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.
Category: Cancer
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
8 Weeks On, 8 Weeks Off
The clinical trial I’m participating in alternates between two treatments, 8 weeks at a time. Seville oranges are discouraged during one of the treatments, one of two ingredients in my go-to marmalade. For the next 8 weeks I can enjoy marmalade and I won’t have to make potentially misunderstood inquiries about the formulation of the… Continue reading 8 Weeks On, 8 Weeks Off
Turning the Tables on Tumor
Came home from a medical appointment with a two-month supply of Enzalutamide costing about the same as a small Tesla. I’d never buy a Tesla, so the comparison is moot; besides, the study is paying. I alternate between this for two months then the study drug for two months — rinse, repeat. So far, the… Continue reading Turning the Tables on Tumor
I’m Being Watched: But It’s Okay (It’s For Science)
Enrolled in a study at the university that tracks my daily activities through a location-aware phone app. The researchers are interested in understanding the time cancer patients dedicate to cancer-care related tasks compared to everyday living. I feel a bit of a fraud because all I have to do is show up at appointments. I’m… Continue reading I’m Being Watched: But It’s Okay (It’s For Science)
Once More Unto the Breach
Kicked off my clinical trial participation with a hefty dose of testosterone. The tumor feeds on it, so the counterintuitive idea is to overload the tumor and cause it to shrink. That was the easy part of my day. Now I’m diving into the historical and political motivations of Shakespeare’s Henry V as preparation for… Continue reading Once More Unto the Breach
Perspective
Bill Charlap Trio at the Dakota this evening. American Songbook, Gershwin, Sondheim, … . Perspective for earlier in the day when the focus was on being randomized into a clinical study.
Keeping Perspective
On the walk home from a lab draw at the University, the result popped up on my phone: my tumor marker is increasing (expected, but unwelcome news) to the point I just qualify for a clinical study (good news). As I sometimes do, dropped in on one of the exhibits that appear in different departments of the University. This one, about LGBTQ history, helped me keep perspective.
Confronting Tough Issues
I always enjoy walking across two University of Minnesota campuses on my way home from oncology appointments. Today, stopped at an exhibit about the global impact of local activism in Minnesota, especially in areas of torture, racism, and domestic violence.
Donut Stop Believin’
With temperatures in the 50’s, it was time for a bike ride. I passed by the meter box that had needed a front panel (which I’d reported the other day), indulged in a sugary donut, then pedaled to the university for a blood draw. Unsurprisingly, my glucose was elevated. The tumor marker is also starting to rise again, a topic I’ll discuss with my oncologist tomorrow.