All packed for a quick getaway tomorrow. Today I was taken off the clinical trial because it’s no longer working for me. My oncologist strongly encouraged me to go ahead with my trip: another scan and options await my return. I’ll be bearing Japanese Kit Kats from a cluttered Donki for the care team.
Category: Health
Filling time between scans
To fill time between body scans at the U, I peeked into “221B Baker Street” (the U has the world’s largest collection of Sherlock Holmes artifacts), explored an exhibit on Minnesota women architects, and enjoyed uplifting piano-playing at Coffman Union. Earlier, while waiting for my first scan, a pianist played funereal hymns, including “Abide with Me.”
Cancer drug for some, abandonment for others
Walked home from a clinical study check-in, grateful for an eyewateringly expensive study drug in my daypack. The study, funded by the Department of Defense, promises to save many millions of dollars in cancer care. The contrast with last week’s abrupt shutdown of USAID-funded research feels deeply unjust. Thousands have been left with experimental drugs and devices in their bodies, without access to monitoring or care.
Getting my shots
It was almost balmy weather for January in Minnesota (in the thirties) as I walked to the University for a consultation and medication top-ups (injections). With temperatures expected to drop below zero for the next few days, I’m anticipating a period of hibernation. This appointment was therefore well timed.
Monthly Routine
Every four weeks, I undergo testing for a clinical trial. Today’s lineup: lab tests and two full-body scans. The scans show my tumors aren’t growing or spreading, thanks to a promising new therapy. While there’s no cure, we’ve successfully managed this for eight years. I’m grateful.
A Matter of Dignity
It was my annual Medicare physical, a routine appointment that didn’t amount to much. Since a former president bragged about ‘acing’ the cognitive test, claiming it’s incredibly difficult, I’ve opted out. The test is actually quite simple, but the idea of potentially making a mistake on a test he passed with flying colors is unsettling.
Data-Driven Healthcare
Tomorrow, as I do every four weeks, I meet with my oncologist. Rather than speculating about lab results, I like to cycle over to the University the previous day for a blood draw. Results then trickle in to an app on my phone over the next two hours.
Boxed In
Nursing a cold, I didn’t stray far from a box of Kleenex.
Paying the Price of Travel
Downsides of long-haul travel are jet-lag, possibly layered on a cold or worse. Today I failed a COVID test, which is some consolation.
View from Ford Bridge
After oncology appointments scheduled around our upcoming trip to England, I continued my bike ride. At Ford Bridge, I’m looking at the remnants of a Ford Motor Company plant: Ford Hydroelectric Plant and Ford Steam Plant. Up on the bluffs, a new brownfield development is underway, featuring most of the elements of a 15-minute community,…… Continue reading View from Ford Bridge