Not only is it a good pain killer, but I sleep like a baby after the injection. When they come into get my BP and temperature, I think I’m back asleep before they shut the door.
The Vorlon wife reports the Vorlon dog slept on my side of the bed last night on MY PILLOW. When I get home, he’ll have to learn some new habits. She has stopped crating him when she leaves him behind and we’ve not had any accidents,
I’m pleased that it tseems to be working out well. I always disliked crating him, but I didn’t know how reliable he was. She makes sure to take him for a long walk first, however.
I hope he remembers me, when I get home.
The surgeon says my drainage was decreased substantially. If I go 24 hours and only drain 250 cc’s, then he’ll do his thing. Then I can go home.
They took an x-ray of my chest again this morning. A little later my lung guy’s partner came in and told me there was a leak in my lung. He said that was probably due to the fact than the fluid had collapsed the lung, and when it expanded back, it tore.
I said, “OK. What do we do?””
He said we could wait and it should heal itself. I asked how long that would take. He though a few days. I asked him what we can do to speed things up. He said we could go in and sew up the hole.
I asked him, “Where is the tear?” He said “It is most likely in the top.” “I responded, most likely means what probability?” *90%,” he said. I said, “That means it could be elsewhere. How do we find it?” He indicated they would do some digging of sort to find it. I didn’t really like the way this conversation was going. He didn’t seem particularly pleased himself and quickly disappeared.
Later in the day, the surgeon came in to chat. He told me I did not have a tear in the lung, but a bubble at the top of the of the rib cage. I said, “Then you’re telling me the lung guy doesn’t know what he is talking about.” The surgeon responded, “He not a surgeon.” I though to myself, “So, there’s some ego involved here.
The surgeon also told me He was uncertain the glue process would work because the tumor would likely to produce more fluid. I asked him if I should use radiation on it. He thought that was a good idea. My oncologist has been against it.
It’s probably not possible, but I would like to have a conference call with the surgeon, my lung guy and my oncologist to discuss the best course of action. That’s probably not possible, but we’ll see. I want each guy to make the case for his point of view and give me the data I need to decide my best alternatives.
Now I know how Bush must feel working with he generals over Iraq. Except, if the President calls a meeting, you show up. I don't have the kind of clout, but the insurance company assigned me sort of a project manager. I’m going to call her tomorrow and see what is possible.
Since I’m going to be here a while longer I’m going to contact the hospital’s IT department and see if I can get a connection that I can do some work with.
A small change to the blog layout has been made. You may notice on the right-hand panel I have replaced the photo of the moon going around the earth with a photo of Danny Boy. Eventual the other photo of him will scroll off the page.
In talking to the Vorlon wife, she no longer crates him when she leaves home and can’t take him with her. She tries to give him a long walk before and then just leaves him in the house. After she leaves, he seems to go upstairs, hop on the bed and go to sleep. She says that when she comes back, she can hear him hop off the bed and come down the stairs to greet her.
She says that at night, he sleeps on my side of our bed. That works out well for both of them.
I kind of miss the little guy.
They are still draining my chest. I hear it gurgling away on the floor. I expect them to drain it all day tomorrow. If they feel it has drained enough on Friday they will blow talcum powder into then cavity. This will irritate the two surfaces enough that they will grow together and there will no longer be enough room for any fluid to accumulate – at least that’s the theory.
Presumably, after they are sure that I won’t croak in the O.R., they’ll send me home.
I think I’ll write up a bunch of question to ask. I know my readers will want some assurance also. I know that some of my readers are medically savvy. If you have a question to ask, just post it in the comments section and I’ll ask the surgeon. Or, you can email them to me for more privacy.
The really good news is, I feel a LOT better than last night. My left lung area feels, well, empty. When they listen to my breathing they tell me the two sides sound almost the same.
The lung guy stopped by this morning and expressed his concern that the lung was not re-inflating at the rate they wanted. Late this afternoon he stopped by to say the second X-ray showed a much more encouraging inflation. It looked very good.
I’m expending a weird sensation. I’m in the same bed and was before. But I FEEL like I’m sitting in a concrete and grass patio. On my right are French doors that lead back into the house. In front of me is the garage. To my left is wall and fence. Behind said door and is the yard. It is a nice spring day with sun shinning. It is about 75 degrees with just a light breeze to make it really comfortable.
This is not the real picture bit it is the picture I see in my mind – weird.
I’m off to bed.
Last night the surgeon came by and he tapped me like a maple tree in the springtime to drain the fluid from the left lung area. I quickly filled a 3-liter canister. That’s a little over 3 quarts. The second 3-liter canister is about two-thirds full.
Having the chest tube inserted was not the most enjoyable experience in the world. But it wasn’t too bad. As the fluid drained out, I started coughing a lot. The surgeon and his people seemed unconcerned so I guess it is normal.
After a while they left, but he left a prescription for pain. In the middle of the night I started to experience a lot of pain and they injected this stuff into my IV. They said it was very similar to morphine, except it stayed in the body longer.
I’ll tell you, that stuff really works. Very quickly all pain was gone and I could sleep. I found that one of the side-effects is it makes you very sleepy. I can’t say that I can remember anything like it before.
I’ve had a couple of more shots throughout today and I’ve done a lot of sleeping.
When they think they have as much fluid as they’re going to get, we’ll move on the next stage.
At the moment I’m feeling tired and weak, but I think I breathe more easily.
Now I’m off to bed.
The Vorlon Wife called the oncologist’s office and told them of my condition. The said this was not normal and told her to take me to the Emergency Room. I protested, but she was adamant.
Once there they took a ton of blood and some x-rays. My serum creaton is 3.5 and 1.5 is the upper limit.
The lung guy came in later and said he was going to drain my plural effusion tomorrow morning. He came back later and said, the more he thought about it, he’d like to try a different strategy. He will bring in a surgeon that will put a chest tube in and drain over a day or so. Until the fluid stops coming.
The they will go in with some chemicals and essentially glue the lung to the chest lining so that there is no place for the fluid to build up.
Although I’m not real enthusiastic about all this, I think the man knows what he’s doing. So I said, “Let’s do it.”
Now they just came in and said they’re going to do it tonight. Although I’d rather try to sleep the night away, sooner is better than later.
I must admit I miss our little four-legged friend. I wonder if he misses me.
The Vorlon Parents took this photo of the Vorlon Dog. I think it came out rather well. Well I think Danny Boy likes the new people he has met, all the excitement is tiring him out.
I have had requests for more photos of the Vorlon Dog so here you are.
I’m still very weak and tired. The pain seems to have subsided a bit. But I need help going up the stairs at night.
I’ve had two sessions of throwing up. One on Friday morning and one this morning. It just comes on me in a heartbeat. Since both times occurred in the morning I only upchucked some clear fluid. I’ll tell you, when you have to upchuck, it is a relief when you do.
I had about 3 to 6 spasms and then it passed as quickly as it came. I even took a couple of Kytrils today. I haven’t felt the need to take them for many months. They seemed to settle my stomach down.
I’m afraid I’m not presenting a very good picture of myself while the Vorlon Parents and Sister are visiting. I probably look like I’m at death’s door, when I’m really not.
I had thought this would be a bit easier than it’s proving to be as they cut my chemo load by 25%. I’m really hoping these symptoms subside in the coming week.
I think I’m going to call the lung guy and have him drain the plural effusion. It’s given me a cough I would like to get rid of.
And now, I’m off to bed.
I’m really hurting tonight. In addition to my normal all over aches and pain, I’m also experiencing painful muscle spasms in my lower back. I’ve had those before and they should only last a couple of days.
I seems our guests are too much for the Vorlon Dog. This evening we wondered where he was. While everyone was downstairs watching TV, we found him upstairs sound asleep on our bed.
This is not a dumb dog. He wanted to be alone to cut some Z’s and he figured out where he could go. Very shortly, we will crawl into bed and disturb him, but he should still be able to sleep peacefully.
I think he thought to himself, “While they are all nice people and all, I’m beat.”
I can easily empathize with him.
I’m off to bed.
Today was a bit better than yesterday, but I’m hurting tonight.
The Vorlon Parents and Vorlon Sister and her husband showed up for the weekend. It is good to see that everyone arrived in good condition.
Danny Boy was quite upset at first, but settled down after a while. I was concerned, but so far, he seems to be doing well.
I’m starting to get some lower back pain, which I have had before. It should last a couple of days and then be gone.
While I hate to leave guests, I’m just too tired to not go to bed.
I’m off to bed.
Today was a real down day. I came home very early and slept away the afternoon. I feel pretty good until I have to move. I’m off to bed and, hopefully, a good night’s sleep.
I’m really hurting tonight. I always forget just how much the Neulasta whacks me. Perhaps that’s a good thing.
Danny is doing well. His two favorite toys are the flashlight and his pet bed. He loves to throw it around, shake it like a dead rat and play tug-of-war. He can be a very silly doggie. We have bought him toys, but he doesn’t care about them.
I’m off to bed.
I saw my GP this morning about my BP. He said he wants me back in two weeks to make sure we should be taking action.
Yesterday’s Neulasta shot is hammering me today. I’m exhausted and I hurt almost all over. I even took a nap at the office this afternoon.
I’m starting to worry a bit about Danny Boy. Sometimes he seems not to like some people. That’s something I want to train out of him quickly. It may be a bit of a challenge as I don’t know is prior social history. I want him to be a good citizen and a good neighbor. I need to cook up some chicken, cut it in tiny pieces and have it on hand, when he meets new people.
Now I’m off to bed.
I did pretty well today. Although I’m tired tonight, I don’t feel as exhausted as last night. I had my Neulasta shot this morning so I am surprised. Tomorrow I may feel like crap.
I saw the lung guy today and he said if I wanted to have the swamp drained, call and we could schedule it as an out-customer service from the hospital. He says he yet to collapse a lung and he’s been doing it for many many years.
I’ve had a sudden increase in blood pressure in the last few weeks. Lately it’s been running about 150/95. For me that extraordinary high. I’m seeing my GP tomorrow morning to see if I should be taking something for it.
For now, I’m off to bed.
I’m really tired again tonight.
Danny Boy continues to be a delight to have around. He likes to jump up and the sofa next to you. Then he pushes his nose under your hand to get petted. I think he’s lost his shyness on that issue.
It’s been a bit warm so that after a while of lying next to you he jumps down and lies on the bare floor to cool off. When you look at him, he looks plump. But when you hold him, you can feel that he’s really not fat at all. He’s rather like a wooly sheep.
The Vorlon Wife gave him a bath yesterday as he was picking up a little doggie BO. He’s not wild about baths, but he tolerates them. I was surprise, after he dried off, how much software his fur felt.
He’s going to have to find a new place to sleep when the Vorlon Parent come for the weekend. The sofa, where he likes to sleep, will be converted to a sofa bed.
Now I’m off to bed. I have a Neulasta shot in the morning and I see the lung guy in the afternoon. He may drain the plural effusion.
A short entry tonight. Yesterday’s chemo is really flattening me. I feel so tired I can hardly make it to bed.
I had me chemo treatment. The good news was that except for my red cell and hemoglobin counts my blood numbers looked good.
They have me scheduled for a Neulasta shot Monday morning. I expressed my concern of getting a shot on Monday instead of tomorrow. They pointed out that my white cell count was very high today (28.5) and they wanted to wait a day or two to hit it with Neulasta. While I am not completely convince of their case, the DO have a point.
Part of the treatment is my premeditations. Normally I get 2 mg of Kytril and 20 mg of Decahedron. Today, because of my reduced chemo, I only got 1 mg of Kytril and 10 mg of Decadron.
I came home and found my stomach was not happy. I’ve been taking ginger capsules and that helps. I was surprisingly tired. When I cam home, I had a Boost Plus and then lay down and took a nap.
During my exam yesterday my oncologist said, “You’ve been on chemo for over a year. I don’t know how you do it.” I told him, “You do what you have to do.”
I asked him about augmenting my chemo with hyperthermia. He was not thrilled with the idea. I told him this is something I can try at home. Although he was not enthusiastic about it, he could tell it is something I may try. I think he knows how stubborn I can be. I’m trying to set it up so he can talk to a local researcher on this and let the medical types talk in their language.
I see augmenting my chemo with hyperthermia as something that has a low risk and good potential upside. If I can do it as home, out of pocket cost is negligible.
The really good news is I have a 3-week chemo vacation. I told them that I had mixed feelings about it. Although I appreciated the chemo vacation, I also didn’t want to let up on my enemy. In war, you give you enemy no quarter.
Danny boy continues to settle in. The Vorlon Wife took him for a long walk while I was napping. Upon her return, I awoke and just sat in a groggy lump for a bit. I looked over at Danny Boy sleeping on the sofa about where I had previously been and he had his head on MY PILLOW!
Talk about taking over.
Now I’m off to bed, ON MY PILLOW and he can sleep on the bed at the foot of the bed. Last night she couldn’t get him to settle down. He kept woofing at some people at a neighbor’s house. About 3:00 am, the Vorlon Wife went looking for him and found him sleeping on the sofa all by himself. Normally he only hops on to the sofa if one or the other of us is on the sofa. I think he’s starting to like to sleep on the sofa so much he doesn’t need to have us there.
Next weekend the Vorlon Parents, sister and brother-in-law are coming for a visit. The sofa is a sofa bed and they prefer to sleep on it, as they don’t have to go up and down the stairs – that’s something I can really appreciate these days. They may get a Danny Boy surprise in the middle of the night. No, not an accident, buy a warm wet tongue on any exposed flesh.
I’m off to bed.
I met with my oncologist this afternoon. He’s been out of they country visiting his parents.
He seemed surprised on some of the decisions that had been made in his absence. This unnerved me a bit. I like consistent results, even if I don’t agree with it.
Tomorrow I go for my next chemo treatment.
Danny Boy is proving to be a real joy. He loves to bounce up on the sofa, sit next to you and get petted. He seems pretty well recovered from his surgery. We took out his favorite toy and he was pleased. His favorite toy is a small pet bed. He loves to throw it into the air, shake it like he’s killing a rat and play tug-of-war with it. We kept it from him to not let him hurt himself while he was recovering from his surgery.
When we take him to the office, he now hops into the car and is ready to go. He seems to like almost everything.
He likes to leave the house for a walk. He likes to get back in the house from his walk. He likes to get in the car for a ride. When we come home, he loves to get back in the house. The only thing he seems to object to is on his walks. If he’s going down the sidewalk and we decide to turn around he fights a bit. But once we get him turned around, he happy again, just to be moving, I think. He has cute little doggie trot when walking on the leash.
He sleeps on our bed quite well. Although last night I got up to use the bathroom, came back and found him on my part of the bed. I am reluctant to wake him up at night, as he likes to lick any exposed skin.
Well I’m off to bed and looking forward to it.
I did a LITTLE better today. I took a nap after lunch and still came home early and right now, I’m really looking forward to some ibuprofen and bed.
Everyone at the office complex was pleased to see Danny again this morning and he got his share of petting.
I’m pleased to see that he is bouncing back well from his surgery. He hops up and off the sofa with little hesitation. When we took him to the office instead of crating him, we just opened the car door and he hopped right in. He seems to like to put his front paws on the armrest and look out the window. He likes to bark at other cars or people. Sometimes he’s a silly little guy.
I still pick him up very carefully, but he hasn’t yelped all day.
The Vorlon Assistant really misses him when he gone, but Danny gets a double potion of loving when he returns.
He’s starting to become a very sweet little lap dog. He seems to like to lie on the sofa next to you and put his chin on your leg and let you pet him. I think we need to give him a bath this weekend. He’s picking up some doggie BO.
This morning it was raining when the Vorlon Wife took him out. He zipped across the driveway, did his business in the grass and zipped back into the house. We have a rule; he NEVER goes outside without his leash. I shudder to think what would happen if he was outside without his leash and saw a cat. He’d be gone in a heartbeat.
After his quick escape from a collar when we first brought him home, we keep a little harness on him. It’s probably not quite as comfortable as a collar, but I feel it has more positive control.
Two weeks from today, we’ll take him back to the animal shelter. For only $10, they’ll put an identification chip under his skin. That way, should he get away and be captured, they’ll be able to quickly ID him and get him back to us.
I still feel badly for him when I think about what he went through to become our little Danny Boy.
When we come home from the office with him, he is always excited to get home.
Some readers have requested more photos of the Vorlon Dog. I’ll see what I can do this weekend.
We put drops in his ears morning and night. He doesn’t really fight us and he’s stopped scratching his left ear. When the vet gave us the eardrops she said two drops morning and night for two weeks. He’s got about a week left.
He’s a little less enthusiastic about having his face washed in the morning, but I figure he’ll get used to it. He eyes tear on to his face and it hardens. If we stay on top of it, it doesn’t build up and it just takes a minute to clean his face.
I went to the oncologist’s office for my Neupogen shot this morning. The Vorlon Wife was walking Danny around the parking lot. She looked up and the staff, nurses and accounting we’re waving her to come in.
She came into the waiting room and they all oo’d and ahh’d over him, saying, “He’s so cute.” I swear he can charm the brass off a doorknob. He barked a bit a first, as he does in new situation, but quickly calmed down. When he saw me sitting there, he made a beeline to me as best he could on his leash.
Now I’m off to bed.
I stayed home today. I felt really beat and I’m really hurting tonight.
The Vorlon Wife went to the office and said everyone wondered where Danny Boy was. He stayed home with me. I slept on the sofa and he slept on the floor. We don’t both fit on the sofa at the same time.
I’m off to bed.
I had someone come over to the office today to discuss a joint project. It really wore me out. After he left, I drank a Boost Plus, then lay down, and took a nap.
We put Danny in his crate and used that to put him into and out of the car. That worked pretty well and he didn’t yelp.
We came home a bit early. What surprised me was how excited he was to get home.
I guess he knows when he’s home.
It seems with new people Danny barks a bit, then settles down, and is friendly.
As for me, I’m tired and hurt. I’m just ready for bed.
As for the tomorrow’s election, don’t forget to vote. By the way, the market was up sharply today. Is it anticipating a Republican or a Democratic victory? I have a stockbroker friend that tells me the market knows all.
We took a chance last night and didn’t take Danny out throughout the night. Fortunately, there were no accidents.
He is turning out to not be a morning dog. Once he’s done his business, he’s ready for another 40 winks.
We’re not quite sure about how to transport him to the office. I think we’ll stick him in his crate and then put it in the car. It easily fits in the back seat. If we try to pick him up, he yelps.
Once at the office there are no stairs to negotiate and he should be fine.
I’m really beat tonight. The chemo, even at this reduced concentration, is hammering me. The Vorlon Wife went out for a while. I slept on the sofa and the Vorlon Dog slept on the floor. He seems to be recovering from his surgery. His energy level seems to have increased, but he’s still slower than he was.
I get a Neupogen shot Monday through Thursday to, hopefully, keep my white cell count up. I have another treatment on Friday, if my blood count is good. If my treatment goes through on Friday, I’ll get a Neulasta shot on Saturday and they have a two-week chemo vacation.
In his current condition, the Vorlon Dog cannot jump up on the sofa. The Vorlon Wife got him some doggie steps to he can get on to the sofa. He had to force him to use the steps. He couldn’t seem to figure them out.
But once on the sofa, he seemed really happy or at least comfortable. He lay down and was shortly asleep. He does like to curl up next to you and lick any exposed skin. We’ve discovered we need to wash his face almost every day. His eyes weep onto his face and it hardens.
We take some warm water cloths, carefully wipe his face until it’s clean, and then wipe with some clean dry cloths. I don’t know if it feels good or not, but he puts up with it.
He was scratching his left ear when we got him. The vet gave us some eardrops and we’ve been putting two drops in each ear twice a day. He holds quite still for this and the drops appear effective. He seems not be scratching nearly as much as before.
I’ve been living on Boost Plus and diluted white grape juice. While I could probably eat better food, the thought of it is unappetizing. Cold and wet seems to go down best at the moment.
Now I’m off to bed.
I’m not feeling too badly, just tired. I know you’ve heard that before.
I think the reduced chemo is not whacking me as much.
I’ve lived on Boost Plus and diluted white grape juice today.
Now I’m just ready for bed.
The Vorlon Dog is still in recovery from his neutering. He had one testicle that didn’t drop so his operation is closer to a spay than a regular neutering.
He is very hard to pick up without yelping. The Vorlon wife left for a birthday party for one of her nieces. While she was gone, I slept on the sofa and he slept on the floor.
I couldn’t determine if he as hungry or not. So when I brought him in from his walk, I opened up his food and I think the smell attracted him and he ate it all.
I hope he bounces back quickly.
First thing this morning, I had my cell phone turned back on.
I had my treatment today. It was a disappointing day for it. This morning I felt the best I have felt in weeks. Just in time to get whacked again.
Almost all my blood counts were good. Only my Red Cell count was not great. They gave me an Aranesp shot to boost my Red Cell count. I told the nurses I felt the Aranesp was ineffective.
Since my blood counts were recently very low, the cut my treatment by 25%. I asked if that was the oncologist’s best guess on what to do. They said that was part of the standard procedure. That means the people that wrote the standard were guessing. Why not 22% or 27% reduction. It’s obviously a guess.
I have mixed feelings about the reduced
They also gave me 20 MG of Lasix to help prevent greater plural effusion.
I’ve had trouble eating lately. I just can’t think of anything that I like. The Vorlon Wife brought a Chinese mixed veggie with beef lunch today to the oncology clinic. It was the perfect lunch and I was able to eat about two-thirds of it. It went down well.
Tonight I’m feeling quite tired and am taking my ibuprofen and heading off to bed.
Tomorrow I’m considering trying the hyperthermia in addition to my chemo.
After my healing service and then the two pastors stopping by I sort of feel like I have now called in the BIG guns. I feel like I’ve BEEN using a B-B gun to go after a bear. Now, addition to the B-B gun, I’ve got an Abrams A1 tank firing high-explosive rounds at 500 yards.
The Vorlon Dog had his sex life change operation today. He’s very lethargic and obviously not feeling well. They tell us not to let him run and jump.
I guess we’ll have to carry him up and down stairs.
I feel really sorry for him, as he seems to be suffering so much. They tell still not to feed him until tomorrow morning. He probably doesn’t feel much like eating anyway.
I did a little better today. I started to tire in the afternoon, but I went to the Wawa and got another 16 Oz coffee. That seemed to help.
When I went to leave the office, I discovered my cell phone was missing. I really panicked as I imagined someone had it and was making calls to porn sites.
I called Verizon and had them turn it off. When I got home and pulled my briefcase out of the floor of the back seat, there was my cell phone.
I’ll have Verizon turn it back on tomorrow morning.
Two pastors from our church graciously stopped by. That’s why I’m posting so late.
We can a nice discussion and prayer. I thanked them for taking the time to stop by.
Tomorrow I have my chemo treatment. I go in at 9:15 in the morning and should be out of there by 2:00 PM. As part of my treatment, I have to go through a quart of saline solution. That takes a while.
Now I’m taking my ibuprofen and heading off to bed.
The Vorlon Dog did a little better today. He rarely barked at all at the office.
Tomorrow will not be his best day. He is schedule to have his sex life changed.
We had pizza for lunch and the Vorlon Wife mistakenly gave him some. A couple of hours later, it all came up. Fortunately, he barfed on the tile floor so it was easy to clean up. I don’t think she’ll do that again.
Two pastors from our church stopped by. He barked rather ferociously for a few minutes and then settled down and ignored them.
I’ll say this. Once he warms up to you, he can be a real sweetheart. But he’s not a morning dog. He likes to play with his bed at night.
In the morning, he’s ready to go outside, but when he comes back, he’s ready to cut some more z’s.
I did pretty well this morning. But I pooped out his afternoon, came home early and took a nap. I’m curious as to what my blood counts will look like this time.
Two pastors from the church are coming over tomorrow night.
Now I’m going to take my ibuprofen and head off to bed.
We have discovered another toy that Danny likes to play with – the flashlight. He seems fascinated at the light on the floor and will chase it all over. He would probably also chase the red dot from my laser pointer, but I don’t want to take the chance of accidentally shining it in his eye. Besides the light from the flashlight sees to work fine.
We were concerned as he ate very little this morning. At lunchtime, one of the ladies at the lunch table picked a few pieces of cheese out of her salad.
It didn’t take him long to inhale them I gave me a piece of my left over steak. It was rather tough, but he inhaled that too. I figure he was just on strike for better food.
Whether the Vorlon Wife or I is missing, he misses whichever is not there. I had an appointment with a client. The Vorlon Wife said that after I left, he laid down next to the door waiting for my return.
Tonight, the Vorlon Wife went to Bible Study and he lay down next to the door. I went upstairs and a few minutes later, he showed up. I put him on the bed and he lay right down. But when he heard her come home, he was off the bed and down the stairs like a shot.
It almost breaks my heart to think how his previous owner let him go and, when we went to pick him up, ours was the only adoption application on file for him.
I need to finds some treats that he really likes so I can start training him. The new Petsmart store is having a grand opening this weekend. Perhaps they’ll have sample we can test on him.